These spicy pea fritter are a wonder snack dish, or appetizer to serve with early evening drinks. Using rice flour instead of gram flour gives an amazing texture to the dish and is really quite refreshing.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
100g dried yellow split peas, picked and rinsed
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds for the batter
3 tsp garlic finely chopped/minced
1 tsp crushed dried red chilli flakes
1 tbsp vegetable oil plus
Oil for frying – depending of size of Karahi or frying vessel
4 shallots, finely chopped
5 tbsp rice flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Soak the dried split peas in plenty of cold water to double cover, overnight. Drain off the soaking liquid, and rinse the split peas under fresh cold water until the water runs clear.
Using a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander and cumin seeds until fine. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and continue to pound to make a paste. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and add the spice and garlic paste. Fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low, add the shallot, and continue to fry until the shallot is soft and just starting to caramelize. Remove from the heat.
Mix the flour and 100 ml of water in a bowl to make a batter. Add the soaked split peas and the shallot mixture, the cumin seeds and season with salt and black pepper. Heat the extra vegetable oil for deep-frying in a wok or Indian frying Karahi. When the oil is hot, test a little piece of the batter- it should sizzle immediately. Gently drop a heaped tbsp of batter mix in the hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and, when cooled slightly, taste the fritter and adjust the seasoning for salt and pepper.
When the seasoning is right, carefully spoon tbsp of the batter into the hot oil, and deep-fry for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden. Deep-fry only a few fritters at a time, and remove from the oil with a slotted spoon before draining on paper towels. Keep frying batches until all the batter has been used.
Serve hot with a chilli or tamarind dip as appetizers – and as always enjoy!
This recipe is designed by Kumud Gandhi – founder of The Cooking Academy cookery schools in Hertfordshire . For further information on our cookery classes please contact Cara Brummitt at the Cooking Academy tel 01923 778880 or email her on cara@thecookingacademy.co.uk
Kumud Gandhi is a Nutritional Food Scientist bestselling Author, Broadcaster, and Keynote Speaker on the subject of nutritional health for productivity & performance in the workplace. In 2010 Kumud founded ‘The Cooking Academy’ a cookery school that focusses on cooking for nutritional health and wellbeing. Kumud regularly presents to international audiences on a variety of topics such as ‘Eating for Immunity and a Lifetime of Wellness’. She is an expert in the field of Wellness in the Workplace and works with organizations to create transformational change in employee health & well-being through nutrition and health coaching.
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