Wednesday 18 March 2015

Smoky Sweet Potato and Chickpea Fritters + Tahini Yoghurt.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

I love sweet potatoes. And, I never thought I would say that.

Like ever.
I've only discovered sweet potatoes in the past few years. And, to be honest, I found them too sweet. Shocking, right. You would think the name would give it away. Anyhoo, previously I've tried them in browniesto replace potatoes in a spicy salad  and as roasted fries. Oh, and once I was inspired by my cousin to dip them in a spicy gram flour batter and give them a fry - so good!

This time though? It's fritters. Because who doesn't love a fritter? Simple enough on their own with tahini yoghurt but substantial enough to be put inside a burger - which we have done in the past.

What with the veggie  pakora obsession in our house, which I'm not 100% keen on - (samosas all the way), this fritter with sweet potato and chickpeas was a welcome change. Packed to the rafters with ground coriander, dried oregano and my favourite, smoky paprika, these little beauties made even the sweet potato taste savoury (yay).

Completely vegetarian, super quick (on the table in 30 minutes) and crispy - the perfect weeknight meal for the everyday heroine.

Sweet Potatoes, previously: Roasted Fries
Chickpeas, previously: Spicy Chickpea SaladButternut Squash and Chickpea CurrySamosa Plate

A Simple List of Ingredients:
1. Tinned Chickpeas
2. Eggs
3. Hot Smoked Paprika
4. Ground Coriander
5. Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
6. Salt
7. Dried Oregano
8. Sweet Potatoes
9. Plain Flour
10. Rapeseed Oil
11. Plain Yoghurt
12. Tahini
13. Lemon Juice
14. Salt and Pepper
15. Garlic

Bismillah, let's begin!

First, to make the tahini yoghurt. It's so easy and is just a case of mixing everything together so grab a bowl and let's go!

Into your bowl, place 250ml Plain Yoghurt.

Next, tahini. My Dad loves this at breakfast spread on to toast but I think it goes equally well in a yoghurt dip. 

And, what is it? It's a paste made from ground, hulled sesame seeds and will give the yoghurt a nutty edge. And, we all need a nutty edge from time to time, don't we?

To the bowl, add 2 tablespoons Tahini.

Next, take 1/2 Lemon.

And, squeeze out the juice. Can we take a moment to see how many pips came out of this half lemon? ELEVEN!! What?!

Add it to the bowl through a small sieve to catch those 11 pips.

Next, season with Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Finally, take 1 Garlic Clove, peeled.

Finely grate it.

And, throw it in!

Give everything a good stir.

Then taste! Adjust the seasoning, if needed. There is nothing worse than under-seasoned yoghurt, in my opinion.

Finally, grab a little Ground Cumin to sprinkle over.

This isn't really necessary but we love ground cumin round here and I couldn't resist. 

Set the yoghurt aside whilst we make the fritters.

Gather together all the ingredients and let's go!


First, a tin of Chickpeas (400 grams).


Drain them, rinse them and pop into a mixing bowl.


Next, 2 large Eggs.

Give them a crack.


And, add them in.


Next, the seasonings.


Take:
1 and 1/2 teaspoon Hot Smoked Paprika
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano


Give the spices a mix.


And, throw them in.


Then, it's time for the sweet potatoes. Take 3 medium Sweet Potatoes and peel them.


Once peeled, grate them using a box grater or even the grater attachment on a food processor.


Once grated ...


.. add them into the bowl.


Then realise that your bowl isn't big enough and so switch to another bigger bowl.


Finally, add 8 tablespoons Plain Flour or enough to bind the mixture together. 
Gluten free? How about you use gram flour instead of the plain?


Using gloves, mix everything together. Break a few of the chickpeas up as you go and leave a few whole.


Until you get a mixture that looks like this!


And, it's time to fry! I used rapeseed oil but vegetable oil will do too. 
PS. "Oil be there for dinner" made my day - I'm easily be pleased!


Heat up a few tablespoons Rapeseed Oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.


Take your mixture over to the cooker along with a spatula to flip, and a plate lined with paper towels.


Form the mixture into patties and drop them into the hot oil.


Fry until cooked through and golden - about 5 minutes or so.


Once cooked, drain the fritters on paper towels.


Btw, you can make the fritters a bit bigger, if you want, like we did last time.


Serve the fritters straight away - they're best hot and crispy!


Oooh, and don't forget the tahini yoghurt - you'll need it for dipping!



Be careful though - these fritters disappear pretty fast!




For a more substantial meal last time, we made the fritters slightly bigger.


And, popped them and the tahini yoghurt into a burger bun - yum!


This time? We kept it simpler.

Full Written Recipe:


Smoky Sweet Potato and Chickpea Fritters + Tahini Yoghurt

Prep Time: About 20 minutes
Cook Time: About 10 minutes
Serves: Made about 10 Fritters

Ingredients

For the Tahini Yoghurt
250ml Plain Yoghurt
2 tablespoons Tahini
Juice of ½ Lemon
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely grated
Ground Cumin, to garnish

For the Smoky Sweet Potato and Chickpea Fritters
1 tin (400 grams) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 large Eggs
1 and ½ teaspoons Hot Smoked Paprika
1 and ½ teaspoons Ground Coriander
½ teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
3 medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and grated
8 tablespoons Plain Flour (or enough to bind mixture together)
Rapeseed Oil, to fry

Method

For the tahini yoghurt, simply mix everything together in a bowl.

For the fritters, place all the ingredients into a large bowl, and  mix together, preferably with your hands. Whilst mixing, mash a few of the chickpeas and keep a few whole.

Heat up a few tablespoons of the rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Form the mixture into patties and fry in batches, until golden and crispy on both sides.

Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with the yoghurt. Enjoy!

(Adapted from The Sugar Hit)

This Time One Year Ago:


Easy and Traditional Pakistani Chicken Biryani

This Time Two Years Ago:


Golden Sultana and Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Keep me in your duas, please,

Wasalaam!


Spice Enthusiast
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