Ingredients
for the mint-garlic yogurt sauce
- 1 cup plain or Greek vegan yogurt (I used Kite Hill)
- juice from half a lemon
- 2 TB chopped fresh mint
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- a few pinches of salt
for a spicy sauce option
- 1/2 cup Sir Kensington’s Chipotle Fabanaise
- 2 TB sambal
for the fritters
- 1 cup dried red lentils, picked over and soaked for a few hours to overnight, then rinsed well
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TB olive oil
- grapeseed, vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- salt, for seasoning once fried
to serve
- pita
- 1 cup mandolined cabbage
- large tomato, halved and sliced
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup hummus
- chopped olives and/or cornichons
- handful of fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro and/or mint
- microgreens or sprouts
Instructions
to make either sauce
- Combine ingredients together, chill until ready to serve.
to make the fritters
- Grind the lentils in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the red onion, spices and olive oil. Chill for at least an hour for best results.
- Heat several inches of oil over medium to medium-high heat to 350 or 375 degrees in a small cast iron pot. The oil is ready (usually after 5 to 7 minutes) when you insert a chopstick into the oil, touching the bottom of the pot. If bubbles form around the chopstick immediately, you are ready to fry.
- Working in small batches of 4-5 fritters, form 1 tablespoon-sized fritters and carefully drop into the oil. Allow to fry a few minutes, or until golden all over. Use a skimmer to transfer the fritters to a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a cooling rack.
- Be sure to hit the piping hot fritters with a few pinches of salt.
- Repeat the process with the remaining batter.
- Serve immediately with the cool vegetables, hummus, herbs and sauce.
- Prep Time: 1 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Blended, Chilled, Deep Fried
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern