Krupuk udang, or shrimp crackers, are a popular snack in Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia. For the 15,400 Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong, shrimp crackers are one of the comfort foods they enjoy eating whenever and wherever.
But which one tastes the best?
Apple Daily had a feature story on Thursday on how Indonesian maids choose their favorite shrimp crackers.
About 100 Indonesian domestic helpers in Causeway Bay’s Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island, a popular gathering venue, were asked to taste and vote for their favorite crackers from three different brands.
The three brands were Brilliant Shrimp Chips, Papatonk Shrimp Crackers and O’Garlos Shrimp Crackers. And the envelope please: O’Garlos got the highest number of votes, with 41.
According to Wikipedia, “prawn crackers are made by mixing prawns, tapioca flour, water and seasonings such as ginger, chili and garlic. The mixture is rolled out, seamed, sliced and sun-dried.”
Traditionally, to achieve maximum crispiness, raw crackers are usually sun-dried first before frying to eliminate the moisture. Once dry, they are deep-fried in hot oil. In only a few seconds they expand to white, fluffy crackers.