Recipe: paneer and pea fritters by Tom Kerridge
A South Asian fried street food staple

These spicy, rustic-looking nibbles are my take on South Asian fried street food, said Tom Kerridge. They need little else other than mango chutney for dipping, and a cold drink to wash them down.
Ingredients: makes about 24
- Vegetable oil, to fry
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 150g frozen peas, defrosted
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
- 175g gram flour
- 1 tsp chaat masala
- 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
- 250g paneer, coarsely grated
- salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
- mango chutney
- lime wedge
Method
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a small frying pan, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds before adding the onion. Cook for 5-7 mins, until softened, then remove from heat and leave to cool. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
- Once cooled, tip the onion mix into a bowl and add the peas, chilli, gram flour, chaat masala and coriander. Stir, and season well. Pour in 200ml water and mix well. Add the paneer and stir gently.
- Cook in 3 or 4 batches. Heat a 4-5cm depth of oil in a sauté pan to 180°C (use a thermometer). When at temp, drop spoonfuls of the mix into the hot oil, spaced apart. Cook for 2-3 mins on each side or until golden and crispy.
- Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven.
- Once all cooked, season with a little salt and serve with mango chutney and lime wedges on the side.
Recipe from "Pub Kitchen" by Tom Kerridge, published by Bloomsbury Absolute at £27. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £21.99 (incl. p&p), call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
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