Curried Carrot & Zucchini Fritters and a Mandoline

As I sit here recovering from the bizarre Wednesday 4th of July holiday, I can't help but think that we all got scammed. It feels like we deserve a day off. Just as I was getting into the holiday swing-of-things, it all goes back to normal? Right smack in the middle of the week. I mean, it's only Thursday. 

I'm clearly just bitter that instead of a pool and a bbq, I see only my laptop and cup of coffee. Aside from it's unfortunate scheduling this year - I must talk to someone about that - my 4th did not disappoint. Lets just say it involved a slip n' slide {please note that there were no children at this party, so you can imagine}, intensely competitive mixed medley relay competitions, bbq'd jerk chicken and, perhaps, some adult beverages.


Now for the food.

These carrot and zucchini fritters should just be called flavor fritters, because they are so dang tasty. Heavily Indian influenced - the dipping sauce is a play on a raita, and the fritter batter is spiced kind of like a curry batter. Because they are so thinly julienned, I do not parboil the carrots and zucchini - leaving them slightly crunchy.

I had a serious battle with a mandoline to make these bad boys. Mandolines - they are supposed to make life easier - not the case. I was all excited about my new kitchen gadget, which I inherited from my mom. She bought it with serious plans in mind, but only used it once because she had a nasty incident with the razor sharp blade. Ever since then, the mandoline has been relegated to the back of the pantry.

So, she let me have it, warily - warning me of how sharp it was. I was like, 'But mom, that's a good thing, it's supposed to be sharp.' And she was like, 'Not this sharp.'

I was confident that I could tame the beast. I mean, what was culinary school for, right?

I get the thing home and take it out for a test drive with these fritters. Like my mom, it'll be quite some time before I break that thing out again. Not because I cut myself, but because it was so annoying. I felt like I needed a degree in engineering to figure out the moving parts. I spent more time reading the directions, how embarrassing, and toying with different dials and blades. Carrots were getting smushed, Carrie was getting annoyed, expletives were flying - it wasn't a good look.

So, after going ten rounds with the mandoline, I ditched it and got back to basics with my trusty knife. A lesson I learn time and time again when it comes to failed attempts at kitchen gadgetry - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. With each crunch of the blade slicing through the carrots, I calmed a little. By the time all of the carrots and zucchini were julienned, I was back to my normal self. The systematic chopping cathartic, even - which was good because, clearly, I was in need of some therapy after this run-in with my mandoline.

The yogurt dipping sauce is a clutch condiment for these fritters. Mint, cilantro, lime - all do a fantastic job at balancing the smoky, spicy flavors of the fritters. You could serve one alongside a salad as an appetizer, or make them smaller and offer up as an hors d'oeuvres - a few large ones and you have dinner.

I highly recommend you make these fritters. And, should you choose to use a mandoline, I wish you far better luck.

Makes 8-10 fritters
What you'll need:
For the fritters:
5 good sized carrots
1 medium zucchini
1 small red onion
1 small bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup milk
2 Tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil

For the lime-mint raita:
1 1/2 cups yogurt, preferably Greek
Juice from 1/2 lime
4 sprigs mint
2 sprigs cilantro
Salt
Black pepper
Chili flakes - to taste

Trim and peel the carrots. Do the same for the zucchini, although I like the skin, so I leave it on.
Using your preferred method, either a mandolin or knife, julienne the carrots and zucchini into fine matchsticks. Reserve in a bowl.
Finely mince the red onion and garlic and add them both to the carrots and zucchini.
Rinse and dry cilantro. Roughly chop the cilantro, roughly 8-10 stalks, including stalks and leaves and add it to the carrot/zucchini mixture.
Toss with a tongs to incorporate and mix it all together. Reserve to the side.

In a mortar and pestle if needed to grind whole spices, or if pre-ground in a small bowl, mix together the salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
Sift in the baking powder and flour.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk together. Add these wet ingredients to the zucchini/carrot mixture.
Now add the dry spiced flour mixture and toss well to coat.

Once the battered veggies are ready, add the oil to a nonstick griddle or large pan, over medium heat.
Once the oil starts to ripple, drop your first few fritters onto the surface - I find using a tongs is best for this. The fritters should not spread, so if it is very runny, add more flour to your mixture.
After a few minutes, or once the underside is golden brown, use a spatula to carefully flip them and cook on the other side.
Once golden brown and cooked through, remove the fritters and place on a paper towel or parchment paper to help drain excess oil. Season lightly with salt as they come off the griddle.

Remove the mint leaves and chop them. Do the same for the cilantro, but you can chop both the stalks and the leaves.
In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, lime juice, salt, pepper, chili flakes and the chopped herbs.
Taste and adjust seasoning as you'd like.

Serve the sauce either on the side as a dipping sauce, or drizzled over the fritters.

{Tips}
You might have to play a little with the proportions of milk and flour here - depending on how much liquid the carrots and zucchini have given off. The goal is a batter that lightly coats the carrots and zucchini - you do not want a very liquidy pancake-esque batter.
Julienned veggies are thin matchsticks. So, if using your knife, first slice the carrots and zucchini into thin planes from top to bottom, then slice them into thin sticks.