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Home / Recipes / Chinese Takeaway

Shrimp Chips, A Crispy and Light Snack! Make Prawn Crackers At Home

Last Updated: Sep 9, 2021 · Author: Amaya Oke · This post may contain affiliate links · Jump to Recipe

Shrimp chips or prawn crackers are a delicious gluten-free snack that is loved by many due to their crispy texture and natural seafood sweetness. In this article, you will learn about the background of this delicious Asian snack, its different varieties, and how to prepare it perfectly at home.

Prawn crackers fresh from the frying wok
Prawn crackers fresh from the frying wok | Image from Instagram

From the As to the Zs of this tasty treat, here is our guide to everything you need to know about shrimp chips.

Jump to:
  • What is a shrimp chip made of?
  • Different Types
  • Cooking Tips
  • Shrimp Chips | Chinese Prawn Crackers
  • How long do shrimp chips last?
  • Conclusion

What is a shrimp chip made of?

Traditionally, Chinese prawn crackers are made of a mixture of dried shrimp and tapioca flour. The mixture is ground to a fine powder, then mixed with water to create dough. Next, it is pressed into thin sheets, cut into individual crackers, and then dried. 

These dried crackers are packaged and sold, to be deep-fried by the individual consumers. Most brands of shrimp chips also contain seasonings such as MSG and black and white pepper. They are also often dyed in various exotic colours, such as purple and hot pink. This is in order to appear more attractive to consumers.

Prawn crackers probably originated in Sumatra, Indonesia in the late 16th century and have since remained a popular, traditional snack in Southeast Asia. They can be eaten at any time of day. The most usual times to consume them are as a teatime snack in the evening and late morning. 

Shrimp Chips Recipe
Traditional light snack that is popular in Asia | Image from Instagram

With the commercialization of many traditional Asian snacks, shrimp chips are more widely available. Many companies sell them in plastic packaging, as a substitute for potato chips.

Because of their relatively healthier nature, they are extremely popular in Asian convenience stores. Even Western consumers can enjoy this snack as it is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than potato chips.

Additionally, the distinctly Asian flavour profile provides an element of novelty to the usual banality of packaged snacks. This repackaging of old favourite dishes has also been a huge part of the culinary renaissance of Asia, boosting the popularity of this cuisine worldwide.

Different Types

There are various different varieties of shrimp chips. Some of the most prominent and widely available ones are listed below. 

In case you want to know where to buy these varieties, check your local Asian grocery market. In some cases, as specified below, they can be bought online.

Chinese Prawn Crackers

These are usually dyed solid colours and contain cornstarch as a binder and thickener. This means that this Chinese snack tastes more like noodles than potato chips.

These shrimp chips are sold uncooked. Thus, they store well and thus can be bought online and shipped overseas. 

Prawn crackers sprinkled with dried chilli
Prawn crackers sprinkled with dried chilli | Image from Instagram

This light snack is also particularly a crowd-pleaser in social gatherings in Asia. Not only for their tastiness but also cause they usually come in a variety of colours such as pink, yellow, green and white!

One serving is 81 calories when cooked without fat. It also has 21 grams of carbohydrates. You can find them on Amazon to be delivered to your home.

Uncooked Prawn Crackers 8 oz, (Pack of 2)
Buy Now

Japanese Shrimp Chips

Similar to many Japanese treats like mochi, the Japanese style of prawn crackers uses rice flour or puffed rice as a binding agent. This means its texture is generally less hard and its taste is less strong than the Chinese variety. 

One serving is 130 calories, with 5 grams of fat, 20g of carbohydrates, and no sugar. So, if you prefer rice to noodles, or if you want to buy precooked shrimp chips, try this variety.

Calbee Baked Prawn Chips Hot Garlic Flavour
Calbee Baked Prawn Chips Hot Garlic Flavour | Image from Instagram

A popular Japanese brand that we highly recommend is Calbee. You can buy them online here.

Calbee Shrimp Chips Original, 4 oz (Pack of 3)
Buy Now

Korean Shrimp Crackers

These crackers contain wheat flour and soy sauce to add an extra umami tang. Moreover, if you prefer crisp, bready crackers, these are for you.

One serving contains 140 calories, with 5 grams of fat, 18g of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of sugar.

Nongshim Shrimp Crackers
Nongshim Shrimp Crackers | Image from Instagram

Nongshim is a popular one in Korea which we highly recommend you try. You can order online for it to be delivered to your home.

Nongshim Shrimp Cracker, 5.28 oz (Pack of 2)
Buy Now

Thai Prawn Cracker

These shrimp chips contain sweet Thai chilli and traditional tapioca flour. Each serving is a mere 108 calories when cooked without fat, with 22 grams of carbohydrates.

You should decide which preparation is right for you based on your flavour and textural preferences as well as your nutrition requirements.

