Fritters bring back sweet childhood memories, like the first time I had pampoenkoekies.
One of my aunt’s loved trying out new recipes, and on this particular day she got a pumpkin fritter recipe from a friend and I was only too happy to be her taste tester.
At first, I couldn’t wrap my seven or eight-year-old mind around the thought of a “pumpkin cake” (which was how I translated it in my head).
In fact, it didn’t sound very lekker to me, but I was still willing to try it.
I watched my aunt mix the ingredients into a batter and once she had the right consistency, she slowly poured it into the hot pan and fried it on both sides for a few minutes.
Once done, we were left with a plat cookie with a soft crispy edge and a moist, cake-like texture inside.
A sprinkle of sugar and a light dusting of fine cinnamon later, and I was ready to dig in.
To my surprise, the “pumpkin cake” was nogal lekker.
It became a new favourite in our home especially when we were running short of TV snacks and you lus for something lekker.
Whether you have it for breakfast or just a snack between meals, fritters are enjoyed by many, and there are so many different flavour combinations.
In Japan, fritters are known as tempura which is vegetable or seafood dipped and fried in a light crispy batter and served as a common accompaniment to meals.
In India, it’s known as a pakora, and in the Philippines, egg fritters are called tokneneng (chicken or duck) or kwek-kwek (quail).
Potato fritters are popular in the United Kingdom and are usually enjoyed with a fish and chips dite.
And of course, right here in Mzansi the pampoenkoekie is a firm favourite.
Here are some lekker fritter recipes for you to feast on this week.
Recipes:
Pumpkin fritters with caramel sauce
Angela Day
Makes 18-20
Ingredients
Fritters
750ml cooked mashed pumpkin
2 eggs, beaten
250ml flour
pinch of salt
5ml baking powder
45ml sugar
oil for frying
Caramel sauce
250ml cream
125ml brown sugar
80g butter
Method
Combine the pumpkin, eggs, flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a bowl to form a thick batter. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry spoonfuls of batter until golden brown on both sides.
Drain on paper towel. Arrange the fritters in a serving dish and pour the caramel sauce over them before serving.
Sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
* The fritters can be sprinkled with cinnamon sugar instead of the caramel sauce if desired.
Corn and chicken fritters
Angela Day
Makes 10-12
Ingredients
- 375ml self-raising flour
- 250ml milk
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 400g can of sweet corn, drained
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1-2 red chillies, seeded and chopped
- 60ml chopped coriander
- salt and pepper
- oil for frying
- Sift the flour into a bowl.
Method
Combine the milk and eggs and add to the flour to form a batter.
Add the sweet corn, chicken, chillies, coriander and some seasoning and mix to combine.
Set aside for 30 minutes before cooking.
Heat a little oil in the base of a non-stick frying pan and drop spoonfuls of batter into the pan.
Cook until the fritters are golden brown in colour and then turn over and cook on the other side.
Remove when cooked and drain on a paper towel.
Serve warm or cold.
Breakfast Fritters
Recipe by Angela Day
Makes about 15
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and grated
- 1 small onion, peeled and grated
- 125ml flour
- 5ml baking powder
- Salt and pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 250g bacon bits, fried and drained on paper towel
- 250ml grated cheddar cheese
- 60ml chopped parsley
- Oil for frying
- Poached eggs to serve
Method
Combine the potato and onion in a bowl.
Mix through the flour, baking powder and seasoning.
Add the eggs and mix well.
Fold through the bacon, cheese and parsley.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan.
Fry over a medium heat until golden brown, then turn over and cook until golden on the other side.
Drain on a paper towel.
Serve topped with a poached egg.
Banana Fritters
- Fatima Sydow
Ingredients
4 ripe Bananas
3 Tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
A pinch of Salt
1 cup of cake flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 egg
A little oil for very shallow frying.
2 tablespoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of fine cinnamon mixed together to make the cinnamon sugar.
Instructions
Mash bananas with sugar and vanilla essence, add the egg, pinch of salt, baking powder and flour into the banana mixture and mix till well combined. I did all this with a fork.
Allow batter to rest for 5 minutes before frying.
Fry fritters until crisp and brown on both sides in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil on medium to high heat.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and you are done.
Corn fritters
Recipe by: Jenny Kay
Ingredients:
500ml flour
15ml baking powder
5ml salt
45ml sugar
2 eggs, beaten
250ml milk
60g butter, melted
125ml chopped fresh parsley
1 tin of whole kernel corn
oil, for frying
- Sliced avo, crispy fried bacon and sweet chilli sauce (for serving)
Instructions:
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl
Whisk together the eggs and milk and stir in the flour with the melted butter, chopped parsley and corn
Stir well
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry spoonfuls of batter until golden, then flip them over and fry the other side.
Remove and serve with sliced avo, bacon and sweet chilli sauce