Vegan Lentil and Corn Fritters

These crispy, vegan lentil and corn fritters take inspiration from the traditional Gujarati savoury snack HANDVO. Soaked and blended green lentils with corn and veggies make up the batter. Which makes them a wonderful source of plant-based protein – without deep frying! These green lentil and corn fritters are a great way to use up all that summer veggies! Crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside these fritters have a delicious nutty, earthy flavour.

We all are always looking for fast and flavourful ways to adds more veggies and protein to our meals. Lentils are one of the first real superfoods for vegans. They are an excellent source of plant-based protein and iron. I love using lentils of any kind in my diet. These crispy fritters are bursting with green lentils, fresh corn cut off the cob, summer zucchini, green onions, aromatics and Indian seasonings. Pan fried until golden brown gives these fritters a perfect rustic texture. Pair it with your favourite dipping sauce or yoghurt. Every mouthful is popping with delicious flavour and texture from lentil and sweetcorn. An easy and tasty way to eat your green.

These fritters are an easy way to eat more veggies. Boosting veggies with plenty of complementary flavours is exactly what makes fritters awesome. And once you know the basics, it’s just a matter of experimenting with different combinations. This is a great dish to serve for breakfast, or a light dinner paired with a simple salad on top.

Ingredients you need to make really great, vegan Lentil and Corn fritters:

• Split Green Gram Lentils (Mung Dal Chilka) – green split gram is the main ingredient. You can also use whole mung beans, but I prefer split gram with skin. These lentils are easy to digest making them a great option for people with a sensitive stomach.
• Corn – as noted above, fresh is better for both flavour and crispiness. But canned and frozen work too, you just need to make an effort to dry it out as much as you can;
• Gram Flour & Semolina – help in binding and gives the fritter a great texture
• Green Chillies and Ginger – add a pungent flavour
• Carrots, Green onions – add nutrition and extra flavour
• Baking soda (bi-carb) OR Fruit Salt (Eno) – just a touch, to aerate the batter every so slightly (without it, it’s slightly denser);
• coriander and curry leaves – for a hit of freshness.
• Seasoning – mustard seeds, dry red chillies, sesame seeds, carom seeds, fennel seeds, Asafoetida, salt and pepper.
• Oil – to make the fritters soft from inside.

How to Make Vegan Lentil and Corn Fritters

1) Soak the Lentil and Prep the Veggies

• Add 1 cup of split green lentil in a large mixing bowl. Wash and rinse a few times. Soak in water for 2-3 hours.
• Remove 2 tbsp of the corn kernels and keep aside, grate the rest of the corn.
• Prep rest of the ingredients as per the recipe below.

2) Make the Batter

• Drain the water completely, making sure not to drain away the skin of the lentil. Add the soaked lentils with the skin to a grinder along with green chillies, ginger and coriander leaves. Pulse to make a coarse mixture.
• Remove in a mixing bowl. Add the gram flour, and semolina. Whisk it for 4-5 minutes.
• Now, add the grated corn, zucchini, carrots, corn kernels, spring onions, coriander, carom seeds, sesame seeds, black pepper, sugar (if using) and salt. Mix well.
• Add the oil to make the batter moist. Whisk for a minute.
• Just before making the fritters add the baking soda with 1-2 tsp of water. Mix well.

3) Make the Fritters

• Heat oil in a pan (9″or 10″ pan). Reduce the heat to medium add the mustard seeds, sesame seeds, asafoetida, and red chillies. Sauté for a 30 sec.
• Pour the batter over it and spread evenly. ( you can make 1 big fritter or individual ones depending on your preference.)
• Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. The top layer will start to become dry and the corners of the fritter with be trying golden brown, flip it gently.
• Press it down with a spatula all over, cover and cook for another 5-7 minutes until it’s crisp and golden brown.
• Remove and cook the rest of the batter. Serve hot with your favourite chutney or lemony yoghurt sauce.

Helpful Tips and Tricks To Make Vegan Lentil and Corn Fritters

• Fritters batter should be medium thick, also always whisk the batter well so air particles incorporate into it and it becomes soft.
• Baking Soda: Always add the baking soda or fruit salt just before you are making the fritters to enable the batter to retain the air bubbles which gives these fritters its lightness.
• Vegetables: Grated vegetable with moisture adds softness to the fritters. Diced vegetables gives these fritters its texture. Don’t add too much vegetables to the lentil. It will make the batter very moist.

If you love this recipe here are some more fritter recipes you will love :

1. Coriander Fritters with Spiced Yoghurt
2. Courgette Fritters with Feta Salad and Eggs
3. Easy Authentic Chana Dal Fritters Recipe

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Vegan Lentil and corn fritters

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

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Ingredients

For the Lentils

• 1 cup split green gram (green moong dal), soaked for 2-3 hours
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1"ginger, cut into chunks
• handful coriander leaves 

For the Fritters

• ⅓ cup grated carrot
• ⅓ cup grated zucchini
• ½ cup grated corn
• ½ cup fresh corn kernels
• 2-3 spring onions, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup coriander leaves with tender stems, chopped 
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp semolina
• 1 tbsp gram flour
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• ¼ tsp black pepper 
• ¼ tsp asafoetida
• ¼ tsp fennel seeds, crushed
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp baking soda or fruit salt
• 2-3 tsp water 

For the Tempering

• 2 tbsp oil
• ½ tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2-3 dry red chillies, broken or whole

method

STEP 1 

Rinse lentils, then soak in 2 cups water at room temperature at least 2 hour and up to 4-5 hours. Soaking the lentils for this long will make them super-plump and tender, which in turn makes them a lot easier to blend. 

STEP 2 

Meanwhile, prep the veggies -  trim ends of carrot and zucchini and grate carrot, zucchini and corn separately and keep aside. Remove the corn kernels. Finely chop the spring onions and coriander leaves.

STEP 3

Drain the lentils and transfer to a food processor. Add the green chillies, ginger and coriander. Pulse, with ⅓ cup of  water scraping down sides, until a coarse paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl and add semolina and gram flour. Whisk for 4-5 minutes. Now add the grated and chopped veggies , along with oil, carom seeds, fennel seeds,  sesame seeds, black pepper, salt and sugar(if using). Toss well with a rubber spatula to combine. Just before you star to make the fritters add the baking soda with 2-3 tsp of water. Mix well.

STEP 4 

Heat oil in a 9"or 10" cast-iron skillet over medium-high until hot. Reduce the heat to low and add the mustard seeds, sesame seeds, and dry chillies. when the mustard starts to sputter, carefully drop ⅓  cup batter into oil, then flatten to a pancake with the back of a large metal spoon dipped into the  hot oil to prevent sticking. Repeat 3 times for a total of 4 fritters.Cover and fry until deep golden brown on one side (about 5-7 minutes). Turn with a spatula or large spoon and continue to fry until deep golden brown on the second side. Transfer fritters to a wire rack set in a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Season immediately with a little salt. Repeat with remaining batter (you should have 10-12 fritters).

STEP 5

Transfer fritters to a platter. Serve hot with some salad and tzatziki, chutney or your favourite dipping sauce. 

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