How to make simple fritters

Fritters are very easy to do. There are many types of fritters. In Asia, mainly Malaysia, most famous fritters are known as 'pisang goreng' which means banana fritters. Bananas are split into two and dipped in home made batter and deep fried till golden. Some use carbonated drink such as Sprite or 7up to make the batter more crispy or even use ENO, the fast-acting effervescent fruit salts. Other than banana fritters, we also use sweet potatoes, yam,  anchovies, cempedak (same species as jackfruit but a little smaller and softer in texture) you can deep fry the whole fruit together with its pit. The taste of cempedak pit when boiled with salt  for about 15-20minutes is nutty. Skin must be peeled off before eating them.

Anyway, today, I will share with you a simple recipe for making dried anchovy fritters or locally known as cucur ikan bilis. This is my favourite 'tea- break' / 'high tea' food. Its very easy to prepare and the ingredients are very basic. To me, this is the most easiest and most simple fritters recipe you can get! I would categorize this simple anchovy fritters as salty fritters where it is best served hot and must be accompanied with condiments like chilli or tomato sauce.

How to make a simple dried anchovy fritters recipe / Cucur Ikan Bilis
Ingredients: (Serves 4-6 person)

700grams all purpose flour *you might need more depending on the batter consistency at later stage
350ml water added with a teaspoon of salt *this is just an estimate, you might need more
1 egg
Some red chillies, depending on how hot/spicy you want the fritter to be (cut into small squares)
3-4 small shallots, finely chopped
Dried anchovies (take about half the size of your palm), finely chopped

Method:
1. Heat up wok with enough oil.
2. In a bowl, put in the all purpose flour, then add water. Mix using a spatula or a wooden spoon. Gradually  add enough water to make the batter smooth & a bit sticky.
3. If your batter is still sticky and lumpy, add more mixture of water and salt. Remember how much salt you put in! Might get a salty batter since dried anchovies are salty too.
4. Adding the egg will  make the batter smoother, thicker and a bit runny.
5. Finally, add chopped shallots, chillies and anchovies and mix well.
6. Using a small laddle, scoop the batter and pour in wok slowly.
7. Fry until golden color.

***Please make sure your batter is not too runny as it will break to smaller pieces as soon as you pour the batter into the wok. The batter should be somewhat waffle batter consistency.

***If you happen to add too much water and you have a watery batter, add more flour and don't forget to season.

Serve hot ! Enjoy your simple dried anchovy fritters recipe!