Crispy on the outside and tender and sweet in the middle - What is known as a Vietnamese street food to most people, is a regular lunch I had growing up! Banh tom chien or Vietnamese shrimp and sweet potato fritter is light, crunchy and so satisfying to eat! Wrap it in lettuce and herbs and dip it in Vietnamese fish sauce for a fun summer lunch!
Since both of my parents worked, my mom would always make my siblings and me food before she went to work, so it would be there on the counter waiting for us when we got home from school (though I wouldn't advise leaving it on the counter for an entire school day due to food safety reasons, it never killed us heh). This was one of my favorite things my mom would make!
Her banh tom chien would stay crispy for hours until we got home and got to sink our little adolescent teeth into it. It's great as is or wrapped in lettuce and herbs! Now as an adult, I've found my own ways to make it even lighter and crispier!
My mom would rotate between caramelized pork belly, lemongrass beef and this for lunch during the week and they were all different so we had variety in our meals and they would all hit the spot!
What is banh tom chien?
Bánh tôm chiên is Vietnamese shrimp and sweet potato fritters! It's julienned sweet potato (and in this version, taro) mixed into a light batter and topped with a whole shrimp. It's fried until the edges turn deeply golden and crisp. Banh tom chien is traditionally served with lettuce and fresh herbs and dipped in nuoc cham!
Let's have a little Vietnamese lesson - If we were to break down each word, this is their direct translation:
- Bánh: The word 'banh' in Vietnamese can refer to many different things but it all really comes down to being some type of flour or starch based dish. You'll see this with banh mi, banh khot, banh bo nuong, banh cam, etc. It can refer to both sweet or savory foods!
- Tôm: Translates to shrimp in Vietnamese.
- Chiên: This means fried - pretty simple!
Put it all together and you get fried shrimp fritters (fritter really being the translation for banh in this context, since we are mixing veggies in a batter and frying it)!
Why you'll love this Banh Tom Chien (Vietnamese Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters)
- Crispy, snackable and a little addictive!
- High in protein thanks to the 12oz of shrimp.
- Great for feeding a party or serving as an appetizer for a family meal!
- No deep fryer needed! Just a shallow fry in a standard pan.
- Customizable — swap the veggies, adjust the spice, dip it in whatever sauce you love!
Jump to:
- What is banh tom chien?
- Why you'll love this Banh Tom Chien (Vietnamese Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters)
- Ingredients
- How to make Banh Tom Chien (Vietnamese Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters)
- Top Tips for the Best Banh Tom Chien
- How to store and reheat banh tom chien
- What to serve with banh tom chien
- FAQ
- Other recipes to try:
- Bánh Tôm Chiên (Vietnamese Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters)
Ingredients
Shrimp
- Shrimp: Use large shell-on shrimp! I used black tiger shrimp here.
- Salt and black pepper: To season the shrimp
Fritter Batter
- Sweet potato: Use regular orange sweet potatoes here.
- Taro: Can be omitted but adds a nice flavor contrast.
- All purpose flour: Gives the batter structure.
- Rice flour: Helps to give the fried batter a light but crispy crunch. Note: this should be regular rice flour, not glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour like Mochiko.
- Cornstarch: Makes the fritter extra crunchy.
- Bouillon cube: I used a chicken bouillon cube but feel free to use a vegetarian bouillon cube if you don't eat chicken!
- Turmeric: For that classic yellow hue.
- Salt and black pepper: To season the batter.
- Sparkling water: Make sure it's chilled!
- Cold water: Thins out the batter to our desired consistency.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Banh Tom Chien (Vietnamese Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters)
Make the batter -
- Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, rice flour, salt, turmeric, and black pepper. Crumble in the bouillon cube and whisk again to break it up. Whisk in the sparkling water and cold water until smooth. The batter should be slightly thick, similar to pancake batter but thinner. Set aside and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
Prep the shrimp -
- Step 2: While the batter rests, clean the shrimp and trim off the legs, keeping the shell and tail on. Pat completely dry and season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.
Prep the veggies -
- Step 3: Slice the sweet potato and taro into matchsticks, close to a thicker julienne. Thoroughly rinse them under cold water to wash off the starch and pat dry.
