Zucchini and Kale Fritters with Simple Salad
Serves: 2
Time: 40 mins
Fritters come in many shapes and styles and I like a great many of them. Baked, fried or even deep fried; the results are all very different but the most important thing is that no matter what the method they have to be perfectly cooked because the last thing you want is to bite into a gooey centre.
Tonight's fritters are thin and crispy.
Leftovers
These are perfect to have as a cold lunch or simply save some of the mix and fry them up fresh for lunch the next day.
What you'll need
3 large zucchini
1/2 bunch of kale
1 bunch of coriander
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup of besan flour
1 bunch of watercress
1/4 bunch of dill
juice of 1 lemon
1 avocado
From the Pantry
1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds
olive oil
salt and pepper
Optional Lunch Xtra’s
1 avocado
1 fennel
Feeding Four
To make this a dinner for four, I have added an xtra avocado and another bunch of watercress to your shopping list plus 1 more zucchini and another egg. You'll want to use the whole packet of mung beans and add anothe 2 tablespoons of besan flour to the mix plus anothe 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, both of which you should already have.
Prep and Cook
Make Fritters
Julienne peeler
Juilienne is the French term for fine thin strips. I find these peelers excellent for saving time when you want something to look pretty.
Chop your kale up nice and fine and put 1/2 into a mixing bowl for the fritters and the other half into a mixing bowl for the salad.
Grate your zucchini (or if you have one, I like to use a julienne peeler because it looks cool).
Wash and roughly chop the whole bunch of coriander stalks and all, and add your eggs, besan flour and salt and pepper.
Use your hands to massage all the ingredients together. This is a relatively dry mix compared to most fritter mixes because we are going for a crispy fritter.
Cook Fritters
Use a really good non stick frypan and generously coat the base of it with olive oil.
Turn the heat onto a medium to high temperature. (Cooking at this temperature requires a little patience at the beginning, as it takes longer for your pan to warm up, but it is a gentler heat and produces a much nicer fritter than if you were to have your element on full).
Keep the fritters relatively thin. I like to use my hands to put them into the pan, that way it’s easy to stretch them out. Grab a handful of the mix (a lady sized handful) and carefully drop into your pan, stretching out so they are relatively flat. Don’t be afraid to have holes.
Cook each side till crispy and golden, approx 2 minutes aside.
When cooked remove and place on a paper towel.
Keep repeating these stages until your mix is finished, adding more olive oil when required.
While your batches of fritters are cooking you can be working on your salad.
Make Salad
Pick the leaves off your watercress and plunge them into a bowl of cold water. Wash thoroughly and drain, shaking off as much of the water as possible.
Slice avocado up into wedges. (this is easier for eating, but if you like the visuals better then just cut the avocado in half to serve on the side).
Pick small tips of dill.
Add all these ingredients to the shredded kale along with a couple of large handfuls of mung beans.
Leftover Mung Beans
You won't need the whole packet, but leftover mung beans make for a great little snack, pop into a small container like you would some nuts.
Plate it Pretty
This is a very simple dinner to plate; squeeze lemon juice over your salad and sprinkle with some sea salt flakes and fresh cracked pepper and toss all together.
Stack the fritters to the right side of your plate and serve your fritters with a hand bundle of salad, just slightly overlapping the fritters.
if you went with a whole half avocado place it at the front leaning against your fritter stack. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Lunch tomorrow
Lunch tomorrow is the leftover fritters which I find are a great traveller, but if you prefer and are able then why not save some of the mix and fry up fresh for lunch. You shouldn’t have much leftover salad but I have added some fennel to your list and extra avocado. Today I have also added a few leftover odds and ends that were in my fridge a great way to use up loose herbs.