Recipe: Chickpea & Sweet Potato Koftas (Patties)

[Guest guest]

Hi!

 

Sorry, I don't have mastercook, yet. I hope it's o.k. to submit this

recipe without using the software program. This is from Vegetable

Heaven, by Mollie Katzen. Made them for the first time last night and

they're very yummy! Please see my notes following the recipe.

 

CHICKPEA & SWEET POTATO KOFTAS

Serves: 4 entree, 6 appetizer

Vegetable Heaven by Mollie Katzen

 

1 medium-sized sweet potato or yam (3/4 lb.)

1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked chickpeas (1 15-oz. can, rinsed and drained)

1 large garlic clove

2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tsp. lightly toasted cumin seeds

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 tbsp. unbleached white flour

1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)

Vegetable or olive oil for sautéeing

 

Peel and dice the sweet potato or yam, and cook it in boiling water

until soft--about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.

Drain well. (Or cook the whole sweet potato in the microwave until

soft, then peel.) You should have about 1 1/2 cups of cooked sweet

potato. Transfer to a food processor. Add all the other ingredients,

except the flour, peas and oil. Puree until fairly smooth. (The

mixture might be very thick, depending on the sweet potato or yam, so

be patient with this process.) Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the flour

until it is thoroughly incorporated, then gently stir in the peas.

Form into large or small patties. To make them uniform or professional

looking, use a 1/4-cup-capacity ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measure

to scoop up the mixture. Then pat each one down until it is about

1/2-inch thick and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place a skillet over

medium heat and add a little bit of oil. When the oil is very hot, add

the patties and sauté for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until

lightly browned and heated through. Serve hot, warm or at room

temperature. Makes 4 main-dish servings or 6 appetizer servings.

 

MY NOTES: To make it easy, I microwaved the sweet potato until soft,

then peeled it, and added it to the chickpeas in a big bowl. I pureed

it with my Braun stick blender. If you don't like strong flavors,

reduce the amount of cumin by half. I love cumin yet found the 2

teaspoons too overpowering. I made half the batch into patties, and

the other half into balls. I used a deep fat fryer to fry the

" balls " , and a non-stick griddle sprayed with olive oil to panfry the

patties. My family preferred the fried version. Next time I plan to

panfry in a little more oil. You could stuff half a pita with the

koftas (like if you're making falafel), add chopped greens and

tomatoes, and drizzle with some kind of salad dressing. Or serve the

patties as part of an Indian meal.