Traditional Vietnamese Banh Tom (Shrimp & Potato Fritters)
Inspired by the streets of Hanoi, my homemade banh tom recipe is made by mixing shrimp and thinly sliced sweet potatoes into a thick batter, then frying until golden and crunchy. Serve the fritters with fresh herbs and nuoc cham for dipping
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.
How I remember these Vietnamese shrimp fritters
Out of the tons of traditional Vietnamese appetizer recipes, this one was definitely a favorite next to street-style Vietnamese mini pancakes with shrimp. Growing up, I loved eating these Vietnamese shrimp and potato fritters on some banh cuon with fresh veggies. But from time to time, we would have it as a snack or an appetizer! We always had it with nuoc cham because by itself, it doesn’t have that much “wow” flavor. Only with Vietnamese dipping sauce does it really shine.
What kind of starch I like to use
I personally love using potato starch for this recipe even though it’s a little non-traditional. 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 because it gives it the best crunch, but traditionally, corn starch, rice flour, or tapioca flour is used. You can use any of those starches for this recipe.
How to make my banh tom recipe
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.
What can you serve Banh Tom with?
As mentioned, I like eating it with banh cuon but it’s also a great appetizer or side dish. Make sure to always serve it with fresh veggies and Vietnamese dipping sauce for the most authentic experience!
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Get the Recipe:
Banh Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp & Sweet Potato Fritters)
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.
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😂⁉️😍
Hi Constance. Let me know how it goes! You can do it!