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Corn Fritters

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A couple weeks ago, Tina and I had dinner at the E&O Trading Company in San Jose, CA. We found the restaurant to be a noisy, up-scale, Southeast Asian fusion restaurant that did not serve exceptional food. (Most of the food was high quality and very tasty, but you can get similar meals at a Thai or Malaysian restaurant for a third of the price.) One dish that did stand out was their Indonesian Corn Fritters which was served with a spicy soy sauce. I decided to make this dish at home for about a dollar.

I place a piece of shelf liner under my cutting board to keep it from moving. I prefer this to a wet towel.


Cut the kernels off the corn a few rows at a time. We're trying to preserve the kernals, so cut a little deep. Run the back of the knife or your board scraper against the cob to extract the remaining bits of corn.


We're looking for about 2-1/2 cup of corn. Canned sweet corn that's been drained will also work fine.

We'll also need (from top left, clockwise), two large egg yolks, two large egg whites, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour.


Beat the egg whites in a large bowl with a whisk. You can also use your stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment. I placed the bowl on a piece of shelf liner to keep it from moving. A towel rolled and twisted into a donut also works well.


You're done beating the egg whites once you achieve stiff peaks. Just dab your whisk into the whites and lift. If the egg white form points that don't droop down, then you've got stiff peaks. (If they droop then it's called soft peaks.) Stop whisking now, or you'll dry out the egg whites.


Lightly beat the egg yolk and then mix into the corn.


Add flour, salt, pepper, and sugar and mix.


Fold in the egg whites into the corn mixture.


This is what the final mixture looks like.


After melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a nonstick skillet (which you'll notice I'm not using in this picture because I didn't have one handy), place tablepoon sized heaps into the hot butter. You can also use oil instead of butter, which I did for half of my fritters because Tina prefers to not have the butter taste with her corn. (I, of course, used light olive oil.)


Once they browned, about 2 to 3 minutes, I flipped them over and browned the other side.


A larger pan would have helped speed things up, but I still managed to make about sixteen fritters fairly quickly. I fashioned a quick sauce out of Sriracha chili sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. I also made the fritters with varying degrees of brownness and determined that dark or light brown did not have adverse affects on taste.



Corn Fritters
Batter:
2-1/2 cup sweet corn kernelsmixmixfold
2 large egg yolks
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. all purpose flour
2 large egg whitesbeat (stiff peaks)

2 Tbs. butter or oilheatfry 2-3 min. per side
1 Tbs. mixture
Copyright 2004 Michael Chu
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56 comments on Corn Fritters:(Post a comment)

On December 21, 2005 at 11:46 PM, an anonymous reader said...
something is wrong with the pictures on this page...


On December 21, 2005 at 11:46 PM, JM (guest) said...
Wow, I had exactly the same thought when I ate there: good fritters, and nothing else worth the cash. :) Thanks for the recipe...I plan to make it soon. Love your site!


On December 21, 2005 at 11:46 PM, ferari (guest) said...
This is the first tme I visit your blog.
I'm really impressed in yours, your blog is so helpful and awesome.


On December 21, 2005 at 11:47 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Michael, I think the correct spelling is "Sriracha" chili sauce (http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/sriracha.htm). At least that's the one I usually use.


On December 21, 2005 at 11:47 PM, Michael Chu said...
re: Spelling error

Thanks, I've made the correction.


On December 21, 2005 at 11:47 PM, an anonymous reader said...
If u cd add chopped shallots, celery leaves and a dash of white pepper to the corn mixture, it wd be tastier. hv lived in Indonesia, and cooked this very often.


On December 21, 2005 at 11:48 PM, Jane (guest) said...
the recipe is for a basic american country style corn fritter,minus the pepper, and deep fried but with a different sauce. Americans use maple syrup, or honey, or common sweet syrup and butter. Glad to see another indigenous american thing went overseas. Sorry to see that another indigenous amercian thing lost credit for being what it is. Interesting asian sauce.


On December 21, 2005 at 11:48 PM, an anonymous reader said...
is there any way to make these non fat?? you see, im belemic, but i still dont like eating fatty foods. any suggestions?


On December 21, 2005 at 11:48 PM, an anonymous reader said...
I do believe there were scallions as well


On December 21, 2005 at 11:48 PM, an anonymous reader said...
I love the indonesian corn fritters. They are my favorite dish when I go to E&Os. However, I have yet to figure out how to make the chili soy sauce.

I have played with a few ingredients (soy sauce, brown/white sugar, grated ginger, sambal olek, and sriracha) However, the sauce just isn't the same.

