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A stack of okoy kalabasa with dipping sauce.
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4.97 from 66 votes

Okoy Kalabasa Recipe (Kabocha Squash Fritters)

Try this easy okoy kalabasa recipe for the best Filipino squash fritters. Made with kalabasa or kabocha squash, squash okoy is delicious even without shrimp or meat.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Filipino
Servings: 6 fritters
Calories: 71kcal
Author: Jolina

Ingredients

  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 1 large egg
  • ⅓ cup cold water
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce see notes
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup julienned kabocha squash
  • ¼ cup julienned carrots
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions
  • oil for frying
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, stir flour, cornstarch, egg, water, fish sauce, minced garlic, salt and pepper until smooth.
    ½ cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, 1 large egg, ⅓ cup cold water, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper
    Flour mixture in a bowl.
  • Add kabocha squash, carrots and green onions. Stir until well combined.
    1 cup julienned kabocha squash, ¼ cup julienned carrots, ¼ cup sliced green onions
    Okoy batter in a bowl.
  • Put about a cup of oil (or enough oil to submerge the fritters) in a large skillet and once it's hot enough, scoop about a heaping ¼ cup okoy batter into the oil, flatten slightly and fry on medium heat until the bottom turns a light golden brown.
    oil
    Cooking kalabasa fritters in oil.
  • Flip and fry until the other side is golden brown too.
  • Put the fried fritters on a tray lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Serve immediately.
    Freshly fried crispy okoy without shrimp.

Video

Notes

  1. This recipe yields 6 fritters for me, though it will depend on how big or small you make them.
  2. You can find fish sauce in Asian stores. Most people don't like it because it smells fishy (thus the name) but it's really one of the key ingredients in Asian cooking. You can opt to skip it though - just increase the salt to taste
  3. If your skillet is large enough, you can fry 2 fritters at a time. I wouldn’t go more than 2 though.
  4. The fritters tend to get soggy the longer they sit so best to serve immediately.
  5. See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1197IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg