Crispy Tabbouleh Fritters with Garlic Yogurt
All the flavours of tabbouleh in golden, crisp-edged bulgur, herb and feta fritters, served on cool garlic yogurt with a sumac tomato salsa.
Method
Put the bulgur in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water to cover by 1 cm, cover and leave for 20 minutes. Tip into a sieve and press hard with a spoon to squeeze out as much water as you can. Dry bulgur is the key to fritters that hold together.
Add in this stepFine bulgur 80 g
Wash the parsley and mint, dry them completely, pick off the thick stems and chop finely. Thinly slice the spring onions. This takes about .
Add in this stepFlat-leaf parsley (leaves only) 40 gMint leaves 8 gSpring onions 1
In a bowl combine the bulgur, herbs, spring onions, crumbled feta, beaten egg, flour, cumin, allspice and salt. Squeeze and mix with your hand until a handful holds together when pressed. Cover and chill for to firm up.
Add in this stepFeta cheese 50 gEggs 1Plain flour 2 tbspGround cumin ½ tspGround allspice 1 pinchSalt ¼ tsp
Meanwhile make the sauce: grate the garlic into the yogurt and stir in the lemon juice and the salt for the sauce. Cut the tomatoes into 5 mm dice and toss them with the sumac and olive oil.
Add in this stepGreek yogurt 100 gGarlic (cloves) ½Lemon juice 2 tspSalt (for the yogurt sauce) 1 pinchTomatoes (firm) 1Sumac 1 pinchExtra virgin olive oil 1 tsp
With damp hands, shape the mixture into 8 patties about 5 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick, pressing firmly so the edges have no cracks.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a 26 cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Fry the fritters with space between them in 1 batch(es), about 3 minutes per side, in total. Turn them only once, when the underside is deep golden and releases easily. Drain on kitchen paper, and add a little more oil before a second batch.
Add in this stepVegetable oil (for frying) 3 tbsp
medium heatSpread the garlic yogurt over plates, arrange the hot fritters on top and spoon over the tomato salsa.
Cook's tip
If the mixture is too wet to shape, add 1 more tbsp flour; if it is crumbly, add a splash of water. Feta is salty, so taste a little of the mixture before adding all the salt. The fritters are also excellent stuffed into a pita for lunch.
Cooking it at camp
Shape the patties at home and carry them in a container in the cooler, layered with baking paper. Fry them in a frying pan on the burner over medium heat, or in a cast-iron pan on the grill. Keep the yogurt sauce cold.