Name: Zucchini Fritters {Xi Hu Lu Bing Chinese Style} Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 15
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Ingredients: 850 g zucchini, freshly cut julinne cut; 430 g all-purpose flour, organic; 1 1/2 tsp salt, Himalayan Pink salt; 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground; 2 stalks of green onion, finely chopped, optional; 6 cups of avocado oil, for deep frying

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Zucchini Fritters Chinese Style features zucchini thin slices mixed with organic all-purpose flour and seasoned with salt, black pepper and green onions. You can either deep fry or steam. For deep fried version, they are crispy outside, soft inside coupled with a refreshing zucchini slices bite. So naturally delicious and easy to make. Perfect for appetizer or side dish.

This dish is inspired by a traditional Chinese food called Luo Bo Si Bing {萝卜丝饼}, or loosely translates as Daikon Fritters. Since my home vegetable garden produces loads of zucchini during the summer, why not make a zucchini version?

Home-grown zucchini is perfect to make Zucchini Fritters Chinese Style

We grow zucchini in our backyard garden each year. During the summer, we typically harvest loads of them. While stir-fried zucchini is delicious, I will need more ways of using the bountiful of zucchini. And this is it! Even better is that I can freeze these yummy Chinese-style zucchini fritters in the freezer and enjoy them later.

Zucchini Fun Facts and Health Benefits

While often referred to as a vegetable, zucchini is actually a type of fruit botanically. They are super healthy and nutritious.

Zucchini is rich in multiple essential vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin K, Vitamin B6. They also contain important minerals such as manganese, potassium, magnesium, folate, copper, phosphorus, and thiamine.

zucchini summer squash stir-fry — Stir Fried Zucchini and Parsley

What do you need to make Zucchini Fritters Chinese Style?

Zucchini Fritters Chinese Style Ingredients

Simple healthy ingredients will do.

For deep frying, I recommend using avocado oil. I do not do deep frying often, but when I do, I use avocado oil. Not only this wonderful oil is super healthy, it also has a higher smoking point, which is especially suitable for deep frying. Avocado oil also has an extremely mild and neutral flavor and taste, which makes it perfect for any kind of cooking and baking.

For making the fritters, you will need zucchini, all-purpose flour (organic), salt (Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt), Black Pepper, and green onions.

How to make Zucchini Fritters easy, yummy and healthy?

The first is to slice the zucchini into thin julienne strips

I use a Mandoline Slicer which helps me slice zucchini easier and faster.

The second is to mix zucchini julienne slices with flour and seasoning

After you have sliced zucchini into thin julienne strips, you do not need to squeeze the water out of zucchini or do anything. Simply add zucchini slices into a mixing bowl and mix them with flour and seasoning using a pair of bamboo spatulas. The same way you would mix a salad.

To make this recipe easy and healthy, I take advantage of water the zucchini contains. For flour, you will need about 70% of the weight of zucchini. This way, we use the minimum flour and coat the zucchini slices just enough. We can then press the mixture into a flat pancake shape.

Tips: Remember to mix the zucchini slices with the flour right away. Do not slice zucchini in advance, as the water zucchini contains will seep out over the time. You will end up using way more flour and zucchini also become soggy.

The third is to press zucchini and flour mixture into a pancake

Grab some zucchini flour mixture and press together in the palm and form a meatball shape. Then flatten it using two hands into a pancake shape. Rotate thumbs and palms in a circular motion, gently while firmly press as you rotate, until you form a pancake shape.

The flour should feel powdery dry. As you press, the tiny water coming out of zucchini shall be just right to bind the zucchini and flour together. This is the key for a crispy zucchini fritter with a refreshing bite of zucchini slices. This way, it also helps fritters absorb much less oil during the deep frying process.

The fourth is to deep fry the freshly pressed zucchini pancakes into zucchini fritters

Turn the heat to medium and heat the wok for 1 minute. Pour 4 cups of avocado oil into the wok and let it cook for about 5 minutes. You know the oil is ready for the deep frying when tiny bubbles start to form. The temperature should be above 300 degree Fahrenheit (150 degree Celsius).

Slowly slide in the zucchini pancakes into the wok, one at a time. Be very careful and cautious about the extremely hot temperature oil. You can accommodate about 4 fritters at a time.

