Recipes excerpted from Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen by Lara Lee. Reproduced by permission of Bloomsbury.
SPICED CORN FRITTERS
PERKEDEL JAGUNG
My aunty Tje Ie in Kupang, Timor, loves to make these when she has visitors – a tradition I’ve carried over to my home in London. Juicy, chunky kernels of corn come together with fragrant spices and aromatics to form these delicious fritters. They keep for up to 2 days in the fridge and, if prepared in advance, are best reheated in the oven for
10 minutes at 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3.
If using canned or frozen corn, squeeze out as much moisture as possible – the easiest way is in between layers of paper towels.
Origin Popular all over Indonesia
Chilli heat Mild
Makes 15 large fritters
4 corn-on-the-cob or 350g canned or frozen sweetcorn kernels
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for deep-frying 6cm piece of ginger (about 30g), peeled and thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 long red chillies, thinly sliced
2 small banana shallots or 4 Thai shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large spring onions, thinly sliced
5 kaffir lime leaves (optional), stems removed, very thinly sliced
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
3 pinches of sea salt
Large pinch of black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
6 tbsp cornflour
1 quantity of Tomato sambal (p.194)
To serve
- Fresh tomato and basil dabu-dabu (p.196) or sriracha chilli sauce, to serve (optional)
- If using fresh corn, remove the outer husk and threads, then carefully slice down the outside of the cob with a knife, as close to the core as possible, to remove the kernels. Set them aside.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, chillies and shallots and fry, stirring, for 10 minutes. Blend to a medium-fine paste in a small food processor with the spring onions and kaffir lime leaves, if using. Mix the spice paste with the corn kernels in a bowl and add the coriander, cumin, salt, pepper and eggs. Stir well to combine, then add the cornflour.
- Fill a deep saucepan one-third full with oil. Heat the oil to 180°C. (If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, check the oil is at temperature by adding a cube of bread; it should turn golden in
- 15 seconds.) Carefully drop a dessertspoonful of the batter into the hot oil – it should settle into a roughly circular shape. Repeat to make 6–8 fritters, without overcrowding the pan. Fry until golden
- all over, about 4 minutes. Test one to ensure it is cooked through. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat to use up all the mixture, topping up the oil if needed. Serve immediately, with sambal or chilli sauce to dip, if using.
Variation: Pan-fried corn fritters
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Heat
4 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a high heat until the oil shimmers. Add spoonfuls of the corn mixture to the oil, flattening them lightly. Turn over after 2–3 minutes – they should be golden all over. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment and cook in the oven for 5–10 minutes – test one to ensure it is cooked through. Drain any excess oil on paper towels and serve.
London based Indonesian-Australian Lara Lee is a food writer, chef and co-founder of London based catering company Kiwi and Roo. Her first cookbook, Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen (Bloomsbury) is named one of the Best Cookbooks of 2020 by The New York Times, Eater and The Guardian.
