Vegetable Fritters with Labneh
Labneh is a strained yogurt used predominantly in the Middle East. It is similar to cream cheese and is a fun and easy thing to make at home. You can vary the flavour by mixing in fresh herbs or lemon zest once strained. It can also be used as a cream cheese replacement in baking but paired up with these delicious savoury fritters for a delicious light lunch or a super supper snack simply couldn’t be better!
Equipment
Disclaimer: the equipment list above includes affiliate links to products I use and like.
Ingredients
FOR THE FRITTERS:
- cold pressed rapeseed oil
- 2 small onions finely chopped
- 3 large carrots grated
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp whole cumin seed
- 3 eggs
- 125 g yellow pea flour we used Hodmedod’s
- 2 tsp baking powder
- sea salt and pepper
- 250 g feta
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 bunch parsley finely chopped
FOR THE LABNEH:
- 500 ml thick bio live yogurt
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
LABNEH (START THE NIGHT BEFORE)
- Put the yogurt in a bowl and stir in the salt.500 ml thick bio live yogurt, 1 tsp sea salt
- Line a sieve with a clean muslin cloth and spoon in the yogurt.
- Gather up the sides of the cloth and tie with string. Suspend the bag over a bowl overnight, ideally in the fridge, so the whey drips out.
- In the morning, turn out the thick yogurt from the muslin. This is your labneh. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
FOR THE FRITTERS
- Heat a little rapeseed oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.cold pressed rapeseed oil, 2 small onions
- Add the garlic, cumin seeds and grated carrots and cook for 5–10 minutes until the carrot has softened. Take off the heat.2 garlic cloves , 1 tsp whole cumin seed, 3 large carrots
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the yellow pea flour, baking powder and seasoning. It should look like a thick pancake batter.3 eggs, 125 g yellow pea flour, 2 tsp baking powder, sea salt and pepper
- Stir in the carrot mixture, crumbled feta, lemon juice and parsley. Mix well and season to taste.250 g feta, ½ lemon juiced, 1 bunch parsley
- Wipe out the pan and heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil over a medium-high heat (don't let it smoke). Drop in heaped tablespoons of the mixture and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden. Cook in batches, adding a little more oil as needed.
- Drain the fritters on kitchen paper. Serve warm on a sharing platter with a bowl of labneh, or on plates with a side salad.
Notes
Recipe from Soil to Gut: How to Regenerate Your Health with Food by Lucy Williamson (5m Books, £24.99). Reproduced with permission.
- Make ahead and freeze: the fritters freeze well. Cool completely, freeze between sheets of baking parchment, then reheat in a hot oven until piping hot.
- Flavour the labneh: once strained, stir in chopped fresh herbs or lemon zest, or finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Swap the flour: gram (chickpea) flour works if you can't find yellow pea flour.
- Vegetarian: check that your feta is made with vegetarian rennet.
- Sourcing: buy as locally as you can, whether from a farm shop, a veg box or British produce at the supermarket.
Nutrition
Serving: 2frittersCalories: 153kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 9gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 560mgPotassium: 264mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2745IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 217mgIron: 1mg