Deep fry for 4 minutes, flip the zucchini fritters half way through for even cooking.

If you double the recipe and make a big batch, you may only need to fry 3 minutes toward the end of the cooking. This is because oil is heated longer, hence the temperature becomes higher toward the end of the cooking.

Remove the zucchini fritters from the wok using a stainless steel spider skimmer, place them on a wire rack to drain the oil and cool down.

Repeat until you have completed all fritters. This recipes makes about a dozen zucchini fritters.

All done! Enjoy a yummy crispy and refreshing bite of zucchini fritters Chinese style.

freshly made zucchini fritters Chinese style

Zucchini Fritters {Xi Hu Lu Bing Chinese Style} Recipe

Yield: about 15 fritters

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Zucchini Fritters {Xi Hu Lu Bing 西葫芦饼} delicious vegan Chinese Style features zucchini thin slices mixed with organic all-purpose flour and seasoned with simply salt and black pepper. You can either deep fry or steam.

Ingredients

850 g zucchini, freshly cut julinne cut
430 g all-purpose flour, organic
1 1/2 tsp salt, Himalayan Pink salt
1 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 stalks of green onion, finely chopped, optional
6 cups of avocado oil, for deep frying

Instructions

Prep Work:

Gather all the ingredients:
Slice the zucchini into thin julienne strips using a Mandoline Slicer or manually. Set the zucchini slices aside.
Pour 6 cups of avocado oil into the cast iron wok, turn the heat to high, cover the wok with a lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the freshly sliced zucchini into a mixing bowl, and add salt and black pepper.
Add flour into the mix bowl, mix everything together using a pair of bamboo spatulas.
After 5 minutes heating the oil on high temperature, turn the heat to medium, remove the lid and continue heating the oil until the oil reaches about 350 F (175 C), you can start frying. This may take another 5 minutes. You know the oil is ready for the deep frying when tiny bubbles start to form.

Hand Press Zucchini Pancakes:

Use the pair of bamboo spatulas toss zucchini, flour and salt & pepper, make sure some dry flour is flipped to the top for you to grab. Grab some zucchini flour mixture and press together in the palm and form a meatball shape.
Flatten it using the palms into a pancake shape.
Rotate thumbs and palms in a circular motion, gently while firmly press as you rotate, until you form a pancake shape. Repeat while waiting for the oil to reach frying point.

Deep Fry Zucchini Fritters:

Once the oil reaches 350 F, slowly slide in the zucchini pancakes into the wok, one at a time. Be very careful about the extremely hot temperature oil. For the wok, I recommend frying 3 fritters at a time, which takes about 3 minutes.

Deep fry for 3 minutes, or until fritters look dark brown. Flip the zucchini fritters half way through for even cooking.
Remove the zucchini fritters from the wok using a stainless steel spider skimmer, place them on a wire rack to drain the oil and cool down.
Repeat until you have completed all fritters. This recipes makes about 15 zucchini fritters.
All done! Enjoy a yummy crispy and refreshing bite of zucchini fritters Chinese style.

Steaming Zucchini Fritters:

Alternatively, you can also steam. The cast iron wok plus the 2-tiered bamboo steamers are my go-to steaming equipment.
Add about 6 cups of water into the wok, cover with a lid and bring it to a boil.
Layer the bamboo steamer (two layers) with bamboo leaves, place the freshly pressed zucchini fritters and steam for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Notes

For easier measurement, I use gram as the unit of measurement. Use a kitchen scale with "TARE" function for easy measuring.
This recipe uses 850 gram of freshly julienne cut zucchini. Remember wait until you are ready to deep fry to mix with flour, salt and black pepper when you are ready to deep fry. If you mix too earlier, the salt will make lots of juice coming out of zucchini.
The flour should feel powdery dry. As you press, the tiny water coming out of zucchini shall be just right to bind the zucchini and flour together. This is the key for a crispy zucchini fritter with a refreshing bite of zucchini slices. This way, it also helps fritters absorb much less oil during the deep frying process.
This is the good portion to make at one time. Do not try to double the receipe. As time goes by, the juice from zucchini will come out. If you have more zucchini, just repeat the process.