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Lasang Pinoy 1: Okoy or Shrimp Fritters

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This post is for the first Filipino Food Blogging Event: LASANG PINOY I – Ninoy Aquino Day.

I just read this morning an invitation from stef to join a very interesting food blogging event to celebrate Ninoy Aquino’s ‘heroism and dedication to the Filipino nation’ today. So now I found myself checking what’s in my files to share as some kind of a dish prepared during that time back in ’83, as well as some thoughts about the issue that I could share.

It’s a shame that I couldn’t remember what I was doing at that time. As a young HS freshman from a nearby town to Manila, u may say I was kind of sheltered, not knowing what’s really going on beyond our small town. Sure I’ve read about ninoy & all the rallies not only from the news but also from my sister & brother who studied in manila & commuted everyday from our town to the city (due to the massive rallies, they had to walk from espana to taft avenue to get into a bus), as well as from some of my HS teachers who found ways how to join the rallies (like taking a day or 2 off just to go to Manila). It also didn’t help that my father is a true-blue marcos loyalist. I used to hear him having these small conversations & sometimes debates w/ his colleagues about what’s happening & “who’s side are you”. But I do remember where I was & what I was doing during the climax of the 1986 EDSA revolution. That’s when i finally came to realise what ninoy did for the country.

The recipe that I would like to share for this food-blogging event would be okoy or shrimp fritters. One may also call it shrimp omelette. It’s easy to cook & so practical for an average Filipino family. One may add potatoes & bean sprouts but this entry of mine is so practical especially when u found out u don’t have much inside your ref (i even omitted the onions).

Ingredients:
2 to 3 cups of small fresh shrimps with heads
3 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt & pepper

Wash the shrimps & cut w/ kitchen scissors the sharp part of the shrimp head or u may remove the head if u wish. Cook the shrimps (without water but w/ little salt) in a casserole over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Drain & set aside.

In a bowl, mix thoroughly all ingredients including the shrimps. Heat about 4 cups of cooking oil in a deep frying pan. Pour 1 cup of the mixture at a time & fry until golden brown (and a little crispy!). Drain & serve w/ any dip u prefer, be it vinegar w/ garlic or just plain ketchup (although my son prefers ketchup w/ oyster sauce).

As usual, I always prepare soup w/ any fried dish. This time, just a simple easy-to-cook crab & corn soup w/ egg that u can buy in any grocery store.

The Filipino is worth dying for. – Ninoy Aquino

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Iska
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.

6 thoughts on “Lasang Pinoy 1: Okoy or Shrimp Fritters

  1. Hi Iska, thank you for participating in the launching of Lasang Pinoy! This is what my mother would call calcium-rich food and highly recomended. We hope to see you participate in more Lasang Pinoy events!

  2. Thank you for sharing this recipe. You know what? This is one of a million kinds of my mom use to make whan I was still in the PHILIPPINES. I miss okoy shrimp.

  3. :-) IM SO HAPPY THAT U PUBLISHED THIS KIND OF RECIPE PINOY NA PINOY TALAGA..THANK YOU VERY MUCH..YOU HELP ME ALOT. YOU KNOW WHAT THIS FOOD IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE DISHES IN PHILIPPINES BUT I DONT KNOW HOW TO COOK..SO THAT THANK YOU TALAGA :-)

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