Vegan Shrimp Crackers Recipe | Yummy

Made with flavorful shiitake mushrooms instead of shrimp, these puffy chips are a delicious vegan alternative to the famous shrimp crackers. Just follow along and we’ll show you how to create them from scratch!

Also known as krupuk, keropok, And kropek, Shrimp crackers are a popular crunchy snack native to Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. And of course there are also Chinese shrimp crackers, familiar to most of us in the West.

These crispy fish crackers are the equivalent of our western potato chips. And not only are they a snacking favorite, they’re also served on special occasions and celebrations like the Chinese New Year.

To help vegetarians, vegans and those with fish allergies enjoy this crunchy snack, we’ve taken the classic shrimp recipe and flipped it completely plant-based!

Traditionally, shrimp crackers are made from a batter of shrimp meat, tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour), water, salt, sugar, and spices.

We swapped shrimp in our recipe juicy shiitake mushrooms.

We cooked them with sesame oil and mixed them with miso paste, garlic and nori seaweed for a flavorful punch Finish with “fishy” umami taste.

That’s it!

Preparing these fried veggie crackers from scratch is fairly easy, but does take some time. It’s like a little project you can make over the weekend!

That’s because you need to steam and set the mushroom batter before cutting it into chips. Then you the chips must dry completely in an oven on low heat until brittle – which may take a few hours.

And only when the fries are perfectly dry can you finally fry them!

But it will be worth it: you will be rewarded with deliciously puffy, crispy and flavorful vegan shrimp chips!

So, put on your kitchen apron and get started!

Step 1

Heat the sesame oil in a pan and add the chopped shiitake mushrooms in cups.

Cook until mushrooms are soft and juice has reduced, 5 minutes.

Set them aside to cool.

step 2

When the mushrooms are lukewarm, put them in a food processor.

Add water, sugar, pepper, garlic powder, miso paste, and one-third of the tapioca starch.

Tear the nori sheet into small flakes and add them as well.

Blend all ingredients into a smooth and creamy paste.

step 3

Pour the miso mushroom paste into a bowl, add the remaining tapioca starch and mix to form a dough.

Transfer the dough to your countertop and knead until smooth.

The “shrimp” cracker batter should be smooth and pliable, but slightly stiff (1).

Roll the dough into a log, making sure it fits in your steamer basket, and keep it covered with cling film while setting the steamer on (2).

step 4

Place the steamer basket over a pot of boiling water, being careful not to touch it, and line the basket with parchment paper.

Grease the roll to prevent sticking, place it in the basket and close the lid.

Cook the rolling pin for 45 minutes, gently boiling the water.

Once the rolling pin is ready, it will puff up slightly and become shiny and sticky. It will also look darker, but don’t worry: the “shrimp” chips will turn white again when fried.

step 5

After baking, allow the dough to cool for 10-15 minutes before wrapping tightly in cling film.

Then place in the fridge and let cool until set – about 2-3 hours, or you can leave overnight.

The chilling step makes it easier to cut the dough into chips.

step 6

Once hardened, cut the “shrimp” cracker stem into very thin slices, no thicker than 2mm.

You can use a long, sharp knife, potato peeler, or mandoline slicer.

The thinner you make the chips, the quicker they will dry and the sooner you can fry them.

Aim for a thickness of 1mm if possible: the chips should be so thin that you can almost see through them.

step 7

Preheat oven to 50°C (125°F) convection or 70°C (160°F) static.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the chips flat and close together as they will shrink (1).

You may need more than one tray to fit all.

Dry the “shrimp” chips in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking.

step 8

Then let the chips cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes to crisp them up.

The chips should be hard and dry enough that they will break if you bend them.

So if the chips bend but don’t break, return them to the oven and continue drying until completely hard.

You can also let them dry on a tray at room temperature all day or overnight.

If they aren’t completely dry, the chips won’t puff up as they cook.

step 9

Add enough frying oil to a saucepan to ensure the chips are completely submerged and heat to 180°C (355°F).

Monitor with a kitchen thermometer and keep the oil between 170°C and 190°C (340°F-375°F) during the frying time to avoid undercooking or burning the “shrimp” crackers.

Place a chip in the hot oil and fry while pressing down with a chopstick to keep it submerged (1) until it puffs up (2). It only takes a few seconds.

step 10

Shake off or drain excess oil and place the fried crackers on a tray lined with paper towels.

Repeat for the other crackers.

Enjoy your homemade vegan shrimp chips with a sweet chili sauce for dipping – or with this homemade Asian chili jam!

tips

• You can use leftover mushroom stalks to make delicious vegan ebi tempura and leftover nori sheets for maki rolls or to wrap onigiri balls, like these kombu onigiri.

• Keep the chips fully submerged in oil or they won’t fully expand, leaving hard, dry patches instead.

• Don’t fry these veggie shrimp chips until you’re ready to serve them, as they become mushy within a few hours of frying. You can save the dry chips and fry a batch whenever you like!