Time for Mr. Falafel to scooch back into his pita pocket. These vegan Burmese split pea fritters are easier to make and have the Midas touch of golden turmeric.
Try these fritters as an appetizer alongside Foolproof, Fan-Favorite Thai Coconut Curry Mussels or a Thai Winged Bean Salad with Coco-nutty Dressing.
A recipe for split peas besides soup
The default for using up split peas is swamp colored soup, but these simple fritters are an excellent alternative use.
With crispy edges that taste a little like falafels, these fritters make an infinitely better start to a meal than bread.
Alternately, they would make a fitting and filling vegan main entree (and an inexpensive one too).
A Vegan Burmese Appetizer
This recipe is modified from the one featured in Charmaine Solomon‘s classic tome, The Complete Asian Cookbook.
I never thought it was truly complete until I found a section on Burmese recipes (along with Pakistani and Sri Lankan cuisines among others).
Her mother is Burmese, and she portrays Burmese cuisine as heavily based on simply flavorings such as onions and turmeric.
Fewer ingredients seem to be required compared to Indian and Thai cuisines.
For that reason, I found this fritter recipe to be just so simple, unique, and tasty.
While we still refer to the country’s food as Burmese cuisine, they officially changed their name to Myanmar in 1989.
What are split peas?
Split peas are a legume, similar to beans and lentils.
However, unlike fresh peas, these are a variety of field peas grown specifically for drying.
Once they field peas are harvested, the peas are split on their natural seam to dry.
They do have a pea like flavor and are high in protein but low in fat.
Make split pea fritters better @home
Time needed: 30 minutes.
Instructions
- Soak split peas overnight
Soaking the split peas overnight will allow them to soften and obtain just the right texture for fritter.
- Blend with seasonings
Believe it or not, but you don’t need any additional water to blend the soaked split peas. Add the salt, turmeric, and just keeping blitzing and stopping to mix around the ingredients with a spoon in the blender or food processor.
- Mix in onion
If you try to blend the onion with the split peas, it will add too much water to the mixture. Instead, mix in a finely diced onion to the blended split peas.
- Shape into patties
Form into heaping tablespoons or 1 1/2″ balls. You can use slightly moistened hands, but it should not stick to our fingers too much. Flatten slightly into 3/4″ thickness.
- Pan fry
Fry in a little oil, over medium high heat until both sides are golden brown. This is enough to cook the split peas through to the center of each patty.
- Serve hot
Garnish with some lemon wedges and dive right in. No dipping sauce required.
FAQ
These taste like falafels without the spices. Freshly ground split peas just make all the difference in giving these guys their true pea flavor.
They taste best when they are hot off the pan but could be held for up to 3 days in the fridge and then reheated in the oven or pan over low heat. Or better yet, make the mixture up to 3 days in advance and then pan fry before serving.
These fritters are more about texture. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the outside. But to be honest, the flavor gets boring after awhile. I would serve 2-3 as an appetizer. Or if a main dish is needed for a vegan, I would serve with a tomato curry sauce or vegan aioli, with some vegetables on the side. Or stuff into a slider or wrap in some naan fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and chutney of choice. Lots of possibilities!
Because I needed something to make with split peas besides soup. Why is it always soup? :p
Helpful Tips
- To make this spicy, mix in a finely chopped jalapeno or other fresh chili along with the onion after blending the split peas. Or top with sriracha sauce.
- No dipping sauce is needed. However, if you wanted one, they would do well with sweet chili sauce, vegan aioli, or Indian or fruit chutny.
- These are best served hot. If you need to make them ahead of time, make the split pea mixture up to 3 days in advance, then pan fry before serving.
Turmeric Split Pea Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 c split peas soaked overnight
- 1 ea small onion, small dice or 1/2 large onion
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tb oil
Optional Garnish
- lemon wedges
- chopped green onion or yellow onion
Instructions
- Put split peas in a large bowl and and cover with 2 inches of water. Soak overnight.
- Drain split peas and put into a food processor or other strong blender.
- Add salt and turmeric and blend until the peas are finely ground. Stop occasionally between blitzing to mix up the unblended chunks in the blender.
- Remove split pea mixture to a bowl and add the small diced onion.
- With slightly dampened hands, shape into balls, about the size of a heaping tablespoon. Flatten slightly so each fritter is about 3/4" thick.
- Heat a nonstick pan with 1 Tb oil to medium heat. Pan fry 1/2 the fritters for 2-3 minutes on each side. This recipe makes about 15 patties, so keep adding oil and cook the fritters in batches depending on how large your pan is.
- Serve hot, and garnish with lemon wedges and any type of small chopped onion if desired.
Notes
- To make this spicy, mix in a finely chopped jalapeno or other fresh chili along with the onion after blending the split peas. Or top with sriracha sauce.
- No dipping sauce is needed. However, if you wanted one, they would do well with sweet chili sauce, vegan aioli, or Indian or fruit chutny.
- These are best served hot. If you need to make them ahead of time, make the split pea mixture up to 3 days in advance, then pan fry before serving.
I tried making these. The pea batter was delicious but the batter never came together and remained mush I the pan.
So sorry to hear that! I suspect the split peas you used were very dry or not soaked in water long enough to soften. Perhaps try adding more water? Or leave the peas to soak a bit longer? This is a similar recipe to making falafels where dried chickpeas are soaked in water and then blended. Let me know if you think water was the issue or something else causing mush.