Lentil Croquettes

The Recipe

Serves: 4-6 people
Preparation: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Croquettes quickly became popular in France and spread to other countries, including Spain, where they are known as "croquetas," and the Netherlands, where they are called "kroketten." Today, croquettes are enjoyed all over the world, with many variations in their fillings and coatings.

Croquettes, a wonderful French invention was developed to use leftover ingredients such as meat or cheese.
It contains a binder such as flour or potatoes and is then coated in bread crumbs and fried until golden and crispy.
Lentils and potatoes - such a hearty snack, dressed in a tangy raita or tahini sauce, how can you resist?

This recipe has a few steps but is pretty simple and can be made in bulk and frozen for later… if you don’t gobble them up at once!

 

THE INGREDIENTS

340g green lentils
3 bay leaves
2 clove garlic
120g onions, finely chopped
500g high starch potatoes such as Russet
4tsp chilli powder
4-5 tbsp roasted curry powder
2.5 tsp coriander powder
2.5 tsp ginger powder
2-3 tsp fine sea salt
20g chopped coriander
2 lemon zest
4-5 tbsp flour
Sunflower oil for frying

Coating
200g plain flour
300g panko crumbs
2 eggs
Have the eggs, panko and flour all in separate bowls.

THE METHOD

  1. Cook the lentils in water with bay leaves and garlic until tender, strain and remove the garlic and leaves.

  2. Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters, boil in salted water until crumbly.

  3. Strain the water, mash the potatoes in a large bowl.

  4. Fry off the chopped onion until translucent. Place into the bowl with the mashed potatoes

  5. Stir in salt, spices, zest and lentils until thoroughly combined. Lastly add flour to bind the mixture

  6. Shape the potato/lentil mix into medium sized patties (60g).

  7. Place the patties on cling film and place them in the fridge to allow them to firm up and hold shape (overnight is ideal)

  8. Dip the patties into the flour, then eggs and then panko

  9. Fry until golden

  10. Place onto a paper towel to drain off the excess oil

  11. Serve warm with tahini sauce, raita and lemon wedges

 

TRY OUT SOME MAIN RECIPES BELOW

Panko Tofu with Edamame Hummus


The Recipe

Serves: 2-3 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

In the 13th century, the Arabic cookbook "Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada" (The Description of Familiar Foods) described a dish similar to hummus made from chickpeas, vinegar, and spices. In the 16th century, the Turkish chef and traveler Evliya Celebi described a popular dish in Cairo made from mashed chickpeas and tahini.

I love hummus in any shape or form. It’s just such a great dip, spread or condiment found in various cuisines in the Mediterranean and the middle east. So why edamame hummus???

Despite my heritage, I really don’t cook much Asian food as I have essentially grown up with a ‘white’ palate. I had leftover miso and tahini so I thought I would make an Asian (ish) style version of one of my favourite dips.

Edamame finds its origins in China over 2000 years ago. They are essentially fresh soybeans and are commonly eaten in Japanese restaurants, steamed or boiled in the pod. Soybeans have provided the backbone for many Japanese delicacies such as miso paste and soy sauce for over 1,000 years. Eating edamame fresh and green started around the late 800s. The idea of eating soybeans fresh with a glass of cold beer is a tradition that has spread around the world and is a common, iconic dish in many Japanese restaurants. Edamame is usually found in the freezer section as once picked, they have quite a short shelf life. You can buy them in or out of the pods for convenience and depending on what you want to use them for.

It is a light, vegan dish that is great for communal dining and adds a nice spin to the original hummus made from chickpeas.

THE INGREDIENTS

Hummus
100g lightly blanched de-shelled edamame
10g tahini
15g white miso
50g apple cider vinegar
Half a clove of finely chopped garlic
100g olive oil

Panko Tofu
40g panko breadcrumbs
250g firm tofu
50g rice flour
4g shichimi togarashi*
2g sea salt
1 egg
Vegetable oil

THE METHOD

  1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until nice and smooth

  1. If needed, add 25-50mls extra water to smooth out the hummus

  2. Set aside while you make the tofu cubes

  3. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and set aside

  4. Put the panko crumbs in a shallow bowl

  5. Whisk the egg and also place in another bowl

  6. Mix the shichimi togarashi, flour and sea salt and place in a bowl.

  7. So, now you have your line up tofu cubes, seasoned flour, egg and finally panko crumbs

  8. Toss the cubes in the flour, then egg and coat in panko crumbs. Set aside.

  9. In a medium saucepan, fill up with the oil – deep enough to cover the tofu and allow to heat up to about 180’C. If you throw in some panko crumbs and they sizzle on impact, you are good to go.

  10. Fry the tofu cubes until golden brown, and place on a tray with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

  11. Schmear the hummus on a plate, top with the tofu and sprinkle with some black sesame seeds.

  12. Let me know how you go with this recipe!!

    * shichimi togarashi is a wonderfully bright, spicy and unique blend that can be sprinkled on ramen, steaks, salads and also this dish! It commonly is a mix of Japanese sansho pepper, black and white sesame seeds, ginger, nori and dried citrus peel

TRY SOME MORE MAIN RECIPES HERE