Bakwan Sayur Recipe: Indonesian Crispy Vegetable Fritters

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Bakwan Sayur is a popular street food snack in Indonesia. These vegetable fritters are crunchy on the outside but fluffy and savoury on the inside. They’re tasty to have for afternoon snacks over a cup of tea or coffee.

What is Bakwan Sayur?

This crunchy Bakwan Sayur is one savory you would want for your afternoon snack. Though they are deep-fried, having loads of vegetables in them will make you feel less guilty about enjoying them.

Bakwan Sayur means vegetable fritters. It is one of the most popular snacks in Indonesian cuisine.

It is made with different vegetables mixed in a spiced batter and deep-fried. 

The crunchiness on the outside pairs well with the softness and fluffiness on the inside, making you want to savor them more and more. 

Not only is it favored as a home food item, but it is also a sought-after street food. 

One can easily find a bakwan sayur seller among street food vendors. These vegetable fritters are more filling and make a good snack in between meals. 

Although they are often made as a side dish, they are also often served as part of the home food spread.

With simple ingredients that many households will almost always have, these fritters quickly become a choice when you want a naughty treat of deep-fried food. 

Yes, I’d say it’s naughty to have them as they are deep-fried. Therefore, go easy on making them. Don’t do it too often. 

What Do You Need To Make It?

You need about 12 items to make Bakwan Sayur. Although it may sound like a lot, I promise they are simple items you may already have in your fridge and pantry. 

So here are the ingredients you need:

1. Cabbage.
2. Carrots.
3. Beansprouts.
4. Spring onions/ scallions.
5. Plain flour/ all-purpose flour.
6. Rice flour.
7. Shallot.
8. Garlic.
9. Ground pepper.
10. Salt.
11. Stock powder.
12. Oil.

You can omit the stock powder if you want to. Just add a little bit more salt. Or season your fritters according to your taste. 

The Equipment Needed

• Mixing bowl.
• Spatula.
• Tablespoon.
• Large wok.

How To Make Indonesian Vegetable Fritters?

Firstly, you want to prepare your vegetables. 

Peel the carrot and cut it into julienned sticks. Slice the cabbage and spring onions/ scallions. Wash and rinse the bean sprouts. 

Next, peel the shallot and garlic, then pound them into a smooth paste. You can do so by using a pestle and mortar. Or use a chopper like the one I love here (when I got it, I wondered why I didn’t buy it sooner. It saves me so much time and hassle making spice paste).

Then you make the batter. Mix plain flour, rice flour, salt, ground pepper, and stock powder (if using). Add the shallot-garlic paste to the flour mix. Add the water little by little as you stir and mix the flour.

You will get a thick batter in which you add your sliced cabbage, carrot, spring onions, and bean sprouts. Mix well. 

At the same time, heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan at medium-high heat. When you drop a tiny batter, and it fries steadily, quickly but not too fast, your oil is ready.

Using a tablespoon, carefully slide your vegetable fritter mixture into the hot oil. Do so until the oil is filled nicely with batter. Flatten the fritters slightly with the back of the spoon so they are not too thick. 

Cook the fritters until the tops look translucent and the bottoms are dark golden. Turn them, and continue cooking until all looks crispy and golden. 

Top Tips for Crispy Bakwan Sayur

1. Try to cut and slice all your vegetables as small as possible. 
2. Mix the vegetables and flour mixture until every piece of vegetable is coated.
3. Make sure the oil is hot enough to fry but not too hot. Cook the fritters over medium-high heat, keeping plenty of oil covering them. 

What Do You Enjoy Your Fritters With?

As a snack, you will only need a good cup of your favorite tea or coffee to enjoy your Bakwan Sayur. I would eat my fritters and fresh fruit juice or smoothies on hot summer days.  

In Indonesia, people also serve these vegetable fritters as a side dish sometimes, and they go well with almost every Indonesian main dish. 

However, my favorite combos are Sweet Soy Chicken, Beef Rendang, Ayam Rica-Rica, or Ayam Penyet. 

How To Store Your Bakwan Sayur?

