Prawn crackers ( id, krupuk udang) are a
deep fried
Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow oil used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. Normal ...
snack made from
starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
and
prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...
. They are a common snack food in
Southeast Asian cuisine
This is a list of Asian cuisines, by region. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with a specific culture or region. Asia, being the largest, most populous and culturally diverse continent, ...
, but they are most closely associated with
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
.They have also been adapted into
East Asian cuisine
This is a list of Asian cuisines, by region. A cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, usually associated with a specific culture or region. Asia, being the largest, most populous and culturally diverse continent, ...
s. where the similar
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
kappa ebisen
is a Japanese snack food produced by Calbee of Japan in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima. The version produced by Calbee America is called Shrimp Flavored Chips.
The primary ingredients of Kappa Ebisen are wheat flour, vegetable oil, starch, shrimp, suga ...
() (Japan) and
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
saeukkang
Saeukkang (; also called Shrimp Cracker) is a popular Korean snack produced by South Korean company Nongshim since 1971. Saeukkang has ranked as the highest-selling snack in South Korea for more than 30 years and is exported to 76 countries worl ...
(Korea) are popular snacks.
History
According to the culinary historian Fadly Rahman, ''
krupuk
''Krupuk'' ( Javanese), ''kerupuk'' (Indonesian), ''keropok'' (Malay), ''kroepoek'' (Dutch) or ''kropek'' ( Tagalog) is a cracker made from starch or animal skin and other ingredients that serve as flavouring. Most krupuk are deep fried, w ...
'' (crackers) have been around in
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...
since the 9th or 10th century.
The Batu Pura inscription mentions ''krupuk rambak'', which are crackers made from cow or buffalo skin, that still exist today as ''
krupuk kulit
Krupuk kulit ( jv, rambak or min, karupuak jangek, lit: "skin crackers") is a traditional Indonesian cattle skin ''krupuk'' (cracker). Traditionally it is made from the soft inner skin of cattle (cow or water buffalo), diced, and sun-dried until ...
'', and are usually used in the
Javanese dish ''
krechek
Krechek or krecek () or sambal goreng krechek is a traditional Javanese cattle skin spicy stew dish from Yogyakarta and Central Java, Indonesia. Traditionally it is made from the soft inner skin of cattle (cow or water buffalo), however the most ...
''. Krupuk spread across the
archipelago
An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
, with varying ingredients, notably fish and prawn. From Java, krupuk spread to coastal areas of
Kalimantan
Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo.
In 2019, ...
,
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, to the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...
.
The coastal peoples of Kalimantan and Sumatera later developed ''krupuk'' made of prawn and fish to make use of leftover sea products.
According to British chef Will Meyrick, krupuk crackers that use prawn appeared in Malay peninsula in the 16th century. Legend there states that leftover, crushed prawn heads from a feast were used to make prawn crackers.
Around the 19th century, ''keropok'' (crackers) was mentioned in a
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
text which mentions
Kuantan
Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Penin ...
in Malay peninsula.
Prawn crackers began to be adopted in foreign countries in the colonial era of the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
around 19th to early 20th century, and are considered as a complement to various
Indonesian specialties.
The idea of eating food with prawn crackers was brought by Dutch colonials to the Netherlands.
Preparation
Raw prawn cracker being sun-dried before frying
Prawn crackers are made by mixing prawns,
tapioca flour
Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America. ...
and water. The mixture is rolled out, steamed, and sliced. Traditionally, to achieve maximum crispiness, raw crackers are usually sun-dried first before frying, to eliminate the moisture. Once dry, they are deep-fried in oil (which must be at high heat before cooking). In only a few seconds they expand from thumb-sized semi-transparent wafers to white fluffy crackers, much like
popcorn
Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated; the same names also refer to the foodstuff produced by the expansion.
A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the se ...
, as water bound to the starch expands as it turns into steam.
If left in the open air for more than a few hours (depending on humidity), they start to soften and become chewy and are therefore ideally consumed within a few hours of being fried. Storing the crackers in a low-humidity environment or an airtight container will preserve the crispness.
Prawn crackers of premium quality are aromatic even without additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and artificial prawn flavourings to enhance the smell and taste. The fried prawn crackers may be stored in an airtight container for up to three months without preservatives and up to about nine months depending on the amount of preservatives added.
Most varieties of prawn crackers can also be prepared in a
microwave oven
A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce t ...
