Lacy sweet potato fritters (banh re)
Banh re is a humble country treat from Hue: shredded sweet potato fried into round, lacy nests that look like the woven trivets once set under cooking pots. Once they are crisp, the fritters get a glossy coat of ginger caramel and a sprinkle of toasted sesame, so every bite is crunchy, sweet, nutty and warm with ginger.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Rising or chilling
- 15 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Method
- Fried
Ingredients
Sweet potato nests
Ginger caramel
Sesame topping
Frying oil
Instructions
Step 1
Peel 500 g sweet potatoes and shred them into long, thin strands about as fine as toothpicks, then soak them in a bowl of cold, lightly salted water for about ten minutes, rinsing a few times. Soaking and rinsing wash away the excess starch on the surface, so the fried strands stay separate instead of clumping. The potatoes are ready when the rinse water runs clear and the strands fall apart from one another.
Step 2
Drain the sweet potato in a colander, pat it completely dry with a clean towel, then sprinkle over 30 g tapioca starch and a pinch salt and toss gently with your hands until every strand is coated. Dry strands keep the oil from spattering, and the thin layer of tapioca starch acts as the glue that binds them into a fritter. They are ready when they feel dry to the touch and each strand has a faint white dusting.
Step 3
Heat oil for deep-frying (to taste) to about 170°C. Spread a handful of sweet potato thinly into a round about twelve centimeters across on a wire spider, lower it into the oil and fry over medium heat for about four minutes, turning once, until the fritter slips off the spider on its own. A thin, loose layer lets the strands weave into an evenly crisp lattice. The fritters are done when they are deep golden, feel firm when you lift them and sound dry and crisp when tapped.
Step 4
Toast 15 g white sesame seeds in a dry pan over low heat for about four minutes, shaking the pan constantly. Pre-toasted sesame clings to the hot caramel and gives a much clearer aroma. The seeds are ready when they are evenly pale golden and start to pop.
Step 5
Peel 10 g fresh ginger and cut it into very fine matchsticks, then put it in a saucepan with 120 g granulated sugar and 40 g water and cook over medium heat for about eight minutes without stirring. Leaving it unstirred keeps the sugar from crystallizing, while the ginger infuses the syrup with its warm heat. The caramel is ready when it bubbles with small, fine bubbles and a drop in a bowl of cold water sets into a soft, pliable thread.
Step 6
Arrange the fritters on parchment paper, spoon the ginger caramel over each one in a spiral, and sprinkle with sesame right away while the caramel is still hot. Working quickly while the caramel is runny gives a thin, even coat and makes the sesame stick firmly. The fritters are ready when they shine with golden threads of caramel and the sesame covers the whole surface.
Step 7
Leave the fritters to cool in a dry, airy spot for about fifteen minutes so the caramel hardens. As the ginger caramel cools it forms a crisp shell around the strands that keeps the fritters from going soft. They are ready when the surface feels dry and not sticky, and each fritter holds its shape when you pick it up.
Equipment
- Deep skillet
- Thermometer
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowl
- Sieve
- Parchment paper
- Kitchen scale
Tips
- Yellow- or orange-fleshed sweet potatoes that are not too starchy give the prettiest color and stay crisp longest; very floury sweet potatoes tend to crumble when you shred them.
- If you do not have a wire spider, you can spread the sweet potato straight into a shallow pan of oil and use two pairs of chopsticks to hold the round shape for the first few seconds.
- Cook the sugar to a light amber if you want the coating to have a deeper caramel flavor.
Storage
Once cooled, keep the fritters in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers, and they will stay crisp for about three to four days in a cool, dry place. Avoid the fridge, because the moisture will make the caramel run and soften the fritters.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The fritters fall apart and do not hold a round shape.
- The strands were still wet or did not have enough tapioca starch to bind. Pat the sweet potato thoroughly dry and coat it with a little more tapioca starch before frying.
- The caramel crystallizes, turns cloudy white and flakes off.
- The sugar was stirred while cooking, or sugar crystals were stuck to the side of the pan. Make a fresh batch without stirring, and brush the sides of the pan clean with a wet pastry brush.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
