Basil & Pea Fritters with Hummus & Dukkah
The inspiration for this recipe came while we were spending time with friends in Sydney, Australia at the beginning of the year. We were taken to a cool little cafe overlooking Bondi beach that was famous for its pea pancake.
The day we went also happened to be their reopening after a closure due to fire, so we were lucky to get a table as it was heaving with locals all eager to get a spot in their favourite cafe.
Ironically I didn’t actually order their famous pea pancake that day because our waiter couldn’t confirm whether they were gluten and dairy free, so instead I had their green breakfast bowl.
But when the food came I had some serious ordering envy. The green pea pancake came as one large pancake that was perfectly crisp on the outside and full of vibrant greenness on the inside, and was topped with a poached egg, avocado, courgette strips and pea sprouts. My breakfast bowl was good too, but I knew I was going to have to try and recreate their pea pancake when I got home.
For tha past week I’ve been making various versions of green pea pancakes, and we’ve been eating them mainly for dinner or leftover lunches! But I think that’s a great testament to the fact they’re perfect for any meal of the day.
When looking up the name of the Bondi cafe that inspired this post (Porch and Parlour) I also found they’d posted the exact recipe online – and would you believe it was in fact dairy and gluten free! Interestingly enough, despite not seeing the original recipe before I made my attempts, my version is very similar except it’s also grain free and a bit more herby.
I also decided to call my version fritters because it’s much easier to make several smaller ones instead of one large one. I also flavoured them with basil and spring onion, and because I thought the original probably had cheese in it I added nutritional yeast to create a slightly cheesey flavour. Needless to say, both versions are damn delicious, so you really can’t go wrong whichever one you make.
Enjoy!
BASIL & PEA FRITTERS WITH HUMMUS & DUKKAH
Makes: 6 fritters/2 generous serves
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
2 cups frozen peas
1 spring onion
1 handful fresh basil leaves
2 eggs
2 Tbsp ground almonds/almond meal
1 tsp nutritional yeast
pink Himalayan salt + black pepper to taste
coconut, avocado or macadamia oil for cooking
To serve:
Hummus of your choice
Dukkah (either bought or homemade)
Extra basil leaves
Defrost the peas by leaving to stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, or place in a small saucepan with just enough water to cover, bring to a simmer then remove from heat immediately. Drain the peas and rinse under cold water to keep their colour.
Transfer the peas to a mixing bowl and use a potato masher or the back of a fork to smash roughly half the peas. You’re aiming for a mix of whole and broken peas.
Chop the spring onion into small rounds and roughly chop the basil leaves, then add to the pea mixture.
Lightly whisk the eggs and add to the pea mixture along with the remaining ingredients. Stir well until all evenly combined.
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a heavy based fry pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot drop spoonfuls of mixture into the pan and shape into round fritters. Depending on how big you want your fritters, you’ll likely need to add a couple of spoonfuls per fritter.
Cook the fritters for a couple of minutes until you can see the edges start to brown, then flip them over to cook the opposite side.
To serve, spread a dollop of hummus on a serving plate, lay the fritters on top and garnish with dukkah and extra basil leaves.
These fritters will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days and make a great leftover breakfast or lunch the next day.
