Jamaican Fritters

If you’ve got the munchies and want a fairly quick and filling snack, these should fit the bill. They’re a variation on the Indian pakora, but the addition of the buckwheat flour seems to make them both lighter and more substantial. If you don’t have buckwheat flour, just replace it with extra chickpea flour. They’re nice and fatty so don’t eat too many or you won’t have enough room for beer.

Makes about 12-15 decent-sized fritters.

• 1/2 cup chickpea (gram) flour
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tbs soya flour (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp Rajah jerk seasoning powder (different brands may need adjustment)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1-2 pinches chili flakes
• Juice of half a lime
• 1-inch cube fresh ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 1 medium potato, grated
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 1/2 small red onion, finely sliced
• Water as needed
• Oil for deep-frying

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a bowl. Then slowly start whisking in water until you have a thick batter. Squeeze in the lime juice and mix that in too. Add the ginger and garlic to the batter and stir through. Use your hands to mix the carrot, potato, celery and onion together on the chopping board, then dump the whole lot into the batter. Mix thoroughly with a spoon until everything is completely coated.

Put the oil in a pan (I use a wok) – you want it around an inch and a half deep. Place on a medium heat and give it a few minutes to reach a decent temperature. Use a spoon and drop / scoop dollops of the batter mix into the oil. You’ll get around 3-4 at a time into a wok. Let them cook for a couple of minutes or so on one side then flip ’em over and do the same until they’re a nice tan colour all over. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and drain for a minute on kitchen paper (or newspaper if you’re a cheapskate like me). Eat hot, warm or cold, maybe with some kind of sauce or dip and definitely with a cold beer.