Carrot and basil fritters

The secret to these vegetarian fritters is all in the supreme beer batter. #RecipeForLife

• makes

  8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 200 g carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1 cm-thick slices
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 2 tsp shredded basil leaves
• 2 tsp shredded coriander leaves
• rice bran oil and olive oil, for shallow frying
• lemon wedges, witlof leaves, rocket and yoghurt, to serve

Beer batter

• 100 g (⅔ cup) self-raising flour
• 200 ml light beer

Chilling time: 15 minutes

Instructions

Half fill a wok or saucepan with water and place a bamboo steamer over the water. Bring to the boil over high heat.

Whilst waiting for the water to boil, separately dry roast the cumin seeds and coriander seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Finely grind the spices in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.

Scatter the carrot slices in a single layer in the bamboo steamer. Cover and steam for 10 minutes or until quite tender. Transfer the cooked carrot to a food processor. Add the ground spices, ginger and salt and process until a coarse puree forms. Stop the food processor, scrape down the sides, then and the chickpea flour and herbs and process again until well combined. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until chilled.

Preheat the oven to 100°C and put a paper towel-lined baking tray inside to warm.

Heat the oil for shallow frying in a medium saucepan to 175°C.

Meanwhile, for the beer batter, place the flour in a bowl, pour in the beer and mix quickly with a slotted spoon to form a loose batter.

Working in small batches, using 2 dessertspoons, shape the carrot mixture into quenelles, then lightly coat in the batter. Carefully drop into the hot oil and cook for a few minutes, turning once until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on the tray in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining fritters. Serve with lemon wedges, witlof leaves, rocket and yoghurt.

  

Shane Delia's Recipe For Life airs 8pm, Thursdays on SBS and then on SBS On Demand. You can find the recipes and more features from the show here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.