These Mixed Vegetable Okoy or Filipino Fritters are thin and crispy fritters with a pink sweet chili vinegar dipping sauce. This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables you have!
WHAT IS OKOY?
Okoy or ukoy are filipino fritters. Filipino fritters are traditionally very thing and deep fried to a crisp. I usually flatten the mixture on my palm and continue to flatten it with my spatula while in the oil. Getting it as thin as possible creates more surface area and gets it nice and crispy!
These fritters (okoy) are famous Filipino street food that I grew up eating. They come in different versions—from using shrimp to silverfish, but these are a vegan version made with mixed vegetables. These also commonly enjoyed as a delicious and satisfying appetizer and I particularly love them as finger food.
What vegetables to use?
I personally love to use starchy produce like pumpkin and sweet potato for the hearty bite.
- This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables you have! I recommend to use at least 50% starchy produce like pumpkin and sweet potato for the hearty bite and also because starchy vegetables release liquid that helps bind the mixture.
- Other vegetables suggestions:
- Sweet potato, peeled and grated
- Bell pepper, seeded then thinly sliced or diced
- Malunggay (moringga leaves) or other greens roughly chopped
- Cabbage, thinly sliced/shredded
The top left and the bottom left (see photo below) are my okoy on the much thinner side while the other two are a bit thicker (like regular fritters) since my parents prefer thicker ones for an even heartier bite. But I love mine as thin as possible for that crunch!
It's ultimately up to you what type of shape or size you want your okoy to be!
THE OKOY MIXTURE
- grated and sliced vegetables of choice (I used
- onion, diced or sliced
- green onions or scallions chopped
- salt, or to taste
- ornstarch
- all-purpose flour or other flour fo choice (see recipe notes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Neutral oil for frying
COOKING THE OKOY OR FRITTERS
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat. Add in enough neutral oil to submerge the fritters. You can check the recipe notes below for other cooking methods but deep frying is my preferred and recommended way for optimal crispiness.
- Once the oil is hot and you see small bubbles, scoop around ½ cup (120 g) of the mixture and then flatten on your palm until around 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thick. Carefully slide the fitter it into the oil. The fritters should immediately sizzle in the oil. You can continue to flatten the fritters once submerged in the oil by using a spatula. Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the edges then flip over to repeat the same.
- Once the fritters are crisp throughout, remove them from the oil and transfer on a strainer to drain out any excess oil.
- Make sure not to cover them while still hot to prevent them from getting soggy. After cooking the rest of the fritters, turn off the heat.
OTHER FILIPINO RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:
Mixed Vegetable Okoy (Filipino Fritters)
These Mixed Vegetable Okoy or Filipino Fritters are thin and crispy fritters with a pink sweet chili vinegar dipping sauce. This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables you have! I personally love to use starchy produce like pumpkin and sweet potato for the hearty bite. These fritters (okoy) are famous Filipino street food that I grew up eating. They come in different versions—from using shrimp to silver fish, but these are a vegan version made with mixed vegetables. These also commonly enjoyed as a delicious and satisfying appetizer and I particularly love them as finger food.
Ingredients
Veg Fritters
- 4 packed cups grated and sliced vegetables of choice (I used a mix of raw grated pumpkin, carrot, green beans SEE NOTES)
- 1 small onion diced or sliced
- 1 green onions or scallions chopped
- 1 ¾ tsp salt , or to taste
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or other flour fo choice (see notes)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Neutral oil for frying
Pink Sweet Chili Vinegar
- ½ cup distilled white vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2-3 chiles chopped or crushed (optional for spice)
- 2 tbsp cane sugar, or to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium-sized red onion diced
Instructions
- Prepare your vegetables. To grate the pumpkin and carrot, I used a cheese grater. For the green beans/french beans, I just snapped off the ends then finely chopped these. You can see the notes below for other vegetable suggestions! This recipe is easily customisable so feel free to add other vegetables of choice.
- Place the mixed vegetables and onions in a large bowl. Add in the salt. Mix the vegetables well and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. This will help draw out some of the moisture from the vegetables. The water from the vegetables will also help bind everything together.
- To the bowl, add in the cornstarch, flour, and pepper. Mix everything together until the vegetables are coated in the cornstarch-flour mixture. To check if the mixture holds up well, get a generous amount and shape it in your hands. It should hold up well.
- If you find the mixture too wet and doesn’t hold very well, you can add 1 to 2 (8 to 16 g) more of flour. The mix may naturally release more liquid as time passes. If needed, you may need to add more flour and mix it well.
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium high heat. Add in enough neutral oil to submerge the fritters.You can check the notes below for other cooking methods but deep frying is my preferred and recommended way for optimal crispiness.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dipping sauce by mixing together all the ingredients until the sugar is diluted. You can prepare this beforehand and just store it in an air-tight jar or container at room temp for 4-5 days. The longer the onions soak in the vinegar, the better they taste. For the chili, you can opt to remove the seeds for less spice.
- Once the oil is hot and you see small bubbles, scoop around ½ cup (120 g) of the mixture and then flatten on your palm until around 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thick. Carefully slide the fitter it into the oil. The fritters should immediately sizzle in the oil. You can continue to flatten the fritters once submerged in the oil by using a spatula. Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the edges then flip over to repeat the same.
- Once the fritters are crisp throughout, remove them from the oil and transfer on a strainer to drain out any excess oil.
- Make sure not to cover them while still hot to prevent them from getting soggy. After cooking the rest of the fritters, turn off the heat.
- Serve the freshly cooked fritters hot with the vinegar. I love to scoop the diced onions from the sauce and placing these on top of my fritters. Enjoy!
WATCH Video
Notes
VEGETABLES
- This is a great way to use up leftover vegetables you have!
- I recommend to use at least 50% starchy produce like pumpkin and sweet potato as the base for the hearty bite. At the same time the starch from these vegetables can help bind the mixture.
- Other vegetables suggestions:
- Sweet potato, peeled and grated
- Bell pepper, seeded then thinly sliced or diced
- Malunggay (moringga leaves) or other greens roughly chopped
- Togue or mung bean sprouts
- Cabbage, thinly sliced/shredded
FLOUR
- Feel free to use other flour of choice since the flour here acts as a binder.
- To grate your pumpkin or squash, slice it in half and remove the seeds. Slice them into wedges and then carefully peel the skin off using a peeler. To grate, you can use a cheese grater.
OTHER COOKING METHODS
(Note: I’ve only tried the pan-frying method. I don’t like baking my fritters since they don’t turn out as crisp as how I like them to be. My go-to cooking method is really deep-frying, which is also how these are traditionally cooked.)- If you prefer to use less oil by using a non-stick pan and some oil to coat the surface of the pan. Do note that they won’t turn out as crispy as when deep fried.
- I wouldn’t recommend air frying or baking these without any oil since they can come out really dry. If baking/air-frying, I recommend to brush or spray some oil.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1piece | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 71IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
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Can you add tofu to the recipe so it has some protein?
Yes you can. I reach to press the tofu very well then if you’re using extra firm tofu you can even shred the tofu ◡̈
Simple and outstanding! I enjoy fritters and this will be the only method I use from now on. I used sliced napa cabbage, gated sweet potato, and sliced onion. They formed & flipped well and did not even drip oil from the rack I placed them on. I found them crispy on the outside and savory on the inside, and perfectly sweet from the onions that carmelized. The pink vinegar was lovely too though not necessary for a great eating experience.
Hi Carolyn! This is my favorite way to cook and enjoy fritters and I’m so glad you enjoy it too. Thanks for giving my recipe a try! 🙂