Makes around 8 quite large latkes or 16 smaller ones
Latkes are a Jewish Ashkenazi recipe, traditionally made from grated onion & potato and eaten on the festival of Chanukah. I have introduced more Middle Eastern flavours here.
Ingredients
- 2 large white potatoes, peeled & grated
- 1/2 onion, grated
- 2 courgettes (zucchini), grated
- 2 tsp flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- Rapeseed oil for shallow frying
Method
- Get a large tray & place a layer of kitchen paper onto it. Set aside.
- Put the potato, courgette and onion into a sieve and hang this over a large bowl.
- With your hands, push down on the mixture, squeezing out as much water as possible.
- Discard the water and put the mixture into the bowl.
- Add the flour, egg, salt, cumin & black pepper. Stir really well.
- Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large frying pan. Put a tiny blob of the mixture into the pan when the oil is cold. When it starts to sizzle, the oil is ready.
- Take a large spoonful of mixture and lower it carefully into the oil, pressing down with the back of the spoon, so that it looks flat. Fit in as many latkes into the pan as you can, making sure you leave space to turn them! You may have to do them in a couple of batches, depending on the size of your frying pan. Once you can see that the underside has browned nicely (about 4 mins), use a spatula to turn the latkes over.
- Once both sides are nicely browned, use a spatula to remove them from the pan. Place them carefully on the kitchen paper and let the oil drain out of them a bit.
- Cook the rest of the latkes if need be.
- These are best eaten immediately but if this isn't possible, remove the kitchen paper and put them in a hot oven for 5 mins to crisp up before you eat them .
- UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE RE-HEAT IN A MICROWAVE AS THEY WILL BE A SOGGY MESS!
How to cook these with your children
Infants & Young Children: Let them help to squeeze out the water. This will be messy and lots of fun!
They can also help to mix all the ingredients together.
Up to teen: As well as the above, let them peel & grate the vegetables. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get them started at cooking and something that’s not baking! Showing them how to use sharp kitchen equipment safely is a great learning experience for them.
Teenagers: Teenagers should be able to help you make the latkes from start to finish. Show them about safety around hot oil and what to do if you have a fire, or burn yourself. This is a fantastic way to show them you trust them in the kitchen and will encourage them to cook more for themselves.
About #fastfoodmystyle
My name is Dalia and I own a website www.fastfoodmystyle.com. I also have a growing Instagram account @fastfoodmystyle, Facebook page and blog. Although I am a Special Needs Primary School Teacher, I am also a passionate self-taught home cook. My recipes are simple to make, nutritious and tasty, using lots of herbs and spices for flavour.
I do small group cooking lessons as well as 1:1, plus am also dabbling in a bit of food writing. If you wish to get in touch about any of these, please email me at fastfoodmystyle@gmail.com
November 26, 2018