- 8
Ingredients
- 8 SERVINGS
- 1 cup yellow or green split peas, washed and picked over
- Peanut or other oil as needed
- 1 jalapeño or other hot fresh or dried chili, stemmed, seeded and minced, or to taste
- 1 half-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro (some stems are O.K.)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons flour, if necessary
- Lime wedges.
Preparation
Step 1
For at least 3 hours, soak the split peas in water to cover. Drain but leave them wet.
Place oil, to a depth of at least 3 inches, in a wok or large, deep saucepan. Turn heat to medium-high. Let it heat while you prepare fritters; it should reach a temperature of 365 to 375 degrees.
Place the drained peas in the container of a food processor with chili, ginger, garlic, onion, cilantro, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, salt and pepper.
Process until mixture is a coarse purée — not perfectly smooth, but with no whole peas remaining. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if necessary to help the machine with its work. The mixture should be fairly loose; add a little water if it is quite thick, or a tablespoon or two of flour if it is soupy.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Drop the mixture by the heaping tablespoon into the oil; do not crowd. Cook until lightly browned and crisp, turning if necessary; total cooking time will be about 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain on paper towels.
Serve hot or at room temperature, with lime wedges.