Squash Fritters
In reviewing the IK’s vegetable posts, I realized: 1. there aren’t many, and 2. what few there are skew fritterwards.
We of the IK consume a varied vegetable diet. Yet here we are, about discuss squash fritters. Were that not enough, today’s variant recipe is….a red pepper fritter.
In all honesty, the cart came before the horse: I bought both the beautiful red peppers, above, and the adorably squat summer squash, below, without any ideas of how I’d prepare them.
Once home with these beauties, Eileen Yin Fei-lo’s squash pancake recipe, from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking, presented itself to me.
Squash fritter recipes abound, both online and IRL–in real life. In Heart of the Artichoke, David Tanis offers a recipe for zucchini pancakes, calling for parmesan, scallion, and just enough flour to bind all. Nigella Lawson’s Forever Summer, or Nigella Fresh-depending on your edition–gives a very similar recipe. Her zucchini fritters mix feta cheese, parsley, mint, and lots of fresh lime. Both recipes are great for big summer parties, as they’re easy to prep in advance, have enormous yields, and hold well. Most importantly, the resulting fritters are always a huge hit at large gatherings. There are never leftovers.
At this juncture–at some juncture or other, anyway–we should discuss nomenclature. Zucchini or summer squash? Pancakes or fritters? For no reason at all, we’re calling them squash fritters today. Know I mean summer squash, of the green variety, not winter’s gourds.
Juncture concluded.
Returning to our recipe, or rather, Yin-Fei Lo’s. Hers is a quieter affair than Tanis’s or Lawson’s–fewer steps, fewer ingredients, smaller yield. No food processor, no grater attachment, no cleaning of grater attachment afterward. Or of all those wayward veggie shreds that seem to migrate into the far corners of the kitchen.
The more observant amongst you have noticed the above is not squash. It is red pepper. It is also a better visual example of what the food should look like going into the batter: diced smallish.
My squash pictures did not clearly indicate this.
More about that low yield– this recipe produces just six or seven fritters, perfect for two or three people. Should you be feeding more, the recipe doubles effortlessly.
It must be said these taste better than they photograph.
Despite the Asian flavor profile–soy sauce, scallion, garlic–the flavors are subtle, meaning these little fritters pair well with a wide variety of dishes. We’ve eaten them alongside plain steak, chicken, and pork stir-fry. We even ate these as meal in themselves, with green salad, and they were lovely.
Squash Fritters
See below for red pepper variation
Adapted from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo’s Squash Pancake Recipe in Mastering The Art of Chinese Cooking
yield: 6-7 two-inch/five-cm fritters
preparation time: about 20 minutes
4-6 ounces/113-170 g zucchini squash, peeled, seeded, and sliced into small squares; see photo in post, above, for illustration
1 scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper, ideally white, but black is fine
1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
Peanut, canola, or grapeseed or other high-heat oil, for frying.
optional additions:
a little fresh cilantro
sprinkle hot red pepper flakes
1/4-1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
Instructions
You will need a heavy frying pan or wok to make this recipe. I used an 8-inch/20-cm cast iron frying pan. A splatter screen is very helpful here, as is opening windows and using your oven’s ventilation fan. A large fork is best for blending the batter. I used a two-tablespoon measure for dolloping batter into the pan. You will also need a paper-towel lined plate or platter for serving the fritters.
*denotes resting points in cooking, but this is a recipe that comes together quickly, using few bowls.
Prep your ingredients and turn them into a single large bowl: the squash, scallion, garlic,flour, egg, salt, pepper, soy sauce, rice wine, and any optional additions. Stir to blend everything to a lumpy batter.
*
Make the fritters:
Place a paper-towel lined platter or plate beside your stove. Open windows. Turn on oven’s ventilation fan if you have one.
Place pan on burner over medium high heat. Pour in enough oil to slick bottom of pan.
Depending on the size of your pan, carefully pour in spoonfuls of batter; don’t overcrowd. Using a two-tablespoon measure, I can fry three fritters at once in an 8-inch/20cm pan. Fry about three minutes a side, using a splatter screen if you have one. Move cooked fritters to towel-lined platter as they cook. Add a little salt to taste if you wish.
You may need to add a bit of oil for the second batch.
Serve hot or at room temperature, with extra soy sauce for dipping. (or, um Kewpie Mayonnaise.)
Leftovers may be refrigerated up to four days. Freezing is not recommended.
Squash and red pepper fritters reheat best in an oven or toaster oven, but you can microwave them.
To make Red Pepper Fritters:
Follow the recipe, using about 9 ounces red pepper/255 g instead of zucchini squash, sliced and seeded. Optional additions to the batter: a little Szechuan peppercorn, sliced hot red peppers, garlic. I made mine very spicy and found them delicious, but others may not share my fiery tastes.
When you forgot to take the “empty plate” picture.
