UKOY - PHILIPPINE SHRIMP, SWEET POTATO AND SQUASH CAKES

UKOY - PHILIPPINE SHRIMP, SWEET POTATO AND SQUASH CAKES image

Yield 10 Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Ingredients

½ cup boiling water
10 medium-sized raw shrimp in their shells (about 21 to 25 to the pound)
1 teaspoon annatto seeds or 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 cup cornstarch
A large sweet potato (about ½ pound), peeled and coarsely grated
A medium-sized acorn squash (about ¾ pound), peeled, halved, seeded and coarsely grated
2 cups vegetable oil
¼ cup finely chopped green scallion tops
Garlic sauce:
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup malt or distilled white vinegar

Steps:

Garlic sauce: 1. Crush the garlic and salt into a smooth paste. 2. Pour in the vinegar and mix the ingredients thoroughly. 3. Serve the sauce as an accompaniment ukoy. 4. Tightly covered, garlic sauce may be kept at room temperature for a day or so. Ukoy: 1. Combine the water, shrimp, annatto and salt in a heavy 1- to 1½ -quart saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the shrimp are firm and pink. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to paper towels to drain then strain and reserve the cooking liquid. 2. Add enough fresh water to the shrimp liquid to make 1¼ cups and set aside. (Traditional Philippine cooks prefer to leave the shrimp in their shells, but you may prefer to shell and de-vein them.) 3. In a deep bowl, combine the flour and cornstarch. Pour in the shrimp cooking liquid and beat until the liquid is absorbed. Then add the grated sweet potato and squash and mix well. 4. Pour the oil into a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet. The oil should be about ½ inch deep; if necessary add more. Heat the oil until it is very hot but not smoking. 5. To make each cake, spoon about 1/3 cup of the vegetable mixture onto a saucer, sprinkle a teaspoon or two of the scallions on top and lightly press a shrimp into the center. Then holding the saucer close to the surface of the oil, slide the ukoy into it with the aid of a spoon. 6. Fry the cakes, 3 or 4 at a time, for about 3 minutes, spooning the oil over each cake; then turn them carefully and fry them for another 3 minutes, regulating the heat as needed. As each ukoy browns transfer it to paper towels to drain. 7. While hot, arrange the ukoy, shrimp side up, on a heated platter and moisten each cake with a little of the garlic sauce. Pour the remaining sauce into a bowl or sauce boat. Serve at once.