I can’t think of even one person on the planet who doesn’t like fritters. Nope, not one. And just so as we’re clear here, a fritter is a portion of any meat, seafood, fruit or vegetable that has been battered or breaded and deep-fried. Technically, it could also be just a portion of dough without anything else in it, but there are diverse thoughts on this. Fritters could be sweet or savory. And almost all countries in the world have their own recipes for fritters.
But where did fritters come from?
By now, our faithful followers know that I enjoy researching the history of the dishes I love, and so I checked for information on fritters. Well, fritter-type foods can be traced to the Romans, with a dish called scriblita – dough deep-fried in hot fat. In fact, the word ‘fritter’ is derived from the Latin word “frictura” meaning “a fry.” The Romans introduced scriblita to Europe during their conquests. A very similar dish known as cryspes or cryspels was popular in medieval England, though this fritter had a glaze of warm honey. Fried doughs, in their various forms, have been around in ancient Egypt, China, the Middle East and Europe since the Middle Ages. In China, the youtiao – a cruller – originated in the Song Dynasty during the 10th century, and recipes for awameh – sweet dumplings – are found in Middle Eastern recipe books from the 13th century. So, clearly, the fritter was so well-loved even then, that it flourished and thrived through the ages, making its way around the world with the colonisation of new territories.
Today, there are fritters everywhere you go! Indonesians fritters called gorengan, the most popular of which is the banana variety or pisand goring. They also the breadfruit and sweet potato varieties. The Japanese tempura is a fritter, and so is the Italian Fritto Misto. In Brunei, fritters, known as cucur are eaten as snacks and is popular street food, and in Korean cuisine, the fritters are called twigim and they could be vegetarian or non- vegetarian. The Greeks have loukoumades, the French have their famous beignets and the US has its corn fritters, apple fritters, crab cakes and clam cakes. And it goes on and on…
Closer to home, pakoras fall straight into this category, as do bondas, vadas, kachoris, gujjias, jalebis, thekus, malpua, khaja etc. The desi list goes on and on. In India, we take all things food to a whole different level!
Growing up in a typical Anglo-Indian home, my Dad and Mum indulged us with all kinds of hot crunchy fritters, both sweet and savory. We had them for tea, along with meals or as dessert. Even seeing fritters takes me back to the sights and aromas of our family table every single time.
I have included four of my personal favorite fritter recipes here, but first some simple guidelines for making fritters:
- The taste of the fruit or other filling should be the dominant flavour of the fritter, rather than the taste of the batter.
- Fritters are deep fried so they need to be thoroughly drained before serving.
- If the food inside is uncooked, the oil may have been too hot or the coating too thick.
- If the coating is too thin or uneven, the food may be overcooked or the batter will break off the fritter.
- Rest the batter for a while before frying. I usually keep it unrefrigerated for 15-20 minutes.
And Now For The Recipes of fritters
1. SPICY PRAWN FRITTERS
300g fresh prawns, cleaned and deveined.
1 small onion minced
2 green chilies minced
¼ tsp of turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
5 tbsp of refined flour
1 tsp of cornflour
½ cup water
Oil for deep frying
Parboil the prawns with turmeric and salt. Drain and roughly chop. Mix it in a bowl with the onion and green chili. Make a smooth batter with flour, salt, pepper, and water. Make sure the consistency is right. Add the prawn mixture, and mix well. Heat oil. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry till golden brown and crisp. Drain and serve hot with tomato sauce.
2. EGG FRITTERS
4 eggs, hard-boiled and cut into halves
1 cup gram flour or besan
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ cups of water
Oil for frying
Make a smooth batter of the gram flour, water, lemon juice, salt, baking soda, coriander leaves, onions, and green chilies. Add a little bit more water if needed to get the consistency right. Heat oil, it should be very hot. Put each egg half into a spoon, dip it into the batter, coat it well and drop it into the hot oil. Fry till golden crisp and golden brown. Drain and serve hot with green coriander chutney.
3. APPLE-BANANA-COCONUT FRITTERS
½ and apple, skinned and chopped into bits
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup freshly grated coconut
100g refined flour
100g rice flour
100g jaggery powder
2 eggs beaten
½ tsp salt
Water to mix
Oil to deep fry
Mix all the ingredients except for the apple to form a thick smooth batter. Add the apple bits. Mix well. Heat the oil till it is very hot. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. Fry till golden brown and crisp. Serve hot at tea time!
4. RICOTTA CHEESE AND CHOCOLATE FRITTERS FRITTERS
250g ricotta cheese
150g flour
100g sugar
2 eggs
Grated peel of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g chocolate chips
Oil for frying
Powdered sugar for dusting
Combine the ricotta cheese, flour, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, grated lemon peel, a pinch of salt, baking powder, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and uniform inconsistency. Add the chocolate chips. Heat oil till very hot. Drop-in spoonfuls of the mixture. Fry till they are puffy and golden brown. Drain. Serve hot sprinkled with powdered sugar. This makes a great dessert as well.
Fritters are really easy to make, and there’s plenty of scope for experimenting, so use your imagination and create new recipes every time! You can literally have fritters for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner! As starters, main courses, accompaniments, and desserts.
Now don’t fritter away your time, get right to it! And always, always have fun folks!
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A homeschooled chef even before she joined Catering College in Bombay, Christine’s gastronomic journey started with mother and grandmother. Polished with a degree and 10 years of experience in the Hospitality industry, Christine’s love of food, drink and everything gastronomic has been sharpened and honed with travel across the world. Today, she shares the wealth of her foodie experience and adventures across the world with Travel and Food Network, so look forward to much more from Chrsitine!
