Cheese is not commonly used in Chinese cooking, but today I brought cheese into the family kitchen. Have you ever heard of potato and cheese shrimp balls? It has another name, called the golden fried shrimp ball. If you serve such a snack at a party for your friends to taste, they will be amazed: crispy crust, soft mashed potatoes, delicious cheese, and finally shrimp hidden in the middle—a delicious snack with many layers!
Peel and slice the potatoes and rinse. Add cold water and a steaming plate to the pot and lay the potato chips flat on the steaming plate. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes.
2 potatoes
Remove the cooked potato slices.
Add 5 ml of salt and 5 ml of black pepper, then mash the potatoes to a smooth texture, mixing the seasonings well.
5 ml salt, 5 ml ground black pepper, 2 potatoes
Remove the shrimp head, peel and devein the shrimp, but leave the tail and its shell intact. Add 2 ml of salt, 5 ml of cooking wine, 3 ml sugar, and 3 ml of black pepper to the shrimp. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
8-10 shrimp, large, 2 ml salt, 3 ml sugar, white (granulated), 5 ml Shaoxing wine, 3 ml ground black pepper
Cooking
Let's prepare the ingredients we need. Shrimp, mashed potatoes, beaten egg, breadcrumbs, starch, shredded cheese.
shredded mozzarella cheese, 30 g corn starch, 60 g Panko breadcrumbs, plain, 1 egg
Divide the potatoes equally according to the number of shrimp (8-10). Knead each portion into balls, flatten them into thin pancakes, making the area of the mashed potatoes as large as possible. Sprinkle shredded cheese on each potato patty, place a shrimp in the middle, and form the potato into a ball around the shrimp. Leave the tail exposed.
Repeat with each of the remaining shrimp until all are wrapped with cheese and mashed potatoes. Set aside.
Add enough oil to cover the shrimp to your wok and heat over high heat to 150° C (300° F). Then use low heat to control the temperature.
peanut oil, soybean oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or lard
While the oil is heating, coat the potato shrimp balls with a thin coating of corn starch, dip this into the egg to moisten the corn starch, then dredge in the bread crumbs.
8-10 shrimp, large, 1 egg, 30 g corn starch, 60 g Panko breadcrumbs, plain
Put the shrimp balls in the hot oil and fry for 60-90 seconds. Work with small batches—you will need to turn the shrimp frequently for even cooking.
Use a kitchen strainer to let the oil drain from the shrimp and finish.
Notes
I use the natural light through my kitchen window to make all my food photos. The light golden potato cheese shrimp balls are very beautiful in the sunlight!Image credit: Chen Jing for My Chinese Home Kitchen, 2022
Mash the potatoes until they are smooth. Any lumps will adversely affect the texture of the finished shrimp.
Do not wrap the shrimp too thickly with mashed potatoes, or the shrimp will not cook all the way through when frying.
When frying a shrimp ball, turn it frequently to avoid scorching.
If you want a more crusty, you can fry the cooked shrimp balls a second time in 150° C oil for 20 seconds.
