SERVES 4
Tapioca fritters are an immensely popular tea-time snack in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Even though the fritters are deep fried, you can also air fry or bake them. This snack is usually served with a sweetened yogurt. However, I think the fritters also go well with a savory yogurt and mango chutney. So, I decided to combine the two and created an emulsified mango chutney yogurt. It is a little bit more work than just sweetening the yogurt, but it is well worth it.
For the tapioca fritters
½ cup tapioca pearls (sabudana)
1 large potato, boiled and grated
¾ inch Ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
6-8 curry leaves, sliced
¼ cup salted peanuts, crushed
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1½ tsp yogurt
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1/8 tsp baking soda
Vegetable oil for frying. I use sunflower oil
For mango chutney yogurt
½ cup yogurt, beaten
¼ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
¼ tsp chaat masala (optional)
1 tbsp green mango chutney, emulsified with olive oil (recipe for the green mango chutney coming soon)
1 Wash the tapioca pearls thoroughly to remove the excess starch. Then soak it in 1/2 cup water for 6-8 hours, preferably overnight.
2 In a bowl add the soaked tapioca, grated potatoes, chopped ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, crushed peanuts, cumin seeds, yogurt, coriander leaves, baking soda, salt and mix thoroughly to form a dough.
3 Start heating the oil in a fryer or in a frying pan. The ideal temperature for frying is around 375 °F.
4 Take ¼ cup of the dough at a time and roll it into a flat ball. You should be able to create about 8 balls with the dough.
5 Just prior to frying the balls in the hot oil, flatten them to give them a disc shape. Fry them till they turn golden brown, about 2½ minutes. Do not overcrowd the fryer or frying pan. Remove the fritters from the oil and place them on a plate lined with paper towels that will absorb any excess oil.
6 For preparing the mango chutney yogurt, take the yogurt in a bowl and add the salt and chaat masala (optional). Mix well. Spoon the yogurt in a serving bowl. Now take the emulsified mango chutney in a pipette and slowly place several drops of it on top of the yogurt in the serving bowl.
Serve the tapioca fritters on a plate with the emulsified mango chutney. Serve the mango chutney yogurt in a serving bowl.
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