Winter has well and truly arrived – warm up with this delicious warming recipe of spiced corn fritters brought to you by food writer Libby Kimber.
Recipe extract from Lara Lee’s Coconut & Sambal, Bloomsbury, available now.
Makes 15 large fritters
- 4 corn-on-the-cob or 350g canned or frozen sweetcorn kernels
- 1 Tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for deep-frying
- 6cm piece of ginger (about 30g), peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 long red chillies, thinly sliced
- 2 small banana shallots or 4 Thai shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 large spring onions, thinly sliced
- 5 kaffir lime leaves (optional), stems removed, very thinly sliced
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 pinches of sea salt
- Large pinch of black pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 6 Tbsp cornflour
- Tomato sambal
- Fresh tomato and basil dabu-dabu or sriracha chilli sauce, to serve (optional)
If using fresh corn, remove the outer husk and threads, then carefully slice down the outside of the cob with a knife, as close to the core as possible, to remove the kernels. Set them aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, chillies and shallots and fry, stirring, for 10 minutes. Blend to a medium-fine paste in a small food processor with the spring onions and kaffir lime leaves, if using. Mix the spice paste with the corn kernels in a bowl and add the coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and eggs. Stir well to combine, then add the cornflour.
Fill a deep saucepan one-third full with oil. Heat the oil to 180°C. (If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, check the oil is at temperature by adding a cube of bread; it should turn golden in
15 seconds.) Carefully drop a dessert spoonful of the batter into the hot oil – it should settle into a roughly circular shape. Repeat to make 6-8 fritters, without overcrowding the pan. Fry until golden
all over, about 4 minutes. Test one to ensure it is cooked through.
Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat to use up all the mixture, topping up the oil if needed. Serve immediately, with sambal or chilli sauce to dip, if using.
Variation: Pan-fried corn fritters
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until the oil shimmers. Add spoonfuls of the corn mixture to the oil, flattening them lightly. Turn over after 2-3 minutes – they should be golden all over. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes – test one to ensure it is cooked through. Drain any excess oil on paper towels and serve.
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