White Radish and Pork Fritters 酥炸蘿蔔絲肉丸(sū zhà lúobó sī ròu wān) is one of my signature creations. I love white radish and wanted to make a finger food that would be suitable as an appetizer or snack.
White radish or 蘿蔔 (lúo bó) is a very common ingredient in many Chinese dishes. We grate it and add it to various dishes. We also braise with it and put it in soup. Some popular dishes include white radish pudding 蘿蔔糕 (lúo bó gāo), beef brisket with white radish stew, white radish pan-fried pancakes, pickled white radish and more.
For this White Radish and Pork Fritters 酥炸蘿蔔絲肉丸 recipe, I combined the traditional deep-fried white radish ball with the Taiwanese popcorn chicken. And I must say, I wowed myself! The inside is soft, has the subtle flavor of the white radish and extra texture from the ground pork. Moreover, the outside has a soft crispiness like that of the Taiwanese popcorn chicken. Besides adding Chinese 5 spice powder, I added Japanese 7 spice powder (Nanami Togorashi) to add a bit of spiciness. I love the taste and texture of my new appetizer/snack food.
I think the White Radish and Pork Fritters 酥炸蘿蔔絲肉丸 would be a great addition to Chinese New Year foods. Consider bringing this dish to your next potluck or Christmas party! While going through this pandemic, there haven’t been any parties or get togethers for me. But with some of my friends, we share foods that we make. It’s a great way to stay in touch but still social distancing. What better way to tell someone you’re thinking about them than gifting them some home-made White Radish and Pork Fritters? Yes, I’m sure it’s the best way!! Happy cooking!
Craving for more deep fried foods? Try my Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork 脆皮咕嚕肉 or Fried Sugar Egg Puffs 炸莎翁 recipes.
If you like to deep-fry once in a while, consider getting a digital thermometer. I can now accurately determine the temperature of the oil before putting my food into it. Now, it’s so easy to get perfect results each time. No more guessing when the oil is ready. If you’re interested, check out the one I got from Amazon.
AstroAI Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer ( Not for Human) , 380 Non-Contact Thermomètre Infrarouge, Temperature Gun with Range of -58℉~716℉ (-50℃～380℃), Red, Cadeau
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)
White Radish and Pork Fritters 酥炸蘿蔔絲肉丸
Ingredients
- 900 g White radish aka lo bak (Daikon is similar and can also be used)
- 300 g Ground pork
- 2 Large eggs
- 2 stalks Green onions
- 80 g Sweet potato starch to be mixed with in the fritters (Approx 7% of total weight of white radish and pork)
- ½ c Sweet potato starch to cover the outside of the fritters
- 1 tsp Sugar for marinade
- 1 tsp Light soy sauce for marinade
- ½ tsp Salt for pork marinade
- 1 tsp Corn starch for marinade
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Japanese 7 spice powder (Nanami Togorashi)
- 1 tsp 5 spice powder
- 1 L Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Peel and wash the white radish then grate
- Blanche the grated white radish in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute and drain in a colander
- After white radish has cooled, take a handful and squeeze out the water and put into a mixing bowl. Continue until all the white radish have had the water extracted and set aside
The goal is to squeeze out as much liquid as possible - Wash and chop the green onions into small pieces and set aside
- Marinade the ground pork with 2 large eggs, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp cornstarch. Mix well
- Add grated white radish into pork mixture and mix well
- Add 1 tsp salt and 80g sweet potato starch and mix well
- Add green onions to the mixture and mix well
- Add 1 c sweet potato starch onto a plate
For pan-frying, go to step 21 - Prepare oil and pot for deep-frying. Heat oil to 130˚C or 266˚F
- Use 2 spoons or a small-sized ice cream scoop to shape a meatball that is approx. 3 cm or 1” in diameter and then put it into the sweet potato starch
Use a spoon to apply the sweet potato starch onto the meatball. Once the meatball is covered with the sweet potato starch, then they won’t be sticky when you touch them with your hands - Roll the meatball around the sweet potato starch until the whole meatball is covered
- Then use your hands to roll it into a ball and set aside. Continue until all the meatballs are rolled
- When the oil is at 130˚C or 266˚F, you can start putting the balls in the oil. The balls won’t expand but you should still avoid overcrowding to prevent the oil temperature from lowering too much.
I used a 14” wok with 1 L of oil and I could put in around 12 meatballs at a time - Fry for 5 minutes and remove from the oil and onto a grid pan to rest. Continue frying until all the meatballs have fried for 5 minutes
- Once all the meatballs have been fried once, increase the heat until the oil temperature is 180˚C or 356˚F.
- Prepare a large mixing bowl or paper bag to coat the fritters with the spice powders
- Put the meatballs back into the oil for a second fry. This time, fry for 1-2 minutes until they are golden in colour. Remove from the oil and onto the grid pan
- Put the balls into a bowl or paper bag and add 1 tsp of Japanese 7 spice Powder and 1 tsp of 5 spice powder and mix well
- Serve
Pan-frying instructions:
- Use 2 spoons and form a ball with the meat mixture
- Place it into the sweet potato starch and roll it around until the entire meatball is covered
- Gently press on the ball to flatten it. Continue until all the meat mixture has been used
Do not set them aside too long (you have approx. 10 minutes) before cooking as the moisture from the meat mixture will wet the starch and become sticky. You can fry the patties in 2 batches to prevent the starch from getting wet - Fry the patties on medium-high heat for approx. 2 minutes on each side until done.
- Mix 1 tsp of Japanese 7 spice powder and Chinese 5 spice powder in a container. Use a spoon to sprinkle on both sides of the patties
- Serve
Leave a Reply