- Step 4: Once the batter has rested, add the julienned vegetables and toss to coat. The batter should evenly coat the vegetables but not so much that you can't see the color of the sweet potato and taro. If the batter is too thick, thin it out by whisking in a little bit of cold water.
Fry the fritters -
- Step 5: In a large pot or skillet, heat about 1 inch of neutral oil to 350F. There should be enough oil to shallow fry.
- Step 6: Using tongs or chopsticks, place some of the battered sweet potato and taro onto a heat-safe spatula or flat-ish spoon (wooden or metal). Using tongs or chopsticks helps so you don't pick up excess batter. Place the vegetables on top of each other to create two layers. Dip a piece of shrimp into the batter and place it right on top. While carefully holding the vegetables and shrimp in place with your tongs, tilt the spatula to drain off excess batter. Too much extra batter will keep the fritter from staying crispy.
- Step 7: Lower the spatula into the hot oil and gently push the fritter off into the oil. Since it's a shallow fry, the shrimp should sit just slightly above the oil line, letting the bottom get super crispy first. Fry in batches as to not overcrowd the pan.
- Step 8: Fry on one side for 4-5 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Give it a flip to finish cooking through, about 30 seconds to a minute or until the shrimp is crispy and lightly golden. Remove from oil and drain upside down on a wire rack. Enjoy with lettuce and herbs and dipped in nuoc cham!
Top Tips for the Best Banh Tom Chien
Mama Moon used to make this all the time when I was a kid and now as an adult, I've added my own technique to make it even crispier and slightly better for you!
- Use shell on shrimp! This allows the batter to stick to the shrimp and to the taro and sweet potatoes. It also helps give an extra layer of crunch!
- Pat the shrimp dry! Moisture is the enemy of crispiness, so make sure the shrimp is dry before coating in the batter.
- Drain off excess batter from the spatula before frying. It might feel natural to let the batter pool on the spatula you're using to transfer the battered vegetables to the fryer, but tilt the spatula and let excess batter run off of it. This will keep the fritter light and crispy!
- Make a couple layers of the sweet potato and taro mixture on the frying spatula and add the battered shrimp on top! The layers will keep most of the shrimp out of the oil, allowing the shrimp to cook slower while giving time for the sweet potato and taro to get golden and crispy.
- Shallow fry in a large pan, so the pan doesn't get overcrowded and the fritters don't float around. You only need about an inch of oil!
- Heat your oil until at least 350F. Anything lower than this will cause the batter to absorb the oil instead of getting golden brown and crispy.
- Fry it in avocado oil for a cleaner and lighter fry.
- Fry it until it's golden brown and crispy.
- Let it cool on a wired rack. This will allow excess oil to drain off, drying the fried shrimp and keeping it crispy. I like to drain it upside down on the wired rack, since we finish cooking the shrimp by flipping it over before removing.
How to store and reheat banh tom chien
Banh tom chien are best eaten the day you cook them, but you can store them in an air tight container for up to 2 days. To reheat, air fry at 375F for 3-5 minutes until crispy and warm!
What to serve with banh tom chien
- Vegetables and fresh herbs - Wrap the fritter in lettuce and enjoy with mint, cilantro, Thai basil, lettuce, and cucumber! It packs every bite with extra crunch and freshness!
- Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon (đồ chua) - Adds a nice tangy crunch!
- Vermicelli noodles or banh hoi - Cut up the shrimp fritters, add herbs and veggies and noodles and turn this into a bowl!
FAQ
If your batter is too thick, add a splash of cold water. You're looking for batter that coats the vegetables without being goopy.
While you can mix the dry ingredients together ahead of time and julienne the vegetables, I would not recommend adding in the wet ingredients too far in advance. The sparkling water will lose its airyness and go flat.
A huge reason why shrimp won't stick to the sweet potato is because the batter is too thin. If the batter slides right off the sweet potato or shrimp, the batter is too thin and needs to either rest longer or needs a little more flour.
A few tips to keep in mind when making these fritters: 1. Fry in batches so you do not overcrowd the pan. 2. Make sure the oil reaches at least 350F. Every time a new fritter is added, the temperature goes back down. Frying in oil that isn't hot enough will cause the fritter to absorb all of the oil instead of crisping up in it, resulting in a soggy fritter. And 3. Drain any excess batter to allow more surface area to fry. If the fritter is all batter, it won't give the sweet potato, taro or shrimp a chance to crisp up.
