Filipino shrimp fritters have been a popular and famous street food in the Philippines usually peddled by mobile vendors or just being sold on the street corners and commonly served during merienda (mid afternoon snack) along with other Pinoy street delicacies. Ukoy comes from Hokkien ō+kuè ‘cake made from gabi’ and it is pronounced (ooh-coy).
Ukoy are Filipino-style fritters traditionally made with shrimp and vegetables of choice~ green papaya, sweet potato and bean sprouts, to name a few. The prepared vegetables are drenched in a thin batter, topped with shrimp and deep-fried in sizzling oil until golden and crisp.
In a frying pan, heat oil just enough to deep fry two Okoy fritters at a time. Using a slotted spoon, scoop Vege-shrimp batter allowing excess batter to drip off and place in a pan like mini pancakes, frying each side until crispy and lightly brown. Once cooked, drain each Ukoy fritters on a paper towel to get rid excess oil.
Combine together batter ingredients. Mix until smooth. Stir in bean sprouts, tofu, green onions and shrimp. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Scoop two large spoonful of mixture in hot oil; flatten with the back of the spoon. Fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 5 minutes. Drain.