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Home » Recipes » Appetizers

Mar 6, 2022(updated May 17, 2022)

Banh Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp & Sweet Potato Fritters)

5 from 9 votes

2 Comments

by Becca Du

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Banh Tom

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes to eat is banh cuon. It’s pretty labor intensive to make, so me and my parents used to go to this place in LA called Banh Cuon Tay Ho. I still remember the sticky tables and the smell of nuoc cham that seemed to always be in the air. This place was known for banh cuon, but they served a lot of other Vietnamese dishes too. This dish Banh Tom was one of those dishes.

banh tom

What is banh tom?

Banh Tom is a street food from Hanoi. There is actually a famous restaurant that is known for this dish called Banh Tom Ho Tay. Ho Tay is a major river in Hanoi. This dish is a fritter made of sweet potatoes and shrimp fried in a thick batter. Sweet potatoes are julienned into thin match stick length pieces and thrown into a batter with shrimp. They are then served with nuoc cham, lettuce, and assorted herbs. Sometimes, you may even get banh tom with only nuoc cham if it’s served as a snack.

batter

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

  • Potato starch – This helps thicken the batter and provides a good coating on the outside of the shrimp and sweet potatoes. I personally love frying with potato starch, but traditionally, corn starch, rice flour, or tapioca flour is used.
  • Baking powder – Gives the batter airiness.
  • Turmeric – This gives the batter some color.
  • Eggs – Helps to bind the mixture together and adds some richness to the batter.
  • Water – Helps to thin out the batter a bit.
  • Salt for seasoning
  • Shrimp – One of the main components of this dish. You can use any kind of shrimp you want.
  • Sweet potatoes – The other main component of this dish. You can get away with using regular potatoes, but it wouldn’t be a traditional recipe. I would stick with the sweet potatoes if you can.
battered shrimp and sweet potatoes

Making my banh tom recipe

First combine all the ingredients through salt in a large bowl. Whisk until a smooth, loose batter forms. Pat dry the shrimp and sweet potatoes. They don’t have to be bone dry, but get as much of the liquid off them as possible. Add them to the bowl. Mix to coat them with the batter.

Now you’re ready to fry! Heat a couple cups of oil to 300 degrees F. You can use a cast iron skillet, stainless steel pan/pot, or dutch oven. Make sure the oil is ~1 inch deep. Next, cover a large plate with paper towels. This is where you will place the fritters after they’re done frying. Using a ladle, scoop and drop the sweet potato fritters into the pan. Fry for 5-10 minutes until crispy on all sides. If the oil doesn’t fully cover the fritter, flip the fritter after 5 minutes. A finished banh tom should be a deep orange color and crispy all over.

When done frying, scoop each fritter onto the plate with the paper towels. The paper towels will soak up any excess oil. Repeat this process until all the fritters are done. Serve with lettuce, mint, and nuoc cham. Other optional herbs and vegetables you can include are cucumbers, carrots, Thai basil, and rau ram (Vietnamese coriander).

banh tom

Tips on how to make the perfect banh tom?

How big should you cut the sweet potatoes?

The size of the sweet potatoes depends on your preference. I cut them about 1/2 inch thick and 2-3 inches long because I like bigger sweet potato sticks. It is also really labor intensive to cut sweet potatoes into small pieces. However, I found that the longer sweet potato pieces are harder to fry uniformly. The traditional size of the sweet potato pieces is a lot smaller. They are closer to 1/4 an inch and about 1-2 inches long.

Use a ladle to form uniform fritters

This is something I like doing. The ladle helps form uniform fritters. You can also use a spider strainer for this.

What if I want to use a thicker batter?

I personally like a thinner batter because I like to see the orange color of the sweet potatoes. You can definitely use a thicker batter. Add more potato starch or flour to make the batter thicker.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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Banh Tom

Banh Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp & Sweet Potato Fritters)

Becca Du
A super easy to make shrimp and sweet potato fritter or banh tom that is served with nuoc cham, lettuce, and assorted herbs.
5 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 4 people
Calories 521 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 ¼ cup potato starch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 lb shrimp shell on, halved
  • 2 lb sweet potatoes julienned

Instructions
 

  • Combine all the ingredients through salt in a large bowl. Whisk until a smooth, loose batter forms.
  • Pat dry the shrimp and sweet potatoes. They don’t have to be bone dry, but get as much of the liquid off them as possible. Add them to the bowl. Mix to coat them with the batter.
  • Heat a couple cups of oil to 300 degrees F. You can use a cast iron skillet, stainless steel pan/pot, or dutch oven. Make sure the oil is ~1 inch deep.
  • Cover a large plate with paper towels. This is where you will place the fritters after they’re done frying.
  • Using a ladle, scoop and drop the sweet potato fritters into the pan. Fry for 5-10 minutes until crispy on all sides. If the oil doesn’t fully cover the fritters, cook for 5 minutes on each side. When done, they should be a deep orange color and crispy all over.
  • Scoop each fritter onto the plate with the paper towels. The paper towels will soak up any excess oil. Repeat this process until all the fritters are done. 
  • Serve with lettuce, mint, and nuoc cham. Other optional herbs and vegetables you can include are cucumbers, carrots, Thai basil, and rau ram (Vietnamese coriander).

Notes

  • I chose to use a loose batter because I like to see the orange color of the sweet potatoes. If you want to use a thicker batter, add more potato starch.
  • If you don’t have potato starch, substitute with corn starch or rice flour.
  • How big should you cut the sweet potatoes? – The size of the sweet potatoes depends on your preference. I cut them about 1/2 inch thick and 2-3 inches long because I like bigger sweet potato sticks. It is also really labor intensive to cut sweet potatoes into small pieces. However, I found that the longer sweet potato pieces are harder to fry uniformly. The traditional size of the sweet potato pieces is a lot smaller. They are closer to 1/4 an inch and about 1-2 inches long.
  • Use a ladle to form uniform fritters – This is something I like doing. The ladle helps form uniform fritters. You can also use a spider strainer for this.
  • What if I want to use a thicker batter? – I personally like a thinner batter because I like to see the orange color of the sweet potatoes. You can definitely use a thicker batter. Add more potato starch or flour to make the batter thicker.

Nutrition

Calories: 521kcalCarbohydrates: 88gProtein: 33gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 368mgSodium: 1754mgPotassium: 1399mgFiber: 10gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 32294IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 338mgIron: 5mg
Keyword banh tom, banh tom recipe, Vietnamese sweet potato fritters
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Constance Schecher says

    December 21, 2021 at 3:46 am

    Well I’m gonna make these shrimp sweet potato fritters today so it should be interesting for I’ve never made them before but how can they be bad😂⁉️😍

    Reply
    • Becca says

      December 21, 2021 at 8:09 am

      Hi Constance. Let me know how it goes! You can do it!

      Reply

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Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

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