Unfortunately the banh tom chien requires oil, which is where it gets its structure and crispiness. However, reheating this in the air fryer the next day after frying it brings it back to life, as if it was freshly fried!
Other recipes to try:
- Chao tom (Vietnamese sugarcane shrimp)
- Banh khot (Vietnamese crispy mini pancakes)
- Tom rim (Vietnamese caramelized shrimp)
Bánh Tôm Chiên (Vietnamese Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters)
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 12 oz large shrimp shell-on, cleaned and legs trimmed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Fritter Batter
- 10 oz sweet potato
- 10 oz taro
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup rice flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ bouillon cube
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup sparkling water
- ¾ cup cold water
Instructions
Make the batter
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, rice flour, salt, turmeric, and black pepper. Crumble in the bouillon cube and whisk again to break it up. Whisk in the sparkling water and cold water until smooth. The batter should be slightly thick, similar to pancake batter but thinner. Set aside and let rest for at least 30 minutes.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup cornstarch, ½ cup rice flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ bouillon cube, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup sparkling water, ¾ cup cold water
Prep the shrimp
- While the batter rests, clean the shrimp and trim off the legs, keeping the shell and tail on. Pat completely dry and season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper.12 oz large shrimp, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Prep the veggies
- Slice the sweet potato and taro into matchsticks, close to a thicker julienne. Thoroughly rinse them under cold water to wash off the starch and pat dry.10 oz sweet potato, 10 oz taro
- Once the batter has rested, add the julienned vegetables and toss to coat. The batter should evenly coat the vegetables but not so much that you can't see the color of the sweet potato and taro. If the batter is too thick, thin it out by whisking in a little bit of cold water.
Fry the fritters
- In a large pot or skillet, heat about 1 inch of neutral oil to 350F. There should be enough oil to shallow fry.
- Using tongs or chopsticks, place some of the battered sweet potato and taro onto a heat-safe spatula or flat-ish spoon (wooden or metal). Using tongs or chopsticks helps so you don't pick up excess batter. Place the vegetables on top of each other to create two layers. Dip a piece of shrimp into the batter and place it right on top. While carefully holding the vegetables and shrimp in place with your tongs, tilt the spatula to drain off excess batter. Too much extra batter will keep the fritter from staying crispy.
- Lower the spatula into the hot oil and gently push the fritter off into the oil. Since it's a shallow fry, the shrimp should sit just slightly above the oil line, letting the bottom get super crispy first. Fry in batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Fry on one side for 4-5 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Give it a flip to finish cooking through, about 30 seconds to a minute or until the shrimp is crispy and lightly golden. Remove from oil and drain upside down on a wire rack. Enjoy with lettuce and herbs and dipped in nuoc cham!
Video
Notes
- Use shell on shrimp! This allows the batter to stick to the shrimp and to the taro and sweet potatoes. It also helps give an extra layer of crunch!
- Pat the shrimp dry! Moisture is the enemy of crispiness, so make sure the shrimp is dry before coating in the batter.
- Drain off excess batter from the spatula before frying. It might feel natural to let the batter pool on the spatula you're using to transfer the battered vegetables to the fryer, but tilt the spatula and let excess batter run off of it. This will keep the fritter light and crispy!
- Make a couple layers of the sweet potato and taro mixture on the frying spatula and add the battered shrimp on top! The layers will keep most of the shrimp out of the oil, allowing the shrimp to cook slower while giving time for the sweet potato and taro to get golden and crispy.
- Shallow fry in a large pan, so the pan doesn't get overcrowded and the fritters don't float around. You only need about an inch of oil!
- Heat your oil until at least 350F. Anything lower than this will cause the batter to absorb the oil instead of getting golden brown and crispy.
- Fry it in avocado oil for a cleaner and lighter fry.
- Fry it until it's golden brown and crispy.
- Let it cool on a wired rack. This will allow excess oil to drain off, drying the fried shrimp and keeping it crispy. I like to drain it upside down on the wired rack, since we finish cooking the shrimp by flipping it over before removing.
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