A beloved Filipino merienda staple sold by street vendors from Manila to Cebu, these golden squid balls are crisp outside, springy and bouncy inside, then threaded onto bamboo sticks and dunked into a sticky sweet-spicy sauce. Recreate the turo-turo experience at home with pantry staples and a quick fish-sauce-spiked dip.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time35 mins
Servings4
Yield4 servings (about 20 balls)
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 285 kcalCalories
- 8 gFat
- 1 gSaturated Fat
- 34 gCarbs
- 1 gFiber
- 14 gSugar
- 18 gProtein
- 820 mgSodium
- 320 mgPotassium
- 75 mgCalcium
- 1.8 mgIron
- 6 mgVitamin C
- 45 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the squid balls
- 500 g fresh squid, cleaned, body and tentacles
- 1 small onion, finely grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp ice-cold water
For frying
- 3 cups neutral oil (canola or palm), for deep-frying
For the sweet-spicy street sauce
- 1/2 cup banana ketchup
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 small Thai chili, finely sliced
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce (patis)
To serve
- 8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 10 minutes
- 1 small bowl spiced vinegar dip (optional)
Directions
- Pat the cleaned squid very dry with paper towels, then pulse in a food processor until finely minced but not pureed; transfer to a chilled mixing bowl.
- Add the grated onion, garlic, salt, white pepper, baking powder, and egg white to the squid. Mix with chopsticks or your hand in one direction for 2 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic.
- Sift in the cornstarch and flour, drizzle the ice water over the top, and fold gently until just combined; do not overmix or the balls will turn rubbery.
- Cover and rest the mixture in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line a tray with parchment and have a small bowl of water nearby for shaping.
- With wet hands, scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture and roll into smooth balls between your palms, placing them on the prepared tray; you should get roughly 20 balls.
- Heat the oil in a deep pot to 175 °C (350 °F). Fry the balls in small batches for 2-3 minutes until pale golden and floating, then drain on a wire rack. Just before serving, refry a batch for 1 minute at 190 °C (375 °F) for that signature street-vendor crunch.
- While the balls rest, make the sauce: combine banana ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, chili, water, and fish sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, stir in the cornstarch slurry, and cook 2 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Thread 2-3 warm balls onto each soaked bamboo skewer, pile onto a plate lined with banana leaves or paper, and serve immediately with the warm sweet-spicy sauce and spiced vinegar on the side.
- Encourage diners to dunk, bite, and slurp – the classic Filipino street-food way.
Cook’s Notes
- Cold squid paste is key: chill the bowl and the squid before mixing, and use ice water, to keep the fat from melting and the balls from turning greasy.
- Do not skip the double-fry – the first fry cooks the balls through, the second hot fry gives the snap-and-bounce crust that vendors are famous for.
- Substitute 300 g squid plus 200 g firm white fish (like pollock) if you cannot get enough fresh squid; the texture stays pleasantly chewy.
- For a true sari-sari store flavor, offer three dips side-by-side: sweet-spicy sauce, spiced sukang maanghang (cane vinegar with garlic, chili, and peppercorns), and a simple mayonnaise-mustard blend.
- Balls can be shaped and frozen raw on a tray, then bagged; fry straight from frozen, adding 1 extra minute to the first fry.
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