Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini is a popular late-spring, summer vegetable, although it is available in grocery stores pretty much the whole year. It is really versatile and can be used in various ways – stir fry, soup, stew, pancakes, fritters, salad and so on. Zucchini fritters or ‘pakodas’ taste similar to gourd or ‘lauki’ pakodas. The vegetable is grated, the water is drained as much as possible and then it is fried after adding some more ingredients.

While reading about zucchini, I found out about a dish called ‘mucver’ prepared in Turkey, which uses similar ingredients of flour, eggs and shredded zucchini. They are thinner, include more herbs and resemble a pancake. I think it would be a good idea to try making it with the same batter. Just skip on the baking powder if you are making pancakes because the egg will give it enough fluffiness. Zucchini fritters can be eaten as an evening snack or for breakfast and goes well with sour cream, yoghurt, any chutney or plain tomato ketchup.

Prep Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 10 min Makes: 6

Zucchini: 1 medium sized

Salt: 1 tsp or to taste

Flour: ¼ cup

Grated parmesan cheese: ¼ cup

Black pepper powder: 1 tsp

Baking powder: ¼ tsp

Lemon Juice: 1 tsp

Egg: 1

Chopped green onion: 1 stalk

Chopped parsley: a few sprigs

Garlic powder: ¼ tsp (optional)

Olive oil (for frying)

1) Shred the zucchini and sprinkle some salt on it. Place it on paper towels or a cheese cloth for a few minutes so that the released water is soaked.

2) Mix the shredded zucchini with the rest of the ingredients.

3) Let the batter rest for 2-3 minutes. Heat the oil on medium high.

4) Scoop up one heaped tablespoon of the mixture and shallow fry it on both sides on medium to medium high heat, flipping once. 

5) Fry till the fritters are crispy and look golden brown. The whole process should take about 5-7 minutes. 

6) Place on paper towels so that any excess oil is soaked and fritters remain crispy. Serve hot with sour cream, mint chutney or ketchup.