Krupuk, kerupuk, or kroepoek in Indonesia; keropok in Malaysia; kropek in the Philippines; bánh phồng tôm in Vietnam; is a popular snack in parts of East and Southeast Asia. Krupuk are deep fried crackers made from starch and other ingredients that usually give the taste. Prawn based krupuk are popular types of krupuk. They are called krupuk udang in Indonesian, prawn crackers in British English, shrimp chips or shrimp crackers in American English, Nuvole di Drago (Dragon's Clouds) in Italian, 炸庀虾片 (fried prawn crisps) in Chinese.
Type
In Indonesia the term krupuk is refer to the type of relatively large crackers, while the term kripik or keripik is refer to smaller bite-size crackers; the counterpart of chips (or crisps) in western cuisine. For example potato chips is called kripik kentang in Indonesia. Usually krupuk is made from the dried paste from the mixture of starch with other ingredients, while kripik is usually made entirely from thinly sliced, sun-dried, and fried products without any mixture of starch.
There are numbers of variations on krupuk, many of which are made from the mixture of starch with seafood (shrimp, fish, or squid), but occasionally with rice, fruits, nuts or vegetables; these variations are more usual in southeast Asia. Krupuk udang, krupuk bawang (onion cracker), and krupuk kampung (cassava starch cracker) is ubiquitous in Indonesia. The examples of popular krupuk udang brands in Indonesia is Finna[1] and Komodo brand. To achieve maximum crunchiness, most of this pre-packed raw krupuk udang must be sun-dried first before being deep fried at home. To cook krupuk, a wok and plenty of very hot cooking oil is needed. Raw krupuk is quite small, hard, and darker in color than cooked one[2]. Indonesia has perhaps the largest variety of krupuk. Sidoarjo in East Java, also Cirebon and Garut in West Java are major producers of krupuk, and many recipes originate from there. A common variation, called emping is made from melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) nuts. Fish cracker krupuk kemplang and krupuk ikan is particularly popular in Southern Sumatran city of Palembang and also on the island of Bangka. Another popular type is krupuk jangek or krupuk kulit, cracker made from dried cattle skin, particularly popular in Minangkabau area West Sumatra. Krupuk mie (noodle cracker) is yellowish krupuk made from noodle-like paste, particularly popular in Jakarta and most of markets in Java.
The smaller size kripik can be savoury or sweet. It is often made from various dried fruits, tubers, vegetables, and fishes. The most popular are kripik singkong (cassava cracker) and kripik pisang (banana cracker), however another types of fruits or tubers crackers are also available such as; kripik apel (apple cracker) from Malang in East Java, also kripik nangka (jackfruit cracker), kripik salak (snake fruit cracker), kripik talas (taro cracker), kripik ubi (sweet potato cracker), and kripik sukun (breadfruit cracker). Another type of kripik are often coated with batter and deep fried until crispy and dry, such as kripik belut (eel kripik), and vegetable kripik such as kripik bayam (spinach cracker).
In Malaysia, krupuk are usually made by grinding fish or prawns or squid or vegetables into a paste, mixing with sago and then deep-frying it. It comes in three main forms: keropok lekor which is long and chewy, keropok losong (steamed) and keropok keping which is thin and crispy. It is frequently served with dipping sauces.[3][4]
Prawn based krupuk are the most widely available in the west, and are white or light brown in colour. Despite the high amount of shrimps used, any shrimp taste is usually quite subtle. Perhaps the most common form is the Indonesian krupuk udang, made with dried shrimp and hence a light shade of pink.
In Chinese cuisine, prawn crackers may use food coloring (including shades of white, pale pink, green and blue), and tend to be lighter and non-spicy. Prawn crackers are a traditional complementary side dish and may accompany takeaway Chinese food in Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Shrimp chips are usually served with roasted chicken dishes in Chinese restaurants.
Preparation
Krupuk are made by mixing prawns, tapioca flour and water. The mixture is rolled out, steamed, sliced and sun-dried. In traditional way, to achieve maximum crispiness, raw krupuk usually are being sun-dried first before frying, to eliminate the moisture. Once dry, they are deep-fried in oil (which must be at high heat before cooking). In only a few seconds they expand from thumb-sized semi-transparent chips to white fluffy crackers, much like popcorn, as water bound to the starch expands as it turns into steam. If left in the open air for more than a few hours (depending on humidity), they start to soften and become chewy and therefore are ideally consumed within a few hours of being fried. Storing the crackers in a low humidity environment or an airtight container will preserve the crispness. Packets of unfried prawn crackers may be purchased in oriental stores, or stores that specialise in Asian cuisine. In the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, France, Australia and the United Kingdom they are also widely available in general supermarkets.
Most varieties of krupuk can also be prepared in a microwave oven, in which a few discs can be cooked in less than a minute. This will usually cause them to cook and expand in a way similar to when they are deep fried. For small quantities, this method is less messy, faster and healthier, as the krupuk do not become as oily. However, this may cause the krupuk to retain a stronger aroma of raw shrimp which may not necessarily be pleasant.
