From community BBQ to weeknight staple, this fritter has worked for its status as a crowd pleaser. Crispy around the edges, but packed with veg, this should be in the dictionary under that cliche category ‘nutritious and delicious’
I discovered this recipe at a community BBQ. Somehow, I found myself behind the Weber, cooking around 200 vege fritters. Those fritters disappeared as fast as we could make them, with neighbours running home for eggs when we ran out.
We had some community funding which was well spent on chickpea flour, heaps of courgettes, onions, garlic powder and olive oil. It was the ideal dish for a large group of unknown dietary preferences. By the end of the evening, my arms were like jelly from mixing up the batter, but the vibes were immaculate. Oh lordy, I just remembered there’s a pic of me from that event, it’s kind of terrible, so I’ll put it at the end after all the pretty pics.
chickpea flour: quick facts
I’m not going to go deep with chickpea flour types in this post. If that’s your thing Vegan Richa has said everything and more in this post. My only advice is that besan flour works best for flavour in these fritters. Garbanzo flour is not as nice, it’s a bit bitter.
As to why we use chickpea flour at all, the reasons are taste and texture. Chickpea flour adds a little hint of earthiness that you don’t get with wheat flour. For this same reason it’s a nice addition to a gluten free flour blend. It just adds a little interesting punch of flavour. Texture-wise, this is the flour to use if you want crunch. Want to batter something in crunch? Chickpea flour. Ever wondered how your favourite Indian restaurant gets their pakora and bhaji so insanely crunchy? Chickpea flour.
I mean, how good does this look? Slightly crispy/crunchy around the edges, not soggy in spite of being full of veg. Gah! It’s adorable.
Ok, let’s get into the recipe. Outside of the community BBQ context, I’ve zzhoozzed it up a bit with capers, thyme and a yogurt dressing, but deep inside it’s still the crowd-friendly fritter that we know and love.
Vegetable Fritters Made With Chickpea Flour
Equipment
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 Frying Pan
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Chickpea Flour (Besan)
- 2 Eggs
- 2 Courgettes
- 1 Large Onion
- 1 Large Carrot
- 2 tsp Capers
- 1.5 tsp Stock Powder Chicken or Vegetable
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Optional Thyme Yogurt Dressing
- ½ Cup Greek Yogurt
- ¼ tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
- 1 Clove Garlic Crushed
Instructions
- Grate the courgettes, sprinkle with ½ tsp of salt and let sit while you prepare everything else.
- Finely chop the onion and grate the carrot.
- Fry the onion in one tbsp of the olive oil on a medium heat. Cook for at least 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent, a little caramelisation is also good for bringing out the flavour.
- Put the onion aside and squeeze the water out of the grated courgette.
- Put the onion, courgette, carrot, capers and thyme leaves into a bowl. You will use the frypan again.
- In another bowl, mix the flour with the stock powder. Chickpea flour can be lumpy, you may wish to sieve it.
- Add the flour/stock mix to the veges and mix through so that everything coated.
- Add the eggs and mix to a thick batter.
- Heat the pan again with the remaining oil (1 tbsp). Drop large spoons of batter on the hot surface. It should sizzle.
- Once the bottom of each fritter has cooked to firmness, flip the fritters and press down to flatten them. Keep adjusting the heat so that they cook to a golden colour but don't burn.
- Either serve immediately or keep warm in the oven.
- If you are using the yogurt dressing, mix the yogurt, garlic and thyme leaves together and dollop onto the fritters.
Notes
- If you are on a low sodium diet, you may wish to replace the stock powder with either a low sodium version, or half the amount of garlic powder or cumin.
- To enhance crispiness, you can rest the fritters on a paper kitchen towel to soak up some of the oil after frying.
- Leftover fritters can be stored in the fridge overnight and reheated the next day. They are also nice cold, or in a sandwich.
- Feel free to mix it up with other vegetables and herbs. Potato and corn are popular additions.
MAKE THIS AND TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM! @NZNUTRITIONIST
Nutrition
prep tips
Pulling the moisture out of the courgettes with salt is a key to success with these fritters. It doesn’t take long, but is the difference between a yucky mushy fritter and a nice firm, crispy one.
The vegetables used may vary. Just think about if they taste good raw. If not, cook before including them (this is why we fry the onions).
cooking tips
There’s really only one trick to know. Let the bottom cook before trying to flatten the fritters. It sounds obvious, but .. not me trying to flatten out those BBQ fritters, getting my spatula all messy. Seriously, let the bottom cook, then flip and flatten. Who woulda thunk it?
serving tips
These fritters work well alongside a salad as a main meal. Like the Sunburgers, they may also function as a burger patty, or next-day snack.
THE OG FRITTER
As ever, let me know how this fritter worked out for you and if you’ve come up with any excellent variations.
x
Sara