I find that my sauce is much saltier than the E&O sauce. Any suggestions?
By the way, I'm an engineer and I love the site.


On December 21, 2005 at 11:49 PM, Chefwinnona (guest) said...
I love the pictures to show exactly what the steps look like.
I am not an engineer, but my husband is. He'll appreciate this blog, too.


On December 28, 2005 at 07:32 PM, wendy said...
Subject: corn fritters failed yet again
I followed every inch of the directions to a T. Yet when I add the corn the mixture fails and it ends up a soupy mess. What am I doing wrong with these?

Wendy


On December 29, 2005 at 02:53 AM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: corn fritters failed yet again
wendy wrote:
I followed every inch of the directions to a T. Yet when I add the corn the mixture fails and it ends up a soupy mess. What am I doing wrong with these?

Are you adding the corn to the mixture or folding the egg white mixture into the corn? The egg whites should be folded in.


On January 03, 2006 at 04:12 AM, wendy said...
Subject: corn fritters
at first i added the corn to the beaten egg whites. second batch i folded them in... no luck on either....


On February 10, 2006 at 04:16 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Spicy Soy Sauce
What is spicy soy sauce? Is this someting you mix up or purchase at the market? -- Thanks, nice site.


On February 11, 2006 at 02:06 AM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Spicy Soy Sauce
Anonymous wrote:
What is spicy soy sauce? Is this someting you mix up or purchase at the market? -- Thanks, nice site.

Someone out there probably makes a spicy soy sauce, but in this case, I fashioned my own with Sriracha chili sauce, soy sauce, and a little sugar. I have no idea what E&O Trading Company uses for their dipping sauce - it tasted like soy sauce with a little kick to me.


On February 21, 2006 at 09:43 PM, banjar (guest) said...
Subject: corn fritters
I seem to remember many restaurants and fairground vendors sprinkling powdered sugar on corn fritters. Does anyone else remember this or was this a limited regional thing?


On March 26, 2006 at 03:21 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: "indigenous american"? Hardly.
Jane (guest) said...
"the recipe is for a basic american country style corn fritter,minus the pepper, and deep fried but with a different sauce. Americans use maple syrup, or honey, or common sweet syrup and butter. Glad to see another indigenous american thing went overseas. Sorry to see that another indigenous amercian thing lost credit for being what it is."

I assume by "american" you mean the USA.

Corn in dough originated in South America, naturally, and variations of the corn-dumpling recipe appeared as soon as corn did, all over the world. Sauces and additions vary, but there was no "american credit" for this recipe to "lose".

Love the blog, love the photos, thanks so much!


On May 18, 2006 at 06:07 PM, christamac (guest) said...
Subject: sriracha
I LOVE the flavor of Sriracha hot chili sauce, and would eat it by the spoonful if it wasn't so darned HOT (I know...I'm a wimp).

Thanks for the idea for the fritter dipping sauce. Any other sauce/dip ideas that bring out the flavor of Sriracha without burning my tongue off? If anyone can do it, it'll be an engineer...
THANKS!


On June 26, 2006 at 06:47 PM, colariris (guest) said...
Subject: fritters falling apart
I don't think the fritters will fall apart if the oil is heated (350-375) for this delicate recipe). Try canola/veggie oil as it won't burn in high temperatures).

I've substitured cornstarch and it worked fine also and eliminated the other egg yolk to make it lighter.

As for cooking this without the oil (miss belemic), just settle for the good ole grilled corn on the cob.

:lol: blah


On July 18, 2006 at 12:46 AM, stephane (guest) said...
Subject: corn for cornfritters
Is the the corn that you're cutting off of the cob already cooked? Or is that raw corn that gets cooked in the frying process?
Thanks
-Stephane


On July 18, 2006 at 02:48 AM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: corn for cornfritters
stephane wrote:
Is the the corn that you're cutting off of the cob already cooked? Or is that raw corn that gets cooked in the frying process?

It's raw corn getting cut from the cob. The corn cooks as it is pan fried.


On August 27, 2006 at 08:10 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Re: corn for cornfritters
not that it should matter. it's not like raw corn is going to make you sick.


On March 04, 2007 at 08:35 AM, Lintballoon said...
Subject: Sriracha Sauce
Had to do a wiki to figure out that sriracha is the same as the "Rooster Sauce" you have on the table at a lot of Vietnamese and Thai restaurants.
It's the best! I'm addicted to it, so easy to mix in with your scambled eggs, soups, spagetti, anything you want some heat in.
For the "wimp" for whom it was too hot, I bet you could soften it's bite with some ketchup and/or roasted red pepper mashed up.


