HOW TO MAKE UKOY CRISPY RECIPES

In a large bowl, combine the bean sprouts, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, scallions, and mushrooms. Set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk the seltzer with the rice flour until a thin batter forms. Add the batter to the vegetables and stir until thoroughly combined. 

Heat 2 inches of oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F.

Working in batches, use a ½-cup measure to scoop the vegetable batter into mounds and lower them into the hot oil, no more than three at a time. Try not to move the ukoy; you want the mixture to stay intact. Shallow-fry the vegetable fritters like latkes or potato pancakes until crispy, golden brown, and delicious, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Skim off any stray fried bits between batches.

Transfer the ukoy to a platter lined with paper towels to wick away the extra oil. Season with salt and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Chile-Vinegar Dipping sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, and chiles. Serve right away or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Note:

Filipino Cane Vinegar — Datu Puti vinegar is a staple in Filipino kitchens. Made from sugarcane, it has an astringent flavor that gives Filipino foods, like adobo, that distinctive tang. You can even buy Datu Puti cane vinegar together with Datu Puti soy sauce on Amazon—kind of like a Filipino starter pack.

Yield: Makes 6-8 servings; makes about 1 cup Chile-Vinegar Dipping Sauce

Excerpted from AMBOY: Recipes from the Filipino-American Dream © 2020 by Alvin Cailan. Photography © 2020 by Wyatt Conlon. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.