Following last week’s delicious yet rather indulgent caramel filled brownies, I felt like creating something green and nutritious today that can be enjoyed for breakfast or lunch. These vibrantly green fritters (or pancakes if you use little oil) combine dark leafy green (kale) and green peas with some rice flour for a deliciously savoury fritter / pancake that is super easy to make.
The recipe is dead simple, but here are a few ingredient swaps if you would like to tweak them a little:
PEAS: I actually used their diminutive sisters, called petit pois but either of them will work just fine. You could also use edamame, but I recommend grinding the second half roughly instead of leaving them whole.
CORIANDER: I am a big fan so that’s what I used, but mint is traditionally used in conjunction with peas so feel free to use it instead – you may want to go easy on it though as it’s rather potent. Any kind of basil would also work beautifully here too.
KALE: I used Cavolo Nero also known as dinosaur kale, but any variety will work the same. Whichever one you use, it is important to remove the thick middle stem first.
MISO: You could use green Thai curry paste instead, which especially combined with coriander and spring onion will work brilliantly. If you do that, adding a touch of grated ginger would also be a nice idea. Alternatively, use a combination of ground spice (like ¼ tsp cumin, ½ tsp coriander and a pinch of chilli, for example) to add flavour if you skip miso paste.
RICE FLOUR: I wanted to make these gluten-free and I like using rice flour in fritters, but it could potentially work with other flours too. Chickpea or buckwheat flour would be my second choice, but I have not tested either of them in these.
Place half of the peas and all other ingredients (apart from rice flour) in a food processor. Make sure you remove the tough middle stem from the kale.
Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the other half of the peas for some texture, rice flour and enough water to get a thick pancake like batter. Refrigerate for at least 1 hr before frying.
- 1 tbsp ground flax (or chia) seeds
- 280 g / 2 cups defrosted petit pois or green peas
- 50 g / 1¾ oz (4) kale leaves, de-cored
- large handful of coriander
- 2 small spring onions / scallions, chopped roughly
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- 1 lemon, zest + 30 ml / 2 tbsp juice
- 2 tsp shiro / white miso paste
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- a good grind of black pepper
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- approx. 70 g / ½ cup rice flour
- oil for frying
- vegan crème fraiche or cashew cream, to serve
- Mix ground flax with 45 / 3 tbsp of water and set aside to thicken while you get on with the next step.
- Place half of the peas and all the ingredients up to but excluding rice flour in a food processor. Process until uniformly minced.
- Transfer to a mixing bowl, add thickened flax egg, the other half of the peas, rice flour and about 100 ml / 7 tbsp of water.
- Place the mixture in the fridge for 60 minutes. Once chilled, the mixture should be like a very thick pancake batter. If it’s too runny add a touch more rice flour. If it’s too thick, add a touch more (1-2 tbsp) more water.
- Heat up 1.25 cm / ½” depth of oil on a medium frying pan. You could also fry them like pancakes, with just a brush of oil on a tested non-stick pan, but they obviously won’t be as crispy.
- Place heaped spoonfuls of batter on the hot oil and flatten them just a little with the back of the spoon. Fry, undisturbed, for about 3-4 minutes (on medium flame) until the first side is sealed. Gently flip and fry for another 3 minutes. Take care not to overcrowd the pan as it will cause the oil temperature to drop too much and the fritters will come out greasy.
- Place the ready fritters on a plate lined with kitchen towels to absorb the excess grease.
- Serve immediately, with a side of seasoned vegan crème fraiche or cashew cream, chopped coriander and a drizzle of chilli oil or chilli chutney, if liked.