On March 16, 2007 at 03:02 AM, Monty (guest) said...
I know that this recipe has been posted for a while but i just wanted to comment because I've made this recipe twice now and I'm very impressed, it is the best corn fritter recipe I've ever come across. I love the way it uses fresh rather than processed corn.


On March 24, 2007 at 04:21 PM, Auspicious said...
I have a long drive to any place that stocks Sriracha sauce. I recently discovered that you can get it through amazon.com.


On May 02, 2007 at 09:33 PM, Elaine (guest) said...
Subject: Great taste but cooking them was rather hazardous
What I mean is that when the fritters were frying in the pan some of the burning hot corn kernels popped and flew into the air. So there were flying corn kernels and spattering oil too. I had to cook "defensively" with a splatter guard! It was rather challenging.

In the end, I had a great dish to put on the table and my family loved the fritters, but this kind of cooking certainly isn't for amateurs! Do you have any suggestions as to how to avoid this splattering problem?

By the way, I didn't whisk the egg whites into peaks. I just used whole eggs plus egg whites and mixed them in. And I used raw corn and cooked shrimp too. ohterwise, I followed your recipe.

Thanks for any suggestions you or anyone else might make.

Elaine


On May 02, 2007 at 10:24 PM, Michael Chu said...
Subject: Re: Great taste but cooking them was rather hazardous
Elaine wrote:
What I mean is that when the fritters were frying in the pan some of the burning hot corn kernels popped and flew into the air.

Wow, I'm suprised the corn kernels popped while cooking. You might try again with lower heat...


On May 05, 2007 at 12:21 PM, a bartender (guest) said...
Subject: Other ingredients that work well:
I worked with several Indonesian chefs once and they made these about once a week as an after-work snack. Some other things they added that made them even more delicious were:

* finely shredded carrots and zucchini
* chopped onion
* chopped shrimp
* lump crabmeat

They also served them with Chinese "ketsup" which is actually a very dark, very thick, sweet soy sauce. You can find it in most Asian groceries or markets. Man, I'm going to go heat up my fryer for these right now.


On May 07, 2007 at 08:57 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: popping corn
Michael,

Thanks. You're right. Using a lower temperature when frying the fritters (medium high instead or a higher temperature) cut down a LOT on the popping. I still felt safer using a splatter guard because of my previous experience. Thanks for the tip.

Elaine


On June 09, 2007 at 11:05 PM, ChemMe said...
Michael (or anyone with the answer), About how many ears of corn would I need for this?

Also, I tend to use Dale's Sauce in place of soy sauce, so I dont have any on hand. I would appreshate any alternative dipping sauces anyone could suggest, please.
Thx.


On July 21, 2007 at 06:12 PM, Renatta (guest) said...
Subject: Corn Fritter
I just made the corn fritters from the recipe. I followed the direction to a "T". They were great!!! The final batter did not look exactly like the picture. Mine looked white with corn kernels. It came out ok anyway.


On July 21, 2007 at 07:57 PM, an anonymous reader said...
These came out great! I added some jalapenos for some extra kick. Also, I found if you use canned corn, increasing the flour to 1/4 cup helps a lot.


On November 14, 2007 at 11:19 AM, johnnyt (guest) said...
Subject: chili sauce
i have been told, white vinegar can also be used to cut the heat. add a little at time and mix it well. something about the chemicals of vinegar inhibits the "hot" spices of the chili sauce or something.


On March 27, 2008 at 05:22 AM, jagung (guest) said...
Subject: how it usually made in my family
Hi, i'm from indonesia. In many families basicly "dadar jagung" or corn fritters or Fried Mashed Corn batter recipe made by grated corn or mashed it using cobek or you could use food processor , add some chopped chili(thai pepper), after you mashed it you can add chopped shrimp, flour, chopped shallot, pea(optional, my mom add it to make the colour more interesting), salt and white pepper.
(that's why i found your recipe kinda unusual)


On March 30, 2008 at 07:34 PM, an anonymous reader said...
i like to eat mine with ketchup or ranch dressing.


On April 13, 2008 at 06:35 PM, Cathy (guest) (guest) said...
Subject: Yet another variation
Firstly, thanks for this variation of corn fritters :)
It seems there are several variation of this recipe - the version I know (my family is also from Indonesia) also uses whole corn kernels but the batter is made from flour, salt/pepper/chilli, turmeric and garlic (i.e. without eggs).

Secondly: Your blog as a whole is great - thanks for presenting all those recipes and tips on your website!


On July 12, 2008 at 02:10 AM, Zachariah (guest) said...
Subject: Yummy!
I was 1/2 cup shy on the corn, so I substituted onions, and it worked great. Nice and tasty.

