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 snack 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 turned it on its head 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 it 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!