200 g Small shrimps
160 ml Water
2 tablespoons Annatto seeds (Optional)
100 g Bean sprouts
50 g Chopped spring onions
1 Small carrot, cut into thin strips
1/2 Sweet potato, cut into thin strips
250 ml Oil

Batter
125 g Flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg, well beaten

Peel shrimps, remove heads and tails and devein. Reserve the shrimp shells and heads. Slice shrimps into two. Put the reserved shells and heads into a bowl and add water. Press the shrimp heads and shells lightly to extract juice then strain liquid into a bowl. Soak annatto seeds in the shrimp stock, pressing on the seeds to extract color. Strain the shrimp stock and set aside. Clean bean sprouts well, removing the tails. Drain on paper towels. Mix shrimps, bean sprouts, spring onions, carrot strips and sweet potato strips in a bowl. To make the Batter, combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Blend in the beaten egg and the reserved shrimp stock and stir until smooth. Scoop out 1/4 cup of the shrimp mixture onto a plate. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the batter. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the shrimp mixture in hot oil until crispy and lightly browned. Repeat with remaining shrimp mixture and batter. Drain on paper towels and serve with Vinegar Garlic Dip. Annatto seeds are used as a food coloring. These red seeds are soaked in warm water or oil, then pressed to extract its coloring, which gives food an orange to reddish tint. The seeds have little flavor and are discarded once the coloring is extracted. Annatto seeds are sold in packets in supermarkets or provision shops.