Make Ahead

Cumin pea and bulgur fritters with lemon yogurt sauce

by:
January 11, 2016
4.7
3 Ratings
Photo by JIN
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

I made this dish after indulging a little too much on meat and desserts over the holiday last year. I had been trying to make light meals and snacks with more vegetables and healthy carbs and this dish was just what I needed. It is packed with nutrients and flavors prepared with ingredients I always have in my kitchen. I like adding Middle Eastern spice when I cook with bulgur and cumin works perfectly well in this recipe. And the tangy lemon yogurt sauce will bring freshness to fritters. This can be great finger food at a party as well. —JIN

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Ingredients
  • Fritters
  • 3 cups frozen or fresh green peas
  • 1 cup bulgur wheat
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons semolina
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • Lemon yogurt sauce
  • 1 cup organic non fat natural yogurt
  • 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 lemon for zest
  • 2 mild red chili (optional)
Directions
  1. Cook frozen green peas in a boiling water for a few minutes (until they float) and drain. If you are using fresh peas, simply wash them and drain. Puree them in a food processor and set aside to cool. Boil 2 cups of water in a pot and add bulgur wheat. Stir for 1 minute, bring the heat down to low and cover to simmer gently for 14-15 minutes. When bulgur wheat is cooked and all the water has been absorbed, remove from the heat and mix with pea puree in a bowl. Leave it to cool for a few minutes.
  2. Season the mixture with cumin, ground black pepper and garlic powder. Taste and add a little pinch of salt to your liking. Stir in semolina to bind everything together. Shape the mixture into a 4-5cm diameter and 1.5cm thick round patties. You should have minimum of 24 patties in total. Place them in a fridge to set for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare lemon yogurt sauce and set aside. Finely chop and deseed red chili then set aside separately.
  3. Add olive oil in a medium heat non-stick pan. Gently place the patties (add a little more oil if necessary), making sure they don’t burn. I divided my patties into 3 batches, so used 2 tablespoons of oil per batch. It should take about 2-3 minutes on each side to cook to golden and crispy. When they are ready remove from the heat, place onto paper towel and gently pat down.
  4. After cooling the fritters for a few minutes plate them with lemon yogurt sauce and red chili garnish.

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1 Review

Alyssa April 22, 2019
Good! I used flaxseed meal instead of semolina. They held together better than other pea patties I’ve made! I really liked them!