A few weeks ago, we were called to come and host a cooking demonstration at The Food Factory at Pic’s Peanut Butter Factory for the Funeral Directors’ Association of NZ. I don’t think I’ve been in a room with so many people with such a dark sense of humour – ever!
I thought it would be in keeping with the theme to demonstrate these crispy Sago & peanut savoury fritters that are traditionally cooked during “Shraddh”, a Hindu ritual performed over a fortnight to honour the deceased. And to add a contemporary twist to it, we served it with the trending Smashed Cucumber salad!
Sago pearls 1 cup
(Soaked in water for at least 4 hours. You could leave them overnight.)
Mashed Potatoes 1 cup (about 4 medium sized Agria spuds)
Crushed Peanuts 4 tbsps
Finely Chopped Onions 1 small
Chopped Coriander small handful
Chopped Green Chilli – optional
Anything Mix Spice Blend 2 tbsps
Neutral Oil – for deep frying
Drain the sago well in a sieve. Use a wide bowl and press down in the sieve to get rid of as much water as possible. (If you leave it too wet, your fritter mix will disintegrate while frying.)
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
Heat a pan with at least 4 inches worth of oil till hot.
While the oil is heating, form the spiced sago / potato mix into patties.
When the oil is hot enough*, carefully put in about 4 patties at a time to fry. Turn over after 3 minutes or so and cook the other side.
Fry till the fritters are a nice, crispy golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon, hold against the side of the pan to drain as much oil as possible and then sit on some paper towels to absorb any excess oil that might remain.
Serve with the Smashed Cucumber Salad and Pickled Onions, or just with some of our incredible Hot Stuff Curry Oil and a swirl of plain yoghurt.
*To check if the oil has come to temperature, put a tiny bit of the mixture into the pan. If it sinks to the bottom and then floats up within about 3 seconds, the oil is ready to use. If it’s smoking, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Oil that is too hot will burn the outside and not cook the food through. If the oil isn’t hot enough, your food will absorb too much oil and leave a nasty coating inside your mouth.