🇹🇹 Traditional PHOLOURIE Recipe by Chef Shaun

Pholourie is a snack-sized ball made by combining split peas, flour, various seasonings, and spices into a thick batter and frying to crispy perfection. It’s usually served with chutney and pepper sauce.

Yield - 8 to 10 Snack-Sized Portions.

Ingredients

Split Peas Mixture:

Water - 4 cups

Dried Split Peas – ½ cup

Garlic - 1 ½ tbsp (roughly chopped)

Chadon Beni/Culantro - ¼ cup (roughly chopped)

Hot Pepper - ½ tbsp or to taste (roughly chopped)

Salt - 1 ½ tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Pholourie:

All Purpose Flour - 3 cups (sifted)

Split Peas Mixture - 1 cup

Instant Yeast - 1 tsp

Baking Powder- 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder- 3/4 tsp

Salt- 1 ½ tsp

Chadon Beni/Culantro - ¼ cup (finely chopped)

Garlic – 4 cloves (finely chopped)

Hot pepper- 1 tsp or to taste (finely chopped)

Water- 1 ¾ cups

Oil for Frying – 4 cups

Method

1. For your split peas mixture, add your water to a small pot and bring to a boil.

2. Once boiling, add all your remaining ingredients and allow to cook until peas are tender (about 25 to 35 minutes).

3. Drain off excess liquid and transfer to your food processor.

4. Process until your mixture turns into a coarse but even consistency.

5. Add to your flour and mix until evenly incorporated.

6. Add your yeast, baking powder, turmeric, and salt and mix until evenly incorporated.

7. Next, add your chadon beni, garlic, and hot pepper.

8. Once evenly incorporated, add your water, 1/3 at a time.

9. You’re aiming for a thick batter.

10. Once it’s reached the desired consistency, cover with a warm damp cloth, clingwrap, or foil and allow to rest for 1 hour.

11. With 10 minutes left on the timer, preheat your oil to 350F.

12. Fill a large pot with oil ensuring to only fill it 1/3 of the way to prevent spillage.

13. Once your oil to preheated, fry your Pholourie.

14. This can be done in 2 ways; by dipping 2 tablespoons in the hot oil, filling 1 with batter, and using the other to scrape it off into the oil.

15. Or you can wet your hand with water, scoop one Pholourie ball worth of batter into your hand and squeeze it out between your thumb and index finger.

16. Once fried to golden perfection, transfer to a wire rack or paper-filled bowl to allow excess oil to drain off.

17. Repeat the process until all your batter is finished.