Spam and Onion Ring Fritter
Perfect for a Rainy Day: Crispy and Delicious Spam and Onion Ring Fritters!
The heavy rain has finally subsided, leaving a calmer atmosphere. Sometimes, during thunderstorms, my TV signal gets wonky, and my Wi-Fi becomes unreliable, so last night I had to use my phone’s hotspot just to upload content. It’s already 8 PM, and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to publish this post. The gloomy, damp weather makes me feel a bit sluggish, so I’m finally getting around to writing about a simple dish I made earlier today. Since I don’t have a lot of ingredients at home, I’ve been enjoying recipes from a YouTube channel focused on ‘dorm-room cooking.’ They offer simple, easy-to-follow, and delicious meals! I was particularly drawn to the ‘Spam and Onion Ring Fritter’ recipe and decided to try it right away. These fritters are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, a delight for everyone!
Ingredients- Spam: 200g (one small can)
- Onion: 1 medium
- Carrot: a small amount
- Green onion: a small amount
- Korean green chili pepper (Cheongyang chili): 1
- Minced garlic: 0.5 Tbsp
- Black pepper: a pinch
- Sweet rice flour: 3-4 Tbsp (or pancake mix, all-purpose flour)
- Eggs: 2
- Cooking oil: generous amount
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the vegetables that will make our fritters extra delicious. Wash and finely mince the carrot, green onion, and Korean green chili pepper. Adding the Cheongyang chili pepper is highly recommended as its spicy kick perfectly balances the richness of the Spam. The carrot and green onion will add color and texture.
Step 2
Now, let’s prepare the Spam. Open the 200g can of Spam, place it in a plastic bag, and mash it thoroughly with a rolling pin or your hands. Mashing it makes it resemble ground meat, which blends well into the batter and creates a softer texture when cooked. This reminds me of the Spam stew from the Korean cooking show ‘Housewife Baek.’ I should make that again soon!
Step 3
To the mashed Spam, add the minced vegetables (carrot, green onion, Cheongyang chili pepper), a pinch of black pepper, and half a tablespoon of minced garlic. Mix everything well. At first, it felt like something was missing, but oh! I forgot the eggs.
Step 4
Crack one egg into the mixture and stir until the Spam and vegetables are well combined. This egg will help bind the ingredients together in the Spam mixture.
Step 5
Now for the star of our Spam and Onion Ring Fritters: the onion! Peel and wash one medium onion. Slice it horizontally into rings about 0.5 cm thick. It’s best to cleanly remove the core part from the center of the onion slices. My onion was quite large, but using a smaller one will help create more uniform rings.
Step 6
It can be tricky when you don’t have pancake mix or all-purpose flour! That was exactly my situation! Luckily, I had sweet rice flour and cornstarch. After some thought, I decided to use the sweet rice flour. Lightly and evenly coat the inside of each onion ring with sweet rice flour. The sweet rice flour will help make the fritters extra crispy.
Step 7
Whisk the remaining one egg in a bowl and lightly dip the onion rings into the egg wash. This egg coating will seal the sweet rice flour and help the Spam mixture adhere better.
Step 8
Now, heat a pan over medium-low heat and add a generous amount of cooking oil. Once the oil is sufficiently hot, carefully place the egg-coated onion rings into the pan.
Step 9
Using a spoon, fill the hollow center of each onion ring with the Spam mixture. Be careful not to overfill the onion rings; the mixture should stay within the ring.
Step 10
After coating the onion rings with egg, if you have any leftover egg wash, you can gently dab some onto the top of the Spam mixture. This helps prevent the Spam mixture from spreading out as it cooks and adds extra texture.
Step 11
Cook over medium-low heat, flipping occasionally, until both sides are golden brown and crispy. Keep an eye on the heat to prevent burning. Ensure they are cooked through. Enjoy your delicious, crispy Spam and Onion Ring Fritters!
