I was in India a few months ago and happened to go for lunch with some dear friends. One of them ordered some fritters. Melt in mouth, delicious, spicy fritters. To me they tasted like potato but I was shocked when i was told that they were yoghurt fritters! Huh? Yoghurt?
Now growing up I was a bit of a sickly kid and all meals were altered and made extremely bland for me. My mother being genius made even those taste like heaven to me. It was not until I was in my late twenties that I even dared going to a restaurant. So, food was for me is a new adventure.
There is so much for me to discover. So much. All my time spent in India, and I have barely scratched the surface.
Oh, also my mind doesn’t follow the usual logic. What I’m saying is that I am completely illogical. So, I’m quizzically looking at my friends, and thinking, yoghurt???
Ever since then I’ve wanted to make them. These yoghurt fritters are unbelievable in their flavor and texture and are made with hung yoghurt, which is extremely simple to do. Accompanied by tamarind chutney, that I am proud to say, tastes much like my moms.
For this recipe, you might have to make a trip to the Indian store in your neighborhood, but that’s never a bad thing!
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- For the Chutney
- 100 grams tamarind
- 35 grams jaggery
- 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
- ½ black salt
- 1 tsp dried ginger powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1¼ cups of water
- For the Hung Yoghurt (to be done a day ahead)
- 500 grams greek yoghurt
- muslin cloth
- For the Fritters (yields 6)
- 1 cup hung yoghurt
- ½ cupΒ paneer (recipe here)
- 3 green chilies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ cup mint, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- pinch of sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp gram flour
- 2 tsp corn flour
- oil for deep frying
- For the chutney, in a pan, add the water and tamarind and bring to a boil. Lower heat and stir so both ingredients are well combined. Around 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve and put back in the pan and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring back to the flame and cook on low heat for around 10 minutes or until the jaggery (a kind of sugar) has completely melted. Let the chutney be a little thin as it will thicken on cooling. You can add a tablespoon of water at a time if not thin enough. Set aside to cool.
- For the hung yoghurt, place a muslin cloth on a deep dish or food container. The idea is to hang the yoghurt so most of its fluids drain out. Pour the greek yoghurt into the muslin cloth. Cover container and place in refrigerator overnight. Yields 1 cup hung yoghurt consistency.
- For the fritters, in a bowl, combine the yoghurt, paneer, chilies, garlic, cilantro, mint, fennel seeds, sugar and salt.
- Heat the ghee/oil in a pan and add the gram and corn flour. Next, add the yoghurt mixture. Cook on low heat till the mixture thickens a little and leaves the sides of the pan. Around 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Divide the mixture into 6 portions and shape into round flat discs.
- Heat the oil in a wok.The oil needs to be hot when you drop in your fritters. Fry each fritter each side around 2 minutes or till they are nice and brown.
- Drain on a kitchen cloth and serve hot with the tamarind chutney, some-tomato-cucumber-onion relish, and on a plate of papadums!
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Emilie@TheCleverCarrot says
This post is STUNNING! What a gorgeous combination of colors π
I’ve never heard of yogurt fritters before and now I’m sooooo curious to try them. I love fritters of all kinds! And I’m a huge fan of tamarind so I have a feeling this one will make an appearance in my kitchen soon. Lovely.
Just curious- Is that a board you are photographing on? It’s so pretty π
boxofspice says
Hey Emilie! Thank you so much. You must must try these fritters if you love fritters. They are amazing! And the tamarind chutney, is like heaven.
The ‘board’ that I photographed on is actually the back of an old grandfathers clock found in France somewhere. π
theclevercarrot says
Oh, how lovely! I loved that you were able to photograph on the back of your grandfather’s clock! How cool is that? It looks awesome π
Sandra @ Kitchen Apparel says
These sound amazing and I would love to make them!!! I’ll admit though that I need to look up what jaggery was. I’m not sure where I would be able to find some? Do you know if there is a substitution I could use?
boxofspice says
Hi Sandra, Thank you for stopping by!
You will not be sorry if you try these. π
As for the jaggery, you could get it at an Indian store without any problem. If you don’t want to do that you can replace it with one cup dark brown sugar + 2 tsps molasses or palm sugar. Hope this helps…
Sandra @ Kitchen Apparel says
Ok that is perfect!!! Thanks so much. I don’t have any Indian stores around me, but my husband has many Indian colleagues and they might be able to point him in the direction of where to get it in NY city. But either way I should be good to go now! I have been wanting to make my own paneer and this recipe gives me a perfect way to use it π
janinel22 says
The photos are gorgeous and these fritters look delicious! Perfect for summer – definitely giving them a try!
boxofspice says
Thanks Janine! They are indeed very refreshing. Let me know how they come out! π
Maria Vella says
Reblogged this on Food from Home blog! and commented:
They look delicious and a great picture
boxofspice says
Thanks Maria!
nevine says
yummy!!!!!!
boxofspice says
Pretty yummy dear Nevine. <3
Nik@ABrownTable says
These look so gorgeous and delicious!
boxofspice says
Hey Nik, thanks for stopping by! I loved your saffron rose petals ice cream! π
Emma Galloway says
These look and sound amazing! Yum.
boxofspice says
Thank you for stopping by Emma. They are pretty yum! π
Hemal says
Awesome photographs. Never seen such beautiful presentation of Indian food. I live in India and fritters are a favorite snack when it rains heavily! But no one ever waits to present it so well on a platter. We just dive into them.
boxofspice says
Thanks Hemal! I love making my food look pretty so thank you for the huge compliment! π