Ukoy

There are many variations of this Filipino fritter known as ukoy. What binds them is their ease to make and their addictiveness. This version, a favourite of the Morillo Family in Calapan, Mindoro in the Philippines, combines bean sprouts, prawns, tofu and scrambled egg.

Filipino ukoy Credit: SBS Food

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• vegetable oil, to shallow fry
• 1 heaped cup bean sprouts
• 1 large bunch of coriander, roots trimmed, stems and leaves roughly chopped
• 14 medium green prawns, peeled, deveined, cut in half
• 1 large square firm tofu, cut into 1.5 cm cubes

Instructions

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the onion and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat.

Meanwhile, place 2 heaped tablespoons of bean sprouts on a saucer sized plate to form a 6 cm round. Top with 1 heaped tablespoon of coriander, 5 prawns and 4 tofu cubes. Pour over ½ cup of the egg mixture. Shake the plate gently to distribute the egg mixture, then position the plate close to oil and slide the ukoy batter off the plate and into the pan.

While frying, push in sides of batter with a spatula to form a round shape. To speed up the cooking, use a large spoon to scoop up the oil and baste over the top of ukoy.

Cook for about 3 minutes or until the top is just set. Using a spatula, carefully flip the ukoy over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until cooked through.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.