Courgette & Spring Onion Fritters
– A KYAW SONE –
BURMA
A kyaw are Burmese fritters with a wonderfully crisp batter made with a mix of rice flours. The Burmese snip these fritters up and serve them with noodle soup, or simply have them plain as a midday snack. All manner of ingredients can be used and added, the most classic and popular being gourd fritters. Courgettes work just as beautifully here, along with spring onions for extra fragrance and sweetness.
- 1 small courgette
- a bunch of spring onions
- groundnut oil, for frying
- 4 tablespoons rice flour
- 4 tablespoons glutinous rice flour
- 4 tablespoons self-raising flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 75–100ml ice-cold water
- chilli honey tamarind sauce (see here) or sweet chilli sauce (see here)
- Slice the courgette into thin, 3cm long strips. Cut the spring onions into 3cm lengths, halving the white/light green parts at the bottom lengthwise too.
- Combine all the dry ingredients for the batter in a large bowl, stirring so everything is well mixed. Pour the ice-cold water in slowly, stirring all the while, until you get a batter the consistency of thick custard. Gently fold the vegetables into the batter, making sure everything is well coated.
- Pour about 5cm of oil into a wok. Heat to 190°C – you can test this by dropping a bit of batter into the oil; it should sizzle and turn golden in seconds.
- Scoop small amounts of the vegetable batter and slip them gently into the hot oil. Fry for about 3 minutes, turning over halfway, until the fritters are golden brown and crisp all over. Set aside on a wire rack in a 100°C/gas ¼ oven to keep warm while you finish frying the other batches.
- Serve immediately, with chilli honey tamarind sauce or sweet chilli sauce.