, in which a few discs can be cooked in less than a minute. This will usually cause them to cook and expand in a way similar to when they are deep-fried. For small quantities, this method is faster and less messy, as the crackers do not become as oily. However, this may cause the cracker to retain a stronger aroma of raw shrimp and the cracker has to be consumed within hours before it softens and loses its crispness.
Retail
Packets of unfried prawn crackers may be purchased in east and southeast Asian groceries. In the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, France, Australia, South Africa, West Africa, The Middle East and the United Kingdom, they are also widely available in general supermarkets.
In the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium and Germany they are often given free of charge alongside take-away east or southeast Asian food orders.
Variations
Southeast Asia
Prawn cracker is called ''krupuk udang'' in
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
, and is merely one variant of many sorts of ''
krupuk
''Krupuk'' ( Javanese), ''kerupuk'' (Indonesian), ''keropok'' (Malay), ''kroepoek'' (Dutch) or ''kropek'' ( Tagalog) is a cracker made from starch or animal skin and other ingredients that serve as flavouring. Most krupuk are deep fried, w ...
'' recognised in
Indonesian cuisine
Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 popula ...
. In Indonesia the term ''krupuk'' or ''kerupuk'' is used as an umbrella term to refer to this kind of cracker. Indonesia has perhaps the largest variety of ''krupuk''.
''Krupuk udang'' (prawn cracker) and other types of krupuk are ubiquitous in Indonesia. Examples of popular ''krupuk udang'' brands in Indonesia include Finna and Komodo brand. To achieve maximum crunchiness, most of this pre-packed raw ''krupuk udang'' must be sun-dried first before being deep fried at home. To cook krupuk, a wok and plenty of very hot cooking oil is needed. Raw krupuk is quite small, hard, and darker in color than cooked one. Fishing towns of
Sidoarjo
Sidoarjo Regency ( jv, ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦢꦲꦂꦗ, Kabupatèn Sidaharja) is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya city and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency ...
in
East Java
East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
, also
Cirebon
Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central Java ...
in
West Java
West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
, are major producers of krupuk udang.
Prawn crackers are known as ''keropok'' in Malaysia. They are one of the most popular
snacks
A snack is a small portion of food generally eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.
Traditionally, snacks are ...
in Malaysia and are particularly served at homes of many during festive celebrations (such as Chinese New Year and
Hari Raya
, nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast
, observedby = Muslims
, type = Islamic
, longtype = Islamic
, significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan
, date ...
).
Prawn crackers are known as ''kropek'' (also spelled ''kropeck'') in the Philippines, or by their English names "prawn crackers" or "fish crackers" (especially in mass-produced commercial versions). They are traditionally made from flour (usually
tapioca flour
Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America. ...
), powdered prawns or fish, various spices, and water. Unlike in Malaysia and Indonesia, ''kropek'' is typically only eaten as a snack or as appetizers (''pulutan'') accompanying alcohol, similar to
chicharon. They are typically dipped in spicy vinegar-based sauces, most notably ''sinamak'' (a native spicy vinegar). ''Kropek'' have also been assimilated into
Filipino Chinese cuisine
Filipino Chinese cuisine is a style of Filipino cuisine influenced from Chinese cuisine.
History
Filipino cuisine is influenced principally by China and Spain have been integrated with pre-colonial indigenous Filipino cooking practices.
In t ...
, often being served as a side dish to some Chinese Filipino dishes.
Sa Đéc
Sa Đéc is a Provincial city (Vietnam), Provincial city in Đồng Tháp Province in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam. It is a river port and agricultural and industrial trading center. The Sa Đéc economic zone consists of Châu Thành D ...
in southern Vietnam is the home of ''bánh phồng tôm''. The traditional snack is made of ground
shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
, sometimes mixed with
cuttlefish
Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of ...
,
arrowroot
Arrowroot is a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock) of several tropical plants, traditionally ''Maranta arundinacea'', but also Florida arrowroot from ''Zamia integrifolia'', and tapioca from cassava (''Manihot esculenta''), which is oft ...
flour,
tapioca
Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but wh ...
flour,
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...
,
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...
,
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
,
fish sauce
Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, P ...
, cracked
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in diame ...
and
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
.
[Giới thiệu qui trình công nghệ sản xuất bánh phồng tôm](_blank)
in Vietnamese Traditionally the dough is steamed, rolled out, cut into round chips then dried. Another method is to form rolls, steam and then slice into thin rounds before being dried. Modern production favours the oval shapes such that the chips form a "scooper" as an accompaniment to salads (''gỏi'' and ''nộm''). The brand Sa Giang is well known.