I prefer having the fritters freshly made as they are crispier and tastier.

However, if you have leftovers and want to keep them, the fritters keep well in the fridge for a few days.

You may want to reheat them in the oven for about 10 minutes before serving. This way, you can regain their crunchiness. But if you are not bothered, you can pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds before you enjoy them again.

The fritters freeze well, too. Again, pop them in the oven at gas 4/180℃/356℉ for about 20-25 minutes.

As always, once the frozen food is thawed, it must not be refrigerated. Consume it within a few days. 

Other Indonesian fritters recipes

Try these Bakwan Jagung: Indonesian corn fritters, Perkedel Tempe: Indonesian tempeh fritters, or Perkedel Kacang Hijau: mung bean fritters if you need more ideas for Indonesian fritters recipes.

Thank you for checking out this Bakwan Sayur recipe. I hope you like it and will try making it. Please give feedback in the comments below (leave a reply box). I appreciate it.

Lastly, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest to sneak a peek at what’s cooking in my kitchen. 

Take care and all the best.

Bakwan Sayur – Indonesian Vegetable Fritters

5 from 8 votes

Bakwan Sayur is moreish vegetable fritters you want for your next snack time. It's crunchy on the outside but fluffy and savoury on the inside.

BY: Devy Dar

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Prep : 15 minutes mins

Cook : 30 minutes mins

Total : 45 minutes mins

Servings: 14

Equipment

• Pestle and mortar or
• Chopper or
• Food processor
• Chopping board
• Kitchen knife
• Mixing bowls.
• Frying pan
• Slotted spoon

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 medium-sized carrot about one medium-sized, cut in julienne.
• 1 cup beansprouts.
• 1 cup white cabbage sliced.
• 2 scallions/ green onions/ spring onions sliced.
• 1 shallot.
• 1 garlic.
• 10 tablespoons plain flour/ all-purpose flour.
• 2 tablespoons rice flour.
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander.
• ½ teaspoon salt see the note.
• ½ teaspoon stock powder optional.
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper.
• 10 tablespoons water.
• Oil for deep-fry.

Instructions

• Peel the shallot and garlic, then pound them into a paste. You can use a pestle and mortar, or use a chopper/ food processor.
• In a bowl, place the plain flour, rice flour, ground coriander, ground pepper, salt and stock powder (if using). Stir well.
• Add the shallot-garlic paste into the flour mixture and mix well as you pour the water little by little. 
• Put the sliced cabbage, julienned carrot, beansprouts and sliced spring onions/ scallions into the batter. Quickly stir until all is mixed.
• Heat the oil in a wok/ deep pan. Test it by frying a little batter in the oil. When it dries quickly but not too rapidly, the oil is ready.
• Spoon the vegetable fritter batter and carefully slide it onto the hot oil. Repeat until the oil is full and cook at medium heat until the top look slightly translucent. Use a slotted spoon to turn the fritters. 
• Cook your Bakwan Sayur until it looks golden and crispy on the edges. 
• Take the fritters out of the oil. Let them rest on kitchen paper to absorb the oil for a while before serving. So they will not be too greasy.
• Enjoy your vegetable fritters with fresh chillies or your favourite chilli sauce.

Video

Notes

• Try to pound the shallot and garlic until it is as smooth as possible. 
• If you do not use stock powder, you would want to add about ¾ – 1 tsp of salt instead. Because stock powder contains salt, you want to increase or decrease your salt accordingly. 
• You can use ground black pepper if you prefer or if that is what you have.
• When you fry your Bakwan Sayur, flatten the batter a little as you slide it onto the hot oil. The thicker your batter is, the longer it takes for you to cook, and the less crunchy it will be. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 121kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 108mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g

Devy Dar

Devy founded So Yummy Recipes and Drizzling Flavor to share her love of food after exploring various cultures and cuisines for more than two decades. Her mission is to help others easily recreate traditional and non-traditional food with readily available ingredients. Her works have been featured in Reader’s Digest, Al Jazeera, MSN, Yahoo, Bon Appétit, and more.