Also, whipping egg whites by hand is frakkin' hard.


On August 14, 2008 at 06:16 AM, Amelia (guest) said...
Subject: corn fritters dipping sauce
Hi,

I have eaten these corn fritters at E&O Trading Co. and loved them and I plan to try making them this weekend. Would you be so kind as to give me the recipe for the dipping sauce? I'm not very good at experimenting. Thanks.


On October 11, 2008 at 05:55 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Really good recipe

I added a touch more flour along with a small handful of chopped spring onion and red pepper.

For perhaps a bit of a healthier version, I fried them in a non stick pan with a touch of olive oil - perfect.


On October 13, 2008 at 11:33 AM, an anonymous reader said...
FANTASTIC!! My family enjoyed these fritters SO much. I didn't have any chili sauce on hand, so I improvised on her comment, and added a tsp of sugar to soy sauce and then about 1.5 tsp jalapeno juice. . . micro for a few and voila! A++

Thank you, I love this site!! :D


On October 30, 2008 at 02:24 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: dipping sauce
I have not tried these yet, but if you are looking for a sweeter dipping sauce I would recommend adding rice wine vinegar to soy sauce (roughly 2/3 soy sauce and 1/3 vinegar). The rice wine vinegar adds sweetness, and cuts down on the saltiness.


On November 06, 2008 at 06:44 AM, an anonymous reader said...
Here in Auckland, the Asian cafes make these with a delicious creamy sauce - simply sour cream with thai sweet chili sauce mixed in.


On January 15, 2009 at 04:36 PM, Drew (guest) said...
Subject: Spicy Soy sauce
Here's a spicy dipping sauce recipe I use when I make Shao Mai. Porbably work for the fritters too!
SPICY DIPPING SAUCE:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons black vinegar, or Chinkiang vinegar
1 teaspoon chile paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic


On June 20, 2009 at 10:53 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: great corn fritter recipe
Hi, Thanks for this recipe. Simple and tasty. Leftovers for breakfast. I read some of the other comments about problems: 1) the second batch gets darker than the first that's because the fat is much hotter, so you need to be aware of this, the corn can "pop" and 2) fritters falling apart: be gentle, drop them in spoonfuls, wait a while for them to set, and then flatten gently with a spatula. I find the use of 2 spatulas helpful when turning the fritters over. My engineer boyfriend hadn't had corn this style before and was won over. :)


On January 13, 2010 at 03:42 PM, Carol (guest) said...
Subject: Corn Fritters
Another way to enjoy corn fritters (which my family and I have enjoyed for many years...I am in my early 70s): as a dessert !
We use less corn (canned or fresh-cooked), and serve the fritters as
a dessert with maple syrup, or a syrup of your choice. YUMMY !!!
I haven't tried it, but it seems to be the addition of a fruit (such as
blueberries, raspberries or bananas) would enhance the flavor yet again
for using corn fritters as a dessert. Hope someone tries this and posts
a response.


On February 01, 2010 at 01:54 PM, Robyn (guest) said...
Subject: Cooking for Engineers Fritters
Cooking for Engineers is the best-ever idea for a recipe/cooking site. Most people do not understand when I tell them to 'explain it in numbers or percentages' (math, the universal language). I am soooo glad you have developed this EASY TO UNDERSTAND cooking website! Thank You!


On June 07, 2010 at 11:29 AM, grees (guest) said...
Subject: Corn Fritters
Fun reading all the ideas, comments, problems and variations. Last evening we tried a couple of additional twists:
I used 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs + 1/2 cup flour;
In a non-stick frying pan I used just a little grape seed oil--
and cooked at a low flame setting with almost no splattering.
We had three ears of cooked corn left over from the previous day,
so a few quick cuts plus a few minutes of loosening the kernals gave us the base.
Next time I'll add some of the other suggested ingredients.


On July 09, 2010 at 07:23 PM, alexandrak (guest) said...
i would add Hoisin sauce (or even duck sauce, oddly enough) to the soy sauce you made and ditch the sugar. Hoisin is great on everything.


On July 24, 2011 at 01:08 PM, Merv (guest) said...
Subject: Additions
Diced (1/4") jalapeno to the fritters, and Maple syrup for the sweetener in the sauce.

Thanks for a great recipe!


