Menbosha is a Korean-style fried shrimp toast made of marinated shrimp paste sandwiched between bread. It's a Korean-Chinese twist on Chinese prawn toast, mian bao xia.
Menbosha is savoury, with a crispy outer part and a soft and chewy inside. Although you can eat it on its own, it can be a bit boring and greasy. Ketchup and garlic sauce perfectly complement this dish, adding a sweet and tangy taste.
Our recipe will show you how to make menbosha in the oven, air fryer and deep frying. We've also included our recipe for a marinated chicken paste instead of shrimp paste. It's much easier to prepare at home and perfect if you don't like prawns.
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Menbosha Recipe | Korean Shrimp Toast
Video
Ingredients
- 6 slices bread
- 300 g shrimp
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Equipment
Cooking Instructions
- Cut the bread crusts. Then, slice each bread into four small squares.
- Peel and devein the shrimps, remove the tails, and mince them until it becomes a smooth paste.If you like a bit of a bite to the prawns, only mince until they form small chunks.
- In a bowl, add the shrimp paste, salt, pepper, cornstarch, chicken stock, egg white, and lemon juice. Mix well.
- Brush some olive oil onto the bread.
- Spoon the menbosha paste and place them in between the sliced bread on a baking tray.
- Bake them in an oven at 200°C for 10 minutes or until golden brown. If using an air-fryer, air fry the menbosha pieces at 180°C (355°F) for 10 minutes, and then at 200°C (400°F) for another 3 minutes. Then, serve with your preferred menbosha sauce.
Recipe Notes
- Wearing a kitchen glove and mixing the shrimp paste with your hands is easier.
- We love pairing Korean shrimp toast with ketchup or a sweet chilli sauce.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Cooking Tips
You can use two knives at once when mincing the prawns to chop them faster. You can also smash the prawns with the flat side of the knives as Chef Yeon-bok taught. We like to flatten the prawns with the side of a knife and then mince.
Using your hands is the easiest way to mix the menbosha shrimp paste.
Don't press down on the bread too hard while cutting it to avoid squishing it. You can also freeze the bread beforehand.
Instead of throwing away the bread crusts, you can shred and toast them to make breadcrumbs for Korean corn dogs or chicken katsu sando.
Menbosha using an Air-Fryer
Since it is deep-fried in oil, mian bao xia can be greasy. Therefore, it is better to air-fry it instead, as less oil is needed. It also makes the sandwich a bit healthier without sacrificing the crunch and taste.
Here's how to make an air-fryer menbosha.
- Air-fry the menbosha pieces at 180°C (355°F) for 10 minutes.
- Then at 200°C (400°F) for another 3 minutes. Depending on how crispy you want them, you can continue to air fry for an extra 1-2 minutes.
- Serve with your preferred sauce.
Deep frying
The traditional Korean menbosha recipe deep fries the shrimp toast. It will give you a crispier bite than oven baking and air frying. To deep fry, turn the stove to medium-high heat and add vegetable oil.
Make sure there is enough oil to submerge the toast entirely. Heat the oil until it's between 160 - 170 degrees Celcius (320 - 340 F). Once it reaches this temperature range, reduce it to a low heat to maintain the temperature. Let it deep fry for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping your prawn toast at the halfway mark. Once ready, leave them to rest on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Using Chicken
Not a seafood lover? You can substitute the prawns with minced chicken for your fried toast. Using 200g of minced chicken, you will need to cook the chicken for longer. We use a smaller amount to make a thinner paste so that the chicken will cook through while the bread toasts. The chicken menbosha should be fried on medium heat until it turns crisp and golden.
Freezing Korean Shrimp Toast
You can prepare the sandwiches in advance and save them for later by making frozen menbosha. This would be perfect for days when you suddenly crave this delicious snack. You can get some out of the freezer and fry them up.
However, do not overstuff them in one container. Milk toasts are fragile, and squishing them will damage them. Instead, store a few in several containers and stack them up in your freezer. With proper storage, they can last up to three weeks.
Calories
A regular serving of menbosha contains about 118 calories. This makes it an excellent appetiser and party snack.
Difference With Chinese Shrimp Toast
The key difference between Chinese shrimp toast and Korean shrimp toast is that the Chinese version is an open sandwich, while the Korean version is sandwiched between two bread slices.
The Korean version is also often served in smaller cubes, while the Chinese mian bao xia is served in triangle slices. Another noticeable difference is that the Chinese version is often topped with sesame seeds, while the Korean version isn't. Also, Chinese prawn toast recipes may incorporate pork fat into the sandwich.
Popularity
Curious about menbosha's origin? This fried toast became the talk of the town after a Korean-Taiwanese celebrity chef, Lee Yeon-bok, introduced it. It is a best-seller at his restaurant, which specialises in Korean-Chinese cuisine. It is so well-known that it's a sport to get a reservation. Unfortunately, it is a struggle to secure a table, but the dish is also pretty costly for a sandwich.
However, you can make it yourself without fighting for a seat or burning your pockets. The famous chef has generously shared the recipe on various cooking shows. Therefore, you can follow Lee Yeon-bok's recipe to make them at home.
There's also 'Yuri's recipe' shared by the actress Lee Yuri on 'Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant'. The original menbosha recipe inspires it with a bit of a twist.
How did your mian bao xia turn out? Please share with us a photo of your lovely homemade snack by tagging us on Instagram @honestfoodtalks.
Craving a bready snack but something sweet instead? Try making our gyeran ppang recipe, a sweet and savoury Korean egg bread.
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