Thai Shrimp Cakes with Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 pounds peeled shrimp, cold
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 cilantro roots or 3 tablespoons finely-chopped cilantro stems
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• Approximately 2 cups of Japanese-style bread crumbs
• 2 quarts vegetable oil

Directions

1. Combine the shrimp, garlic, salt, cilantro, white pepper, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse, stopping to scrape the bowl when needed, until the mixture turns into a smooth paste. Then let the machine run steadily until the paste looks glossy and tacky, about 15 seconds. Scrape the shrimp mixture into a large bowl and chill it for at least 10 minutes.
2. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow pie plate. In a Dutch oven or wok, heat the oil to 325 degrees F, checking the temperature with an instant-read or deep-frying thermometer.
3. In the bowl, mentally section the shrimp mixture into four equal portions. Split each of those into four portions again, so you have 16 evenly sized mounds.
4. Shape each mound of shrimp mixture into a patty about 3 1/2 inches across. Coat each patty in the bread crumbs, then carefully ease it into the hot oil. The cakes expand a lot as they fry, so work with enough space in the pot and do not crowd them.
5. Turn the shrimp cakes several times as they cook. When they are golden brown, lift them out and set them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
6. Serve the shrimp cakes right away with Thai sweet chili sauce.