Okay, I admit it. I’m guilty. I was a picky eater. As a child, I was that one kid who pestered the waiter with a million substitutions. Eating at a family friend’s house was practically impossible. On my no-go list was an eclectic sort of herbs, ranch, butter, most vegetables, and pork.
I don’t know what it was about pork, maybe I watched Charlotte’s Web one too many times. But, this made many traditional Vietnamese dishes that my parents liked to prepare impossible for me.
But, when I was a young child, my parents opened up her very own Vietnamese restaurant. I thought this was the coolest thing in the world. I distinctly remember playing behind the bar and filling up my cup with all of the different sodas with the soda gun. I also appointed myself as the “entertainment” for the restaurant and would sing and dance outside of the door to “draw in the customers”.
For my pay? A hard-earned meal. For me, this meal was almost always the crispy shrimp triangles. They were kid-friendly, deep-fried, and absolutely delicious. I believe that the adults tried to convince me to try some other dishes once in a while, but I was a loyal kid.
To this day, whenever I take a friend to try Vietnamese food for the first time, crispy shrimp triangles are always the first dish I recommend. And hey, no one’s complained so far!
Why Crispy Shrimp Triangles?
Every lover of Asian cuisine is familiar with the spring roll. We can consider the spring roll to be an entry-level Asian food. However, the true connoisseurs out there, the Vietnamese cuisine foodies, are in on a secret: the Vietnamese Crispy Shrimp Triangles.
Traditionally, spring rolls are cylindrical in shape and are filled with a pork and veggie filling. Crispy shrimp triangles are similar in their wrapping, but differ in shape and filling. Obviously, as the name suggests, these appetizers are triangle-shaped and filled with shrimp.
I think these are a great alternative (or addition) to spring rolls because they offer a bit more crunch and flakiness. They’re also a fantastic option for those who don’t eat pork.
These also make great hors devours for a party because of their visual appeal. If you’re a bit fancy, you can leave the shrimp tail sticking out of one of the triangle corners. This will ensure that your party guests are thoroughly impressed!
Ingredients
- 1 pack of Vietnamese Spring Roll Wrappers, 8 inches in size
- 1 pound of raw shrimp
- A pinch of salt
- A pinch of pepper
- 3 tablespoons of water
- 3 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch
- 3 cups of frying oil of choice
- ¼ cup of diced carrots
- ¼ cup of diced celery
- ½ cup of chopped scallion
Instructions
Peel the shrimp.
- You can choose to chop the shrimp into smaller pieces to make it easier to work with.
- Combine the shrimp with the salt, pepper, carrots, celery, and scallions.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour/cornstarch and water together.
- Assemble your shrimp triangles by taking one wrapper, putting a spoonful of filling into it, and then wetting the edges with your flour/cornstarch and water mixture.
- Fold in half to form a large triangle. Then, fold it again to form a smaller triangle. Repeat until you have your desired size.
TIP: Cover all wrappers with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out while you work.
- Heat up your oil in a wok or pot until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Put a few shrimp triangles in the pot at a time to fry, turning them to ensure that they are fully coated in the oil.
- Keep in the oil for about 3 minutes total or until they are golden.
- Remove and let cool on a cooling rack or plate with a paper towel. Serve with your sauce of choice.
