Bakwan (Vegetable Fritter Snacks)

Bakwan is possibly the most loved snacks in Indonesia. Comfort food for young and old, cherished for generations. I remember when I was in primary school in Jakarta, I used to spend my pocket money only to buy Bakwan and Popsicle. Boy, that was loooong time ago..

To make Bakwan, various diced or shredded vegetables are needed.

ingredients
makes 10 pieces

2 tbs julienned carrot
2 tbs bean sprouts (tauge)
2 tbs shredded cabbage
1 tbs chopped spring onions
1 tbs chopped celery leaves
250 gr plain flour
about 200 to 250 ml water
1 tsp garlic powder
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 liter cooking oil for deep frying

method

1. Mix the flour with water, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Give it a very good stir.
2. Add the carrot, bean sprouts, cabbage, spring onions, and celery leaves. Mix them all together until you reach the consistency shown in the following images. Add  water if necessary, but if for some reason, it feels a bit too runny or liquid-ish, add more flour, re-season it again with salt and pepper.

3. In a deep-fry pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat.
4. When the oil is hot, use a table spoon or a small soup ladle to spoon the Bakwan batter into the hot oil. Do it gently and carefully. Fry maximum 5 portions of batter at one time. Do not overcrowd the frying pan as the batter would likely stick to each other.
5. Deep-fry the Bakwan for one to two minutes, then turn those fritters upside down. Fry for another one or two minutes or until they are all golden brown.
6. If you have peanut sauce at your disposal, you can serve Bakwan with it.