Okoy

{{Infobox food

| name = Okoy

| image = 250px

| image_size = 250px

| caption = Shrimp okoy from Vigan, Ilocos Sur

| alternate_name = Ukoy

| country = Philippines

| region =

| creator =

| course = Main course, side dish

| served = Warm

| main_ingredient =

| variations =

| calories =

| similar_dish = Camaron rebosado, calamares, bazun khwet kyaw, bakwan

| other =

}}

Okoy or ukoy, are Filipino crispy deep-fried fritters made with glutinous rice batter, unshelled small shrimp, and various vegetables, including calabaza, sweet potato, cassava, mung bean sprouts, scallions and julienned carrots, onions, and green papaya. They are traditionally served with vinegar-based dipping sauces. They are eaten on their own or with white rice. They are popular for breakfast, snacks, or appetizers. Okoy are sometimes dyed bright orange with achuete seeds.

Okoy has numerous variations using a variety of other ingredients, including replacing the shrimp with small fish or calamari. Okoy batter can also be made with regular flour, rice flour, or an egg and cornstarch mixture. It can also refer to omelettes made with mashed calabaza or sweet potato, with or without the shrimp.

Etymology

File:7569Santa Rita Pampanga Duman Festival 09.jpg of Santa Rita, Pampanga]]

According to Filipino linguist Gloria Chan-Yap, the name okoy comes from Hokkien ō+kuè, meaning "cake made from taro". However, they are very different dishes. The Hokkien dish is made from deep-fried taro and minced pork, while the Philippine dish utilizes none of those ingredients. The only similarity between them is that they are both deep-fried and pancake-shaped.{{cite journal |last1=Chan-Yap |first1=Gloria |title=Hokkien Chinese Influence on Tagalog Cookery |journal=Philippine Studies |date=1976 |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=288–302 |url=http://www.philippinestudies.net/ojs/index.php/ps/article/view/3911}}

Description

The most basic traditional okoy recipe uses a small amount of galapong (ground soaked glutinous rice) as the batter, spiced to taste with onion, garlic, salt, and scallions. It is mixed with mashed kalabasa (calabaza) and unshelled small shrimp. They are deep-fried as small flat patties until golden brown. Excess oil is drained on paper towels and the dish is served warm and crispy.{{cite web |last1=Lardizabal-Dado |first1=Noemi |title=Ukoy, Okoy or Shrimp Fritters |url=https://pinoyfoodblog.com/filipino-recipes/ukoy-okoy-or-shrimp-fritters/ |website=Pinoy Food Recipes |date=January 8, 2013 |access-date=December 14, 2018}} Okoy batter can also be mixed with kamote (sweet potato) or kamoteng kahoy (cassava), instead of, or in addition to calabaza. Other ingredients are also traditionally added, including mung bean sprouts (togue) and/or julienned carrots, onions, and green papaya.{{cite book|author= Aranas, Jennifer|title =Tropical Island Cooking: Traditional Recipes, Contemporary Flavors|publisher =Tuttle Publishing|year =2015|page=31|isbn = 9781462916894|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=QbCHCgAAQBAJ}} The dish is sometimes dyed bright orange with achuete seeds.{{cite book|author=Williams, Sean|title =The Ethnomusicologists' Cookbook: Complete Meals from Around the World|publisher =Routledge|year =2013|page=82|isbn = 9781135518967|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=qRffAQAAQBAJ}}

Okoy can be eaten on its own or with white rice. It is usually eaten as a snack, as appetizers, or as a breakfast meal. Traditionally, it is served with a vinegar-based dipping sauce; like sinamak (vinegar with labuyo chilis, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, and onion) or pinakurat (vinegar with fish sauce, labuyo chilis, peppercorns, ginger, garlic, and dried mangoes).{{cite web |last1=Cailan |first1=Alvin |title=Ukoy: A Filipino Fritter Side Dish |url=https://www.kcet.org/shows/the-migrant-kitchen/ukoy-a-filipino-fritter-side-dish |website=The Migrant Kitchen |publisher=KCET |access-date=December 14, 2018}}{{cite web |title=Okoy or Ukoy Recipe (Crispy Shrimp Fritters) |url=https://www.pinoyrecipe.net/ukoy-recipe-or-okoy/ |website=Pinoy Recipe at iba pa. |access-date=December 14, 2018}} It can also be dipped in banana ketchup, tomato ketchup, sweet and sour sauces, or even garlic mayonnaise.{{cite web |title=Okoy/ Ukoy (Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters) |url=http://www.pinoykusinero.com/2014/04/okoy-ukoy-shrimp-and-sweet-potato.html |website=Pinoy Kusinero |access-date=December 14, 2018 |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129073652/http://www.pinoykusinero.com/2014/04/okoy-ukoy-shrimp-and-sweet-potato.html |url-status=dead }}

