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Learn all the tips you need to make the best Indonesian perkedel jagung / bakwan jagung/ dadar jagung. Crispy on the edge and very flavorful.
Bakwan jagung or sometimes called perkedel jagung in Indonesian language is a popular street food I grew up with. I am already crazy about corns. Made them into fritters and I’m out of control! lol! It’s so easy to overeat these little things, but trust me it’s really good. My mom’s recipe always uses shrimp and I believe that makes it taste even better. She usually adds some seeded red chili in there for specks of red color.
HOW TO MAKE REALLY GOOD BAKWAN JAGUNG
1. PREPARE THE BATTER (RIGHT BEFORE COOKING FOR OPTIMUM RESULT)
Optional: Place 1/2 of the corn kernels in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. This step is optional. I didn’t do it in the video
Mix the chopped corn kernels (if you choose to do so) with the other 1/2 of the whole corn kernels, shrimp, aromatics, seasonings
Mix the dry ingredients and then stir to combine
Add water and stir into a slightly runny batter. Take care not to over stir, some lumps are okay as long as you don’t see any more loose flour/starch
Fold in the corn mixture and stir to just until combined
3. COOK THE BAKWAN JAGUNG IMMEDIATELY
Heat about 1 inch of oil over medium heat
Scoop about 1 spoonful of the batter and gently lower it to the hot oil. Fry it thinly and they will be crispy. I recommend frying at the side of the pan instead of the middle (which is the hottest part). Make sure you control the heat or they will get burn on the outside but the inside is still not cooked through. Fry about 5-6 pieces at a time until both sides are golden brown and crispy
TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE GOOD INDONESIAN BAKWAN JAGUNG / PERKEDEL JAGUNG
1. Only prepare the batter when you are ready to cook
The longer the batter sits, the watery it will be. So only prepare the batter when you are ready to cook them
2. Don’t scoop too much batter
About 1 spoonful will give you a nice crispy result
3. Control the heat
Heat the oil to hot and then lower the heat to medium. This will prevent the bakwan jagung from getting brown too quickly but the inside is not cooked yet
4. Fry at the side of the pan
The middle part of the pan is the hottest. The perkedel jagung gets burn quickly before it gets cooked inside
I would eat bakwan jagung plain like that as snacks. My kids would eat them like that too, but you are welcome to dip them in your favorite sweet chili sauce if you want to.
DID YOU MAKE THIS BAKWAN JAGUNG RECIPE?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
The Best Bakwan Jagung (Indonesian Corn Fritters)
Ingredients
- 200 gr sweet corn kernels 7 oz, Thawed if used frozen corn kernels
- 80 gr shrimps 3 oz, cleaned, deveined and finely minced, optional
- 200 ml water 13 Tbsp
Dry ingredients:
- 120 gr all-purpose flour 3/4 cup
- 40 gr rice flour 7 Tbsp
- ½ tsp baking powder
Seasonings:
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 2 red Thai chilis seeded and chopped
- Oil for frying
Aromatics:
- 2 shallots peeled
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 Tbsp chopped Chinese celery leaves or you can use flat chives or green onion
Instructions
Prepare batter:
- Place 1/2 of the corn kernels in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. This step is optional. I didn't do it in the video
- Mix the chopped corn kernels (if you choose to do so) with the other 1/2 of the whole corn kernels, shrimp, aromatics, seasonings
- Mix the dry ingredients and then stir to combine. Add water and stir into a slightly runny batter. Take care not to over stir, some lumps are okay as long as you don't see any more loose flour/starch. Fold in the corn mixture and stir to just until combine
Cooking:
- Heat about 1 inch of oil over medium heat. Scoop about 1 spoonful of the batter and gently lower it to the hot oil. Fry it thinly and they will be crispy. You may want to fry one first and then taste to see if you need to add more salt (as you can't taste the "raw" mixture) and adjust by adding more salt if needed before frying more.
- I recommend frying at the side of the pan instead of the middle (which is the hottest part). Make sure you control the heat or they will get burn on the outside but the inside is still not cooked through. Fry about 5-6 pieces at a time until both sides are golden brown and crispy
- Remove and put on an absorbent paper towel and keep them warm in the oven while you finish frying the rest
Marv's Recipe Notes
If you like perkedel jagung, you may also like this Indonesian Perkedel Kentang / Bergedil
8 comments
Can I use all purpose flour instead of rice flour?
Hi Ellisa, the rice flour will add that crispyness to the batter, but you can try using all-purpose flour, just make sure not to overmix it or the result will be dense and gummy!
What are shallots in Australia?
They are eschalots or French shallots, not the green onion/spring onion. If you can’t find them, you can always use purple/red onion
Hi..what If I do not have a food processor? Is there other alternative to this?
Hi Ivy, you can chop it up by hands.
I learnt to cook these in Bali – they’re delicious!!
Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Lorna | eatmyyythoughts.com
You did? wow…I wish I could go visit Bali again. It’s a fairly easy recipe. I hope you like them 😉