Cucur udang/Prawn fritters

Being Malaysian, I have an innate love for food. One of my Chemistry teachers from England once paid us Malaysian students a visit, and commented that the national hobby seemed to be eating. And I have to say there is some truth in that. 😛

Cucur udang (prawn fritters) is one of those snacks most Malaysians grow up on, and is one of my favourite foods. I still remember my Mum cooking these in the kitchen, with me hovering anxiously in the back, ‘stealing’ a fritter (or two) from the plate the moment they were taken out of the pan. Things haven’t changed, as I found myself sneaking a few of these in the process of cooking….

This is a simple and easy dish to whip up for a lazy weekend snack, as it only takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare and cook.

Cucur udang/Prawn fritters
Based on this recipe from Foodilicious

• 250g self raising flour
• 2-3 red chillis, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 can corn niblets/kernels (I used a small can of Green Giant corn niblets, ~1 cup)
• 200g fresh prawns, roughly diced
• pinch salt
• pinch white pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 egg
• (optional) pinch tumeric – for colour
• chilli sauce, to serve

1. Mix flour, salt and pepper (and tumeric, if using). Add egg to flour mixture, followed by the water, and mix well.
2. Add spring onions, chilli, corn, and prawns to the mixture.
3. Heat about 1 cm of oil in a non-stick pan for shallow frying (a deep pan is preferable to prevent splatters). Alternatively, heat 2-3cm of oil in the pan if you prefer to deep fry the mixture. (Deep frying gives a crispier prawn fritter, of course).
4. Drop the cucur udang mixture into the oil, 1/4 cup at a time. I usually cook 3 at a time in my 28cm pan (crowding will result in mishapen and un-golden cucurs!)
5. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side, till golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon onto a kitchen towel/paper to soak up excess oil.
6. Serve with chilli sauce, and enjoy!