Crispy on the edge and soft and moist on the inside fried oyster cake/patty or also known as UFO in Singapore and Malaysia, is a popular hawker fare. Learn how to make this in your very own kitchen.
Place all ingredients for the meat in a bowl and stir to combine. You can do a taste test by microwaving or boil a small amount of the meat so you can taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover and let it marinate for about 20 minutes while you prepare other things
Preheat oil:
Preheat about 2 inches deep of oil. When you put a skewer in, there should be bubbles around it. Preheat the soup ladle you are going to use to cook the oyster cake. Mine has a capacity of about 50 ml. Let it heat up for about 1 minute
Prepare the batter:
Prepare the batter just when you are ready to cook the oyster cake. Don't prepare ahead and let the batter sits around. Put all the ingredients, except for water, in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine these dry ingredients. Gradually dd the water and whisk to combine until you get a batter that is about medium thick but still a pourable consistency. Don't overstir either or the fried products may turn gummy and greasy. Add water as needed if the batter is too thick
Cooking:
When the ladle is done preheating, scoop about 2 Tbsp of batter on the ladle, top with about 1 Tbsp of meat, one oyster, 2-3 chunks of shrimp, chives and then cover with another 2 Tbsp of batter. Sprinkle with some peanuts and some ikan bilis on top
Gently lower the ladle into the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute. If you preheat the ladle pretty well, the cake usually can detach itself into the oil. If not, you can use a spoon to help you release the cake from the ladle into the oil. Let it fry until golden brown on both sides on medium heat. Remember to control the heat. If the oil is too hot, the outside might get too dark, while the batter and filling is still not cooked through inside
Remove from the oil and place the fried oyster cake on absorbent paper towel. Repeat the process and remember to preheat the ladle each time before you scoop the batter to the ladle. If the cake gets stuck pretty bad when you fried the cake, you may have not preheated the ladle hot enough
You can keep the fried oyster cake warm in the oven at 200 F (93 C) on a rack while frying the res