Cooking Tips

Before we teach you how to use dried crackers to make your very own shrimp chips at home, here are some tips on how to cook them.

  • Use a neutral flavoured oil, such as grapeseed, vegetable, or canola.
  • In case you don’t want to incorporate fat, feel free to use a microwave, oven, or air fryer. However, we found that deep frying gave the best results so we will not be covering these methods in this recipe.
  • The oil used to deep-fry these dishes can be reused for many other purposes. Let it cool and then strain it into a storage container for later.
  • Consider investing in an oil splatter guard if you deep-fry often. Once you get this, your frying-in-the-kitchen experience will no longer be a frightful one! One can be ordered here;

Gorilla Grip Oil Splatter Guard, Helps Shield Grease and Oil Splashes
Buy Now

Shrimp Chips Recipe

Shrimp Chips | Chinese Prawn Crackers

Shrimp chips are a traditional Chinese snack that comes in a variety of colours such as green, pink, yellow and white. These sweet and crispy prawn crackers can be prepared easily at home to be served as an appetizer, side dish or just on their own as a mid-day snack!
Author: Amaya Oke
4.69 from 22 votes
Print Pin
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: crackers, shrimp
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 627kcal
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pack shrimp chips
  • 2 cups neutral-flavoured oil

Instructions

  • Heat up the oil in a pot or wok up to 165 degrees Celsius or 330 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a suitable thermometer, wait for 5 to 6 minutes until the oil is hot enough.
  • Carefully add in and fry 8 to 10 prawn crackers at a time, ensuring that each piece can completely soak and submerge into the hot oil. This is to make sure that each piece is cooked thoroughly and evenly.
    Fry the chips in hot oil in a pot
  • After they expand and float to the top of the pot, remove them with a metal spider. Drain them on a plate lined with paper towels to remove any excess oil. Repeat step 2 and 3 until the whole pack of prawn crackers has been cooked. Serve while hot.
    Drain the fried crackers from the pot

Notes

The oil added to the pot or work should ideally be at least 1 inch deep so that the pieces can submerge and be thoroughly deep-fried. Adjust the amount of oil depending on the cooking utensil that you use. 
If you do not have a thermometer, one old Asian trick to know whether the oil is hot enough is by dipping a chopstick into the oil. If you see the oil bubbling around the dipped chopstick, then that's a signal that the oil is hot enough.
The crackers get soggy after two hours’ exposure to the air, so eat up once served!

Nutrition

Serving: 100gCalories: 627kcalCarbohydrates: 59.1gProtein: 2.3gFat: 73gSaturated Fat: 59gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 3mg

Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and are only rough estimations.

Tried this recipe?Follow us @honestfoodtalks for more delicious recipes!

In addition, you can also refer to 101barbie Rona's minikitchen’s video on how she prepared her own hand-made Asian treat in her kitchen.

asmr Kitchen :homemade shrimp chips,it has real shrimp

How long do shrimp chips last?

Uncooked, the sealed package can last for years. However, we note that the opened package of uncooked crackers can last for up to a year. This is if it is kept away from air, moisture, and sunlight. 

Once fried, the chips should be ideally consumed within 2 hours. That is when the snack retains most of its crispiness and sweetness.

If you would like to keep the fried crackers for longer, then we recommend storing them in a vacuum-sealed container. That should keep its texture crispy for the next one or two days. 

Conclusion

In this article, we told you everything a discerning foodie needs to know about prawn crackers. Shrimp chips are an easily available and customizable addition to anyone’s snack arsenal. 

If you are looking to expand your culinary horizons without expanding the strain on your wallet, this article should have helped you. Even those just looking for a new easy, favourite crowd-pleasing party dish can learn something from the information provided in this article.

Here’s to many more culinary journeys. Bon appetit!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denia

    November 23, 2021 at 11:31 am

    5 stars

    Reply
  2. Steph

    November 22, 2021 at 10:25 am

    5 stars
    Much easier following these instructions than the Vietnamese writing on the packet of my crackers

    Reply
  3. Zoe

    October 29, 2021 at 2:22 am

    5 stars
    Learnt my lesson about not using a splatter guard but glad mine turned out well

    Reply
  4. Herbert

    June 14, 2021 at 3:55 am

    5 stars
    I had this container filled with shrimp chips all the time growing up in Malaysia. Its great to crunch on top of your fried rice - adds that crunchy feeling which creates the oomph ❤️

    Reply
  5. Gretch

    June 07, 2021 at 7:08 am

    5 stars
    I love having this whenever we go to our nearby Indonesian place! was curious to try out and this recipe works amazing xo

    Reply
  6. Boedi

    May 30, 2021 at 5:43 am

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! simple and quick!

    Reply
  7. Beth

    May 26, 2021 at 4:33 am

    5 stars
    Didnt know making these from scratch as how shown in the video was so easy! Brilliant!

    Reply

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