Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
10 to 30 mins
Serves
Serves 4
Dietary
Vegetarian
By Ben TishIngredients
For the patties
- 225g/8oz gram flour (chickpea flour)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 4 burger buns, split in half
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 1 head fennel
- 1 small courgette, peeled
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 40ml/1½fl oz extra virgin olive oil
Method
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To make the patties, sieve the gram flour into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk in 750ml/26fl oz water until you have a batter.
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Put a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the cinnamon, chilli flakes and cumin and toast lightly until fragrant.
-
Whisk the toasted spices into the batter and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the coriander. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook slowly over a medium heat, stirring, until the batter thickens and comes away from the sides of the pan.
-
Grease a lipped baking tray with a little oil, pour in the batter (you ideally want a depth of about 0.5cm) and leave it to fully cool before transferring to the fridge to chill.
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Thinly slice the fennel and courgette on a mandolin or with a very sharp knife, then toss with the lemon juice and oil and season with salt and pepper.
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Turn out the chickpea cake onto a board and cut into four rectangles.
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Fill a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan two-thirds full with the vegetable oil. Heat to 170C (a cube of bread should turn brown in 1 minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.
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Carefully drop in the chickpea rectangles and fry in batches until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. Season with sea salt and serve in the buns with the fennel salad.
