Bean Fritters

By amaliana

You can use this same method with any bean or lentil-falafel is made this way, with a combination of chickpeas and favas, or one alone- but you must start with dried beans. Instead of cooking them, you just soak them for a long time until tender enough to grind. Some will soften sooner then others,but they can only absorb so much water, so better too long a soak than too short. As long as you drain them thoroughly and don't add too much liquid to the batter, they'll fry up just fine.
If you're tentaive about deep-frying, flatten the fritters a bit and bake them on a well-greased sheet pan in a 400F oven until they're browned on both sides(flip them if necessary), which will take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes total, depending on their size. They'll be good but not as crisp or juicy as fritters fried in oil.

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups dried beans(any kind), lentils, or split peas, rinsed and picked over
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, or to taste
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Details

Servings 6
Cooking time 60mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 to 4 inches. Soak for 24 hours or longer for larger beans or 12 hours for lentils or split peas; add more water if necessary to keep the beans submerged.

2. Drain the beans well and transfer them to a food processor with all the remaining ingredients except the oil; pulse until pureed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add water a tabelespoon at a time if necessary to allow the machine to do its work but keep the mixture as dry as possible. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, herb,or lemon juice as needed.

3. Put at least 2 inches of oil in a large, deep saucepan. The narrower the saucepan, the less oil you need, but the bigger the pan, the more fritters you can cook at the same time. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat the oil to about 350F(a pinch of batter will sizzle immediately). Carefully drop heaping tablespoons of the bean mixture into the hot fat. Fry in batches, without crowding, until nicely browned, turning as necessary; total cooking time will be less than 5 minutes. As they finish cooking, drain them on towels. serve immediately.

Bean and Carrot Fritters:
Reduce the quantity of dried beans to 1 1/4 cups and add 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots to the food processor in Step 2

Some Ways to Vary Bean Fritters:
Add 1/2 cup nuts to the mixture before processing.
Reduce the quantity of dried beans to 1 1/4 cups and add 1/2 cups rolled oats.
Add the grated zest of a lemon, lime, or orange.
Add 1 tablespoon any seasoning blend, like chili or curry powder.
Add up to 1/2 cup any grated or crumbled cheese.
For an approximation of falafel, use chickpeas and add 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 tablespoon cumin, and 1 teaspoon cayenne.
Substitute 1 cup cooked, squeezed dry, and chopped spinach for the parsley or cilantro.
Substitute 1 small bunch scallions for the onion.
Add 1 fresh hot chile, such as jalapeno or Thai, seeded if you like.
Add a 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped.

Follow proportions for Bean-and-Carrot Fritters but use any root vegetable(parsnip, potato,turnip,sweet potato, celery root) or squash instead of the carrots.