A variant is ''bánh phồng nấm'' flavoured with nấm hương (
shiitake
The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a Medicinal fungi, medicinal mushroom in some forms of tradition ...
) or ''nấm rơm'' (
straw mushroom).
Chinese cuisine
In
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many ot ...
, prawn crackers may use food colouring (including shades of white, pale pink, green and blue), and tend to be lighter and non-spicy. However, in China they are easy to find in supermarkets, yet not popular or common in restaurants or when serving food for friends.
Prawn crackers are considered a
snack food
A snack is a small portion of food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at home.
Traditionally, snack ...
, but may accompany
takeaway Chinese food in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Shrimp chips are usually served with roasted chicken dishes in Chinese restaurants overseas (such as
white cut chicken
White cut chicken or white sliced chicken () is a type of ''siu mei''. Unlike most other meats in the ''siu mei'' category, this particular dish is not roasted, but steamed. The dish is common to the cultures of Southern China, including Guangd ...
and
crispy fried chicken
Crispy fried chicken () is a standard dish in the Cantonese cuisine of southern China and Hong Kong.39World.39World.com." ''炸子鸡.'' Retrieved on 2008-11-19. The chicken is fried in such a way that the skin is extremely crunchy, but the whit ...
).
The Netherlands
![Kroepoek](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Kroepoek.jpg)
Through their historical colonial ties with Indonesia, the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
are familiar with Indonesian foodstuffs including the Indonesian prawn crackers. Assorted types of ''krupuk'' (), deep fried crackers made from starch and flavourings, such as prawn or crab, are available in many ''Indische'', or ''
Indo
Indo may refer to:
* Indo-, a prefix indicating India or the Indian Subcontinent
* Indonesia, a country in Asia
** INDO LINES, callsign of Indonesian Airlines
** Indo people, people of mixed European and Indonesian ancestry
** Indo cuisine, fusion ...
'', (Dutch-Indonesian) shops in the Netherlands, which locally are called ''
toko
Toko is a small rural settlement 10 kilometres east of Stratford, New Zealand, at the intersection of East Road ( State Highway 43) and Toko Road. It is located on a railway, the Stratford–Okahukura Line, the western portion of which was ope ...
''. Prawn crackers are also available in many of the major supermarkets. ''Kroepoek'' is a standard part of the repertoire of "Indische" (a word referring to the former
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
, present day
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
; not to be confused with the Dutch word ''Indiaas'', meaning "from India") restaurants in the Netherlands. It is also served in
Chinese restaurant
A Chinese restaurant is an establishment that serves a Chinese cuisine. Most of them are in the Cantonese cuisine, Cantonese style, due to the history of the Overseas Chinese, Chinese diaspora and adapted to local taste preferences, as in t ...
s in Belgium and in the Netherlands.
See also
*
Fish cracker
Fish crackers are deep fried crackers made from fish and spices that serve as flavouring, originated from Indonesia. The crackers also mixed with tapioca flour and/or sago flour as the main ingredients and the salt, sugar and MSG as seasonings. ...
*
Kabkab
Kabkab, also known as cassava cracker or cassava crisp, is a traditional Filipino disc-shaped wafer made from ground cassava. It originates from the southern Philippines, but is most closely associated with the cuisine of Mindanao and the sout ...
*
Kiping
Kiping is a traditional Filipino leaf-shaped wafer made from glutinous rice. It originates from the city of Lucban, Quezon. It is celebrated annually in the Pahiyas Festival. It can be eaten grilled or fried and can be dipped in sugar, vinegar ...
*
Krupuk kulit
Krupuk kulit ( jv, rambak or min, karupuak jangek, lit: "skin crackers") is a traditional Indonesian cattle skin ''krupuk'' (cracker). Traditionally it is made from the soft inner skin of cattle (cow or water buffalo), diced, and sun-dried until ...
, a food of similar texture and appearance made of beef skin
*
List of deep fried foods
This is a list of deep fried foods and dishes. Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, such as cooking oil. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan, and industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum frye ...
References
External links
*
{{Use dmy dates, date=September 2014
Animal-based seafood
Burmese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Deep fried foods
Hong Kong cuisine
Indonesian snack foods
Malaysian cuisine
Philippine cuisine
Shrimp dishes
Southeast Asian cuisine
Vietnamese cuisine
Thai desserts and snacks