On August 23, 2011 at 02:55 PM, an anonymous reader said...
Subject: Corn Fritters, Green Tomatoes and Eggplant to boot
I made my first batch of corn fritters when I was 8 years old - fresh corn, a bit of corn meal in the flour, sweetened egg whites, fried in lard, served with maple syrup. Never had them any other way till I was 40. I make them a dozen different ways from a dozen different recipes. How can you go wrong in August when the corn is so sweet and fresh? Lately I've been adding some smoked paprika, and serving them topped with avocado slices, hot salsa and sour cream. Heaven. And as long as the oil is hot and the cornmeal and flour are on the counter, why fry up some green tomatoes and eggplant slices? Peel and slice eggplant into 3/4" slices, salt on both sides and stand on edges in a colander. drain in sink for 20 mins. Pat dry, dip in beaten egg, then the same flour/cornmeal mixture. Fry in oil or fat that only comes half way up the slices (very important!). Turn with a slotted spoon. Do the green tomatoes the same, but lightly salt, set on a paper towel for a minute before you egg dip. Don't check your cholesterol! Life is well lived in the kitchen!!


On October 16, 2012 at 11:05 PM, Seovero (guest) said...
Subject: Indonesian corn fritters
Wow... What an interesting site you have here :D. I'm an engineer and fortunately also an Indonesian who lives in China. (I know what you guys are thinking...).

Just wanted to give a bit opinion on the recipe. Usually we Indonesian made the corn fritters a bit more complicated. Some adds chilli, Or chopped green onions, or chopped prawns, or sometimes even prawn paste (we call it "terasi udang" in Indonesian). And we deep friednit actually.

So do tell me if you make another test by adding some ingredients i proposed above! :D Good luck!


On July 02, 2015 at 09:44 AM, Moonrunner (guest) said...
Subject: Cast iron!!!
You can use a cast iron griddle for more volume, placed over 2 gas burners or just a large cast iron skillet. This will prevent a lot of splatter and will keep them uniform, making them easier to flip. A properly seasoned pan will be pretty non-stick. Just last night I made Gouda and ham omelette with a pretty new skillet (never used, just received a single seasoning in addition to what came from the factory). It flipped easily and it cleaned up quickly under hot water with just a brass scouring pad.


On December 11, 2016 at 01:40 PM, resepmasakan (guest) said...
Subject: Nice
Hi, I'm from Indonesia. In Indonesia it is called Bakwan Jagung. This recipe:

Ingredients Bakwan Corn Crispy and Delicious:

Salt to taste
Mineral water to taste
4 tablespoons flour
Taste celery, sliced
2 pieces of sweet corn, combed
Cooking oil
1 egg
1 leek, sliced


Corn Bakwan seasoning mashed:

1/2 teaspoon coriander
2 cloves of garlic
5 red onions

How to make Bakwan Corn Crispy and Delicious:

First mix the corn that is combed with celery and leeks into a container.
Then enter the seasoning ingredient puree and add salt to taste to the mixture in the container before.
Then enter the flour and 1 egg. Afterwards stir until everything is well blended.
Add water little by little, until the dough so it thickens.
Then fry the dough into a preheated oil, cook until done roughly the color is slightly golden brown. Bakwan corn ready to be served.

Btw, a good recipe. Thanks for sharing


On April 26, 2017 at 01:24 AM, Dhia (guest) said...
Subject: Some Addition for Corn Fritter's Sauce
Hello from Indonesia! What a surprise to see a Bakwan Jagung recipe in this site. Here in Indonesia, corn fritter is seldom enjoyed as a snack, more like side dish to your rice and full meal.

Some part in Indonesia call it Perkedel Jagung. And another kind of perkedel you can make is Perkedel Kentang, or mushed potato fritter. We enjoyed it usually with some clear soupy dish including vermicelli, tomatoes, carrot, inside.

I'd suggest you add some very small-chopped parsley in the dough, the taste works for me. If you want to enjoy it with soy sauce, put in some chopped small green chillies, shallots, and lemongrass, and a hint of lime juice, it might as well bring a fresh taste to balance the oily taste from the corn fritter.

If any of you are Indonesian, or going to Indonesia, this restaurant has THE BEST corn fritter, to my personal taste: Warung Bu Ageng. The article is in Indonesian, but the short info by the bottom of the article might help you to find the place. I found out that Mark Zuckerberg also visited this resto for lunch during his short visit to Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Thought that it'd be a good reference ;)

Anyway, thank you for sharing! Enjoy your Bakwan Jagung!
Dhia


On October 23, 2022 at 02:57 PM, LJInPA (guest) said...
Subject: The best corn fritter recipe
I’ve made these fritters many times and they’re always great. What I love most about this recipe is that it uses so little flour – when I was first trying to find a corn fritter recipe they all used a whole bunch of flour. These are light and you can taste the corn! I’m making them tonight as a matter of fact. 😁

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