In a lot of my stories, you will find recipes and cooking tips. Why? Because cooking brings me joy. Reading a recipe book is visual pleasure for me. I love going through my mom’s collection of recipe books, some of which date back from the 1970s. (Note: SFF writers, read widely — recipe books are legit reading and world-building material).
So… my Month of Joy post will focus on… oyster fritters. In some places, we also call them oyster cakes. My dad got me into it and for years now, we love the sheer pleasure of biting into a piping hot oyster shaped like a disc or UFO.
The recipe:
Oyster Fritters
You will need:
Five tablespoons of oysters (cleaned and washed of grit)
Five tablespoons of finely-chopped celery
Five cloves of garlic, minced/finely-chopped
Five scallions, minced/finely-chopped
One teaspoon of soy sauce
Half of a teaspoon of sugar
A quarter teaspoon of ground white pepper
Half a cup of all-purpose flour**
Half a cup of cornstarch
Two tablespoons of water
One cup of corn oil
Soup ladle*
Combine oysters, celery, garlic, scallions, soy sauce and sugar.
Mix flour, cornstarch, and water and then mix with the oyster-vegetable mixture.
Heat oil until it is hot.
Immerse the ladle in the oil until it is hot.
Fill the ladle to almost full with some of the oyster mixture.
Immediately hold it just under the surface of the oil until it is set, then tip it out and fry the cake until golden-brown, turning it several times. Drain to remove the excess oil.
*Note: Soup ladles are fine as long as they leave a slight indent for the filling.
** Not gluten-free though. :*(
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