Perfect homemade vegetable fritters

בס"ד

 

 

Many years ago we used to buy fabulous vegetable fritters from catering in our area. They were rich in oil but still delicious.
We bought less and less outside with time, and the memory of those patties keeps popping up. 

Some may refer to these fritters as Aruk - an Iraki herb and potato pattie. Others may just call it a vegetable patty, and some will just enjoy its taste without looking for the specific definition of this goodness.

So I decided to create a homemade version of this delicious vegetable patty, and of course, I didn't succeed in recreating the same flavor. Still, the outcome is absolutely perfect and delicious.

 

 

I made this recipe using Meshek Ahia's "first harvest" olive oil, which I told you about in this post (you can use the translation on that page to see in your language).
The fritters cake juicy and wonderful, and they are so easy-to-make and so good. I didn't bake these vegetable patties but fried them. However, I believe you can bake them if you want.

I made these patties with plenty of greenery: mangold and parsley. So you get a healthy green patty with root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onion.

 

A few things before we get started:

*I got about 22 moist large patties.

*You don't like mangold or parsley? No problem. You can replace it with coriander, reduce the leaves' quantities, or even omit and replace it with more root vegetables or even spring onion.

*To make life easier, I grate the veggies in a food processor. There is no need for a particular part. Just place a few of the veggies cut in half inside the machine and pulse. Process just until it is grated, and not too much so you won't get mushy vegetables. Now transfer to a bowl and continue with the rest of the vegetables.

*No need to drain the vegetables of water.

*After mixing the mixture, form patties and start frying. While you fry the patties, the mixture that sits aside starts to separate from the eggs and liquids, and it might seem like you need to add more flour. So before forming another batch of patties, mix thoroughly and only then form the patties. You'll see it is more comfortable to form the patties, and no extra flour is needed.

*Fry on medium-low heat, so the patties will cook all the way through and not remain raw on the inside.

*I haven't tried making these patties gluten free or vegan. I don't think there is a problem replacing the flour with gluten-free flour or even cornstarch. In terms of making this patty a vegan one, I saw Oz Telem recommending to replace the egg with chickpea flour and water if needed, so it's worth the shot.

*I clean the pan and change the cooking oil after two batches. Clean it carefully since the pan will be extra hot.

*I used my herb scissors to cut the parsley and mangold. Of course, you can use a knife, but if you do use those scissors, then be extra cautious.

 

 

Vegetable Aruk-style fritters/recipe: Con Delight
I measured using universal cups and spoons
Ingredients for 22 patties:
4 medium-large white potatoes (you can use the red kind as well)
4 medium-large carrots
1 large onion
1 bundle of parsley, washed, pat-dry, and chopped (use only leaves)
1 bundle of mangold, washed, pat-dry, and chopped (use only leaves)
1/2 cup white flour, sifted
3 L eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
A bit of black pepper

Olive oil, for frying

Preparation:
1. Peel the potatoes, carrots, and onion, rinse and pat dry using a paper towel.

2. Cut the veggies into halves and grate using a grater or make things easier, use a food processor without any special part. Place a few of the vegetables inside the food processor with the blade and process only until it is grated. Don't over-process; otherwise, you will get mushy vegetables. Place in the bowl and continue with the rest of the vegetables—no need to squeeze the vegetables of water.

3.Add in the rest of the ingredients to the grated veggies bowl: parsley, mangold, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, and mix well.

4. Warm oil in a pan, so the oil covers the bottom of the pan.

5. Form a test patty to check flavors. Fry on medium-low heat on both sides. Once the bottom side goldens, flip to the other side until ready.

6. Wait for the patty to cool a bit and taste. If you're missing salt or pepper, add to your liking and mix. If you don't need to fix the seasoning, mix the mixture anyway. Before every batch, it is essential to do so since the eggs and liquids separate from the mixture. Remixing will ensure an easy patty formation.

7.Finish frying the patties. To save time, use two pans. Serve and enjoy!