Menbosha – Korean Fried Shrimp Toast

Here is Menbosha – Korean fried shrimp toast that has crispy texture and soft shrimp filling with the fragrance of sesame seeds. It’s a viral street food that you can make yourself at home!

Menbosha (Korean shrimp toast) is the East-West fusion that’s taken from street food. Born from Chinese 麵包蝦 (mian bao xia – literally ‘bread shrimp’) and adopted into Korean cuisine.

It’s shrimp paste sandwiched between golden bread, deep-fried to crispy perfection—creating that irresistible contrast of crunchy shell and juicy, springy shrimp inside (think Chinese shrimp balls sandwiched in between toast!).

It’s so easy to make even kitchen newbies can nail it, and kids go wild for that addictive crunch. Pro tip: The same shrimp batter works for standalone Shrimp Balls too—one recipe, double the deliciousness!

This can be your weeknight snack option with savory shrimp fillings besides Chinese potstickers, Shu Mai, or Fried Wonton.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

Shrimp – Peel and devein the shrimp. Slice the shrimp coarsely.

Tapioca flour – Tapioca flour is used to make the shrimps stick together. It is gluten-free.

Egg white – egg white helps glue the shrimps to the toast together.

Garlic powder – Garlic powder will add flavor to the shrimp batter. If you don’t have this, you can substitute with fresh garlic, mince finely.

Substitutions

Other than shrimps, you can use chicken fillet or beef. If you want to substitute with chicken meat, choose the thigh part because it has enough fat to make the meat juicy.

How to Make Menbosha

STEP 1. Wash the shrimp clean, peel and devein. Put the shrimps in a food processor (Image 1). Add egg white, salt, pepper, garlic powder, sugar, sesame oil, mushroom powder, oyster sauce, leeks (optional) (Images 2, 3, 4).

STEP 2. Add tapioca flour (Image 5). Process them altogether. Transfer the shrimp filling in a bowl (Image 6). Keep it chilled in the refrigerator. Remove the crust of the bread (Image 7). Cut the toast into 4 squares (Image 8). Set aside.

STEP 3. Take out the shrimp batter from the chiller. Prepare the toast. Brush one side of the toast with egg white. Take one to two teaspoons of the shrimp batter, put it on the toast (Image 9). Brush another toast with egg white to top the shrimp filling. Brush the sides of the toast with egg white (Image 10). Roll the sides on sesame seeds (Image 11). This will seal the shrimps inside the toast. Set the shaped toasts on a pan, ready to fry. Prepare a wok with frying oil (Image 12).

STEP 4. Heat the frying oil, you can use a deep wok or deep-fryer pan. Heat the oil and test with a bamboo stick. If you stick the bamboo stick and bubbles come out of it, the oil is hot enough to fry. Put in the toasts (Image 13), let it fry for a while until the bottom sides is a little bit brown. Turn the bottom up and fry the other side until golden brown (Image 14). Let it dry on the kitchen towel or on a cooling rack. Let the oil drain on kitchen towel. Make the dipping sauce simply by mixing mayonnaise and chilli sauce together (Image 15). Mix well. Cut the toast in the center and dab with the menbosha sauce (Image 16). Enjoy!

How to Serve

Serve these golden crisps fresh from the fryer with menbosha sweet and sour sauce or mayo chili sauce.

Balance the richness of this fried shrimp toast with Pickled Cucumber. Make a feast and pair it with other deep-fried favorites like Japanese Karaage, Fried Shrimp Balls or Asian Meatballs.

Finish the palate with desserts like Mango Ice Cream or Mango Sticky Rice, drinks like Korean Strawberry Milk or Assam Milk Tea.

FAQs about Menbosha

Storage and Reheat

Keep the fried shrimp toast in a closed container for up to 3 days. Reheating is simple, you can put the toast in an oven or air-fryer.