Gram flour, besan, chick pea flour. A popular product has many names. It’s a great product with a high protein content. Gram flour mixed with water can be used as an egg replacement, and its used from India to Italy to make pastries and batter-based foods. This recipe for fritters is endlessly versatile, filling and tasty.

Serve them with a side salad for dinner, or lunch. The fritters are great with salsa, or hot sauce (everything is good with hot sauce).

Serves: 2-3. Prep: 5 minutes. Cooking time: 2-3 minutes per side, per fritter.
Stores: For a couple of days in the fridge.

Tools

• Measuring bowl or 250 (cup) measure. Or teacup.
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Chopping board
• Sharp knife
• Tin opener (if using tins)
• Frying pan, or two
• Spatula
• Oven-proof bowl (optional)

Ingredients

• 250 ml gram flour
• 250 ml water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons curry powder (Garam Masala, for example)
• 500 ml sweetcorn (frozen, or two large drained tins)
• 0.5 chilli
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

Method

Fritter size: The size of the fritters depends on the implement you use to spoon the batter into the frying pan. You can use a spoon to make them small, or a measuring cup to make them a little larger. Small, they’re great for picnics or buffets – they make good finger food and can be dipped into salsa or hot sauce. Larger, they’re perfect for dinner.

1. In a bowl, whisk together the gram flour, water and oil. Leave while you chop the onions. If you can, let stand for half an hour before using.
2. Turn the oven on (100C, low heat) if you want to keep the fritters warm while cooking them.
3. Heat the oil.
4. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft.
5. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the onion mix to the gram flour batter.
7. Finely chop the chilli and add it and the sweetcorn to the gram flour batter.
8. Mix.
9. Heat the frying pan(s) with a little of the extra oil.
10. When hot (you can check whether it is by dropping a little of the batter into the oil. When it starts sizzling, the batter is hot), spoon in batter.
11. When the batter is cooked about half way, and the top is beginning to set (2-3 minutes), flip the fritter over. Cook for another couple of minutes.
12. Move to the over-proof dish and put in the oven while you cook the next fritter.
13. Continue until you run out of batter.

Variations

• Spinach: Leave out the sweetcorn and replace with a well-squeezed tin or spinach.
• Sweetcorn and spinach: Or add spinach – 5-6 cubes of frozen, or half a tin – to the batter.
• What sweetcorn? Leave out the sweetcorn and replace with 2 cups (half a litre) of grated or finely chopped vegetables: carrots, courgettes, carrot and courgette, grated beetroot, peppers, even fried onions, make great fritter ingredients.
• Pancakes! Add another 100 ml water to the batter to thin it out a bit and make a rainbow of vegetable pancakes.