Variants

File:Ukoy na Puso sa Batag (rotated).jpgs]]

File:Mac MG 5988.jpg

Modern versions typically use regular flour or rice flour, instead of galapong. Egg mixed with cornstarch can also be used.{{cite web |last1=Angeles |first1=Mira |title=Okoy Recipe |url=https://www.yummy.ph/recipe/okoy-recipe |website=Yummy.ph |access-date=December 14, 2018}} Okoy is also used to refer to savory omelettes made with mashed calabaza or sweet potato (more properly tortang kalabasa or tortang kamote, respectively), with or without the shrimp.

The shrimp may also be omitted completely, especially when using mashed calabaza or sweet potato. The shrimp can be replaced with small fish like dilis (anchovies) or dulong (noodlefish), as well as calamari or even shredded chicken.{{cite web |title=Ukoy / Silverfish Omelette Recipe |url=https://www.pinoycookingrecipes.com/ukoy--silverfish-omelette.html |website=Pinoy Cooking Recipes |access-date=December 14, 2018}}{{cite book|editor =Dagoon, Jesse D. |editor2=Dagoon, Aida L. |editor3=Dagoon, Jasmin Flor|title =Culinary Arts I|publisher =Rex Bookstore, Inc.|year =1999|page=240|isbn =9789712326035|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=zlEc2n2rFrgC&q=okoy}} Larger shrimp, shelled and butterflied can also be used, and can be cooked tempura-style.

The dish can be modified easily to use other non-traditional ingredients, including potatoes, bell peppers, peppercorns, tokwa (tofu), grated coconut, and apulid (water chestnuts).{{cite book|author= Gapultos, Marvin|title =The Adobo Road Cookbook: A Filipino Food Journey|publisher =Tuttle Publishing|year =2013|isbn = 9781462911691|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=OBTQAgAAQBAJ}} A unique variant of the dish uses banana flowers (puso ng saging, lit. "banana heart") cooked in batter.{{cite book|author= Polistico, Edgie|title =Philippine Food, Cooking, & Dining Dictionary|publisher =Anvil Publishing, Incorporated|year =2017|isbn =9786214200870|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=iz8_DwAAQBAJ&q=Arroz+caldo}}

A similar dish is tortang dulong or maranay which is an omelette made from very small fish from the family Salangidae known as dulong in Tagalog and ipon, libgao, or maranay in Visayan.{{cite web |title=Tortang Dulong Recipe |url=https://panlasangpinoy.com/tortang-dulong-fish-omelet-recipe/ |website=Panlasang Pinoy |date=August 18, 2010 |access-date=June 9, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Dulong Omelet Recipe (Tortang Dulong) |url=https://www.yummy.ph/recipe/dulong-omelette-recipe |website=Yummy.ph |access-date=June 9, 2020}}{{cite web |title=15 Filipino Foods I Bet You Haven't Tried in the Philippines! |url=http://www.becomingfilipino.com/15-filipino-foods-i-bet-you-havent-tried-in-the-philippines |website=BecomingFilipino |date=March 4, 2015 |access-date=June 9, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Small Fish with Beady Eyes… |url=http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/small-fish-with-beady-eyes |website=Market Manila |date=April 17, 2008 |access-date=June 9, 2020}}

=Giant Okoy Bilao=

A 16 foot diameter 'Giant Okoy Bilao' creation used 200 kilograms of shredded calabaza and served 2,400 visitors.{{cite news |last1= Velez|first1= Freddie|title=Giant 'okoy' draws foodies, crowd to Baliuag, Bulacan|url=https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/23/giant-okoy-draws-foodies-crowd-to-baliuag-bulacan |accessdate=September 23, 2024 |work=Manila Bulletin |date=September 23, 2024}}