The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BLACK-EYED PEA VADA (FRITTERS)
On a trip to India in 2016, Farhan Momin encountered a vendor frying fritters (vada) made of ground mung beans — a traditional Gujarati street snack. He came up with the genius idea of replacing the mung beans with black-eyed peas, a staple in the cuisines of India and the American South. Serve them with Mrs. Momin’s Green Chutney and Tamarind and Apple-Butter Chutney (see recipes). 4 cups black-eyed peas 1 large onion 3 jalapenos, stemmed 15 garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro 2 teaspoons cumin 2 tablespoons salt Oil for frying
Place black-eyed peas in a large bowl. Cover with water, and allow to soak overnight. (The peas will absorb the water, so make sure you cover them by a couple of inches or so.)
Grate 1 large onion over the largest holes of a box grater. Squeeze out excess moisture using a cheesecloth or kitchen towel. You want the onion to be as dry as possible so your batter won’t be runny.
Drain black-eyed peas well, and place in the bowl of a large food processor. Add onion, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, cumin and salt. Process to make a coarse paste. (You shouldn’t see any whole peas in the mixture.) If your food processor isn’t big enough to accommodate all the ingredients, work in batches, dumping each batch into a large bowl, and mixing well at the end.
Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a large-iron skillet or Dutch oven by about 2 inches. Over high heat, bring temperature to 350 degrees.
Using a tablespoon, drop in dollops of batter. Fry until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. (You will need to flip the fritter.) Serves 12 (about 3 to 4 fritters each).
Per serving: 253 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 14 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 7 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 971 milligrams sodium.