All frittered up


I don’t usually think of myself as a person who finds comfort in a particular routine; in fact my life has been driven by change and randomness – even in my love for food.  Very rarely do I have foods that I eat every day – or every Tuesday etc. I thrive on change…

***
But at this point in my life I find that a little bit of routine isn’t such a bad thing. For examply, every Saturday my partner M and I enjoy the relaxing morning coffee and then near lunchtime make our way to our favourite Sushi spot. And then we walk through the city and pick out foods to make for later in the evening. It’s a perfect little routine and it’s really enjoyable.
So on a recent routine day, I thought I’d grab a few items to make a late afternoon snack. I thought about the delicious snacks my mother used to make: she was a true master of food and Indian snacks like pakora and vada were her particular forte. 
I made spiced carrot & zucchini fritters with lemon & mint yoghurt. They are full of flavour from spices like cumin and paprika, fresh herbs like sage and coriander, and a little heat provided by fresh green chillies. These little snacks pair deliciously with a lemony, minty yoghurt – and of course a late afternoon drink of cold beer

spiced carrot & zucchini fritters with lemon & mint yoghurt 


fritters
2 medium carrots, grated
2 medium zucchini, grated
1/4 red onion, sliced finely
1 green chilli. deseeded and finely chopped
4 fresh sage leaves, chiffonade (sliced finely) – used dried if you don’t have fresh
1/4  bunch coriander (stems and leaves), chopped finely
1/2 tsp each cumin and paprika, ground
1/4 tsp tumeric, ground
1/2 tsp sea salt (in addition to the sea salt spinkled after cooked)
1 egg, beaten
4 tbsp besan flour (chickpea flour, or use any alternative)
enough oil for shallow frying – use olive oil or nay

yoghurt sauce
1/2 cup yoghurt, plain, low-fat
1/4 bunch fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
zest from 1/2 lemon
pinch sea salt

In a large bowl add grated carrots and zucchini  and sliced onions – squeeze out excess water as much as possible. Add chili and fresh herbs – sage and coriander and spices and salt. Add in beaten egg and mix through. At this point, add in flour by the tablespoon – ensuring that the mixture is the right consistency – you want it to bind and not be too wet/soggy. 
To make yoghurt sauce – in a small bowl add all ingredients and mix well, leave in fridge.
Line a plate with paper towel and place a large fry pan on medium heat. Once hot, add enough oil to the pan to cover the bottom. Take tablespoonfuls of the fritter batter (it might seem like it won’t stick together, don’t worry once in the pan it will!), flatten it out slightly and place in pan. You have to work a bit quick here – about 5 should fit in the pan at once. Cook on medium heat about 2-3 minutes each side. You might want to test out the time for cooking. Once cooked place on paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt– eat while hot with fresh and cool yoghurt and a delicious cold beer! Enjoy!




16 comments:

  1. My computer acted up just as I was trying to comment before... but anyway, love the flavours here. Spicy fried food with a cool yoghurt dip is such a wonderful combination!

    ReplyDelete
  2. These look wonderful. I've made carrot and coriander fritters in the past and they were unbelievably good, but I never tried them with any kind of dip. Your combination looks so crunchy and flavoursome, and I love the idea of adding sage - so good with root veg.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love the sound of your Sundays - what a way to relax. These fritters look delicious. I recently went to a dinner party and fritters were served with beer on arrival. They were grated carrot and parsnip with a little goat's cheese served on top. I ate nearly all of them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looks delicious! Can't wait to make these!

    ReplyDelete
  5. These look so good! Perfect with some cold beer!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I like your Sunday ritual, sounds like a nice relaxing way to spend the day, especially if it includes these delicious fritters at the end.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so going to make this! great to have a little lunch routine for sushi :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love fried spicy food--whether it's deep fried or shallow fried don't matter to me. I know it sounds unhealthy but unhealthy equals comfort! :) Never made pakoras with carrot or zucchini, but now I gotta try. Yours look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Glad I spotted your site,what lovely photography.Love the fritters!I avoid deep fried version and stick to the shallow fried version.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The fritters look beautiful! very unlike the deep-fried Indian pakoras :P Have never tried zucchini fritters! Sounds good :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I had a glut of zucchini in my fridge recently and wish I'd had this recipe. These fritters look a winner. Besan flour always adds a great crunch. Bookmarking this for future reference!

    ReplyDelete
  12. They look wonderful and crunchy. love it with the yogurt sauce, mmmm....

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love zucchini fritters .. and these looks such crispy .

    ReplyDelete
  14. These look so yummy! Can't wait to try this recipe out.

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a truly amazing recipe.

    ReplyDelete