Thai Corn Fritters with Fresh Cucumber Relish

I went to battle the other day.  I wish I could say that this battle was against an Iron Chef in Kitchen Stadium, but who am I kidding – being a chef on that show would be way too intense.  I think I might run away as fast as I could as soon as the secret ingredient was revealed!

Instead this battle was waged in my own Kitchen Stadium against some explosive corn fritters.  I’m sorry to say that there were some casualties during this battle.  Without warning the corn kernels in these ferocious fritters would explode, throwing hot oil projectiles in every direction.  While trying to flip a fritter and suppress some of this hostility, I took a direct hit to the eyelid.  Yes, it hurt, but I didn’t go down easily.  Armed with a large pot cover for a shield, I came back and showed those fritters who was boss.

Though the fritters were fierce opponents, in the end they did go down pretty easily.  Victory tasted so sweet!  Or should I say, tasted sweet and savory with a kick of heat from the Thai curry paste.   Yes, despite all the trouble I had, these crispy little fritters were delicious.  A fresh and tangy cucumber relish helped to further tame these fritters by providing a cooling contrast to the spicy fried flavor.

I would definitely recommend this recipe, but the big lesson learned from this battle was—when frying corn fritters, it is best to have something to shield yourself from the exploding corn and oil (and maybe even wear some protective eye gear!).  Next time I might also try to reduce the amount of oil for frying the fritters.  This might help reduce the chance of sustaining causalities from the hot oil, as well as cut down on the calories and fat in this dish.

Thai Corn Fritters with Cucumber Relish

Adapted from the Café Flora Cookbook

Thai Corn Fritters

You can use either fresh or frozen corn kernels for this recipe.  Since corn is not in season right now I used frozen.  The original recipe called for a tablespoon of Thai red curry paste.  The store bought Thai curry paste that I used for this dish has a very concentrated flavor, so I ended up cutting the amount of curry paste I used.  Depending on the type of curry paste you use, you may have to add more or less. The batter for the fritters also needs to chill for an hour before it is cooked.  While the batter chills, you can put together the cucumber relish (see recipe below).

• 2 cups corn kernels
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• ¼ cup of all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons of red curry paste
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• vegetable oil

In a food processor, blend together 1 cup of the corn kernels and the celery.  In a bowl, mix together the finely chopped corn kernels and celery with the remaining corn, the flour, baking powder, and red curry paste.  Once mixed, refrigerate for an hour.

Pour enough vegetable oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat oil over medium heat.  When oil is hot add a heaping teaspoon of batter for each fritter to the pan.  Cook for about 2 minutes on one side. Flip the fritter and cook for another 2 minutes. Watch out for the hot oil!  The fritters should be golden brown and the center should cooked through.  Remove fritters from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Served fritters topped with cucumber relish.

Cucumber Relish

• 1 English cucumber, slice in half and deseeded
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cut the seeded cucumber into small 1-inch slices and then roughly chop.  Place the chopped cucumbers into a small bowl and mix in cilantro, mint and basil.  Add vinegar, sugar and red pepper flakes and allow mixture to marinate for 30 minutes.

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