Bakwan

Bakwan are Indonesian style fritters commonly sold in food carts and warungs (food stalls and shops) throughout the streets of Indonesia. Every island has their own twist on making these crispy fried snacks; meaning there are many variations to make them. While in Sumatra, the surf group I was with stopped multiple times at different warungs to get bakwan because they are fast, easy to eat, and most importantly, delicious. Vendors usually throw a bunch in a plastic bag with little baggies of sambal to dip them in.

After doing a lot of research online on how to makes Bakwan, I believe I have created a vegan version that comes comes close to the real thing when it comes to in taste and texture. The hardest part about creating this recipes was the addition rice flour which gives the bakwan a chewy interior and crispy exterior. The first thing that popped up in my head when I thought of rice flour was Mochiko, rice flour made from sweet mochi rice. But, for bakwan you will need plain rice flour. I used brown rice flour which is easy to find in most health food stores, and it worked perfect for this recipe. So without any further ado, here's the recipe for bakwan.

Ingredients

175 grams of flour

25 grams of brown rice flour

3 Tbsp aquafaba

100 grams of carrot, finely julienned or grated

100 grams cabbage, shredded fine

1 stalk green onion chopped

1 cloves of garlic, grated with micropane

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coriander powder

⅛ tsp pepper powder

240 g of water

Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Procedures

Prep and cut all the vegetables making sure to dry all excess water off of them. Fill a large, bottom heavy pan with at least 2 inches of canola or vegetable oil for pan frying, or fill a deep fryer with oil.

Place the carrots, cabbage, and green onion into a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.

In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, rice flour, salt, pepper, and coriander and whisk together. Add the garlic, aquafaba, and water and mix together to get a pancake batter consistency.

Pour the batter over the vegetables and mix to coat all the vegetables evenly.

Heat the oil in the pan over medium high heat. You can test to see if the batter is ready by dropping a small piece of the battered carrot or cabbage in to the oil. If the vegetable bubbles rapidly, the oil is ready for frying.

Drop ⅓ cup portions on the bakwan batter into the oil. If pan frying flip the bakwan every 3 to 4 mins to ensure even browning.

Once each side is golden brown, remove the bakwan from the oil and let cool on a plate or wire rack. Repeat until all the batter is used. Serve the bakwan warm with homemade or store bought sambal.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe. Feel free to change the vegetables used in the recipe to your preference and let me know how it goes in the comments down below!