Quinoa fritters with sesame seeds and peanuts crust

1 cup quinoa
1 small carrot (finely grated)
1 small leek (cut finely)
1 small red onion (chopped)
1 tsp. curry powder
2 cup homemade vegetable stock
1 egg
1/3 cup roughly chopped sunflower seeds
3 tbsp. oat flakes (soaked with 2 tbsp. water)
3 tbsp. parsley (chopped)
1 tsp. dry cumin seeds
salt
pepper
splash of olive oil

for coating
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts (crashed)
frying oil (canola)

Rinse the quinoa in a strainer under running water. Let it drain well. Finely grate carrot. Cut leek into very thin slices. Chop the onion and sauté until golden. Add curry powder, leeks, carrot and quinoa. Sauté shortly. Add vegetable stock, bring to a boil and cook, covered for about 10 minutes over medium heat (or until all the liquid is absorbed). Remove from the heat, fluff, cover and let it stand for another 10 minutes. Uncover and let it cool.

When it’s cooled add remaining ingredients (egg, sunflower seeds, oat flakes, parsley, salt, pepper and cumin) and mix all in.

With hands press handfuls of quinoa into balls. Place onto a tray and sit in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Mix sesame seeds with half of the breadcrumbs. Make the same with peanuts (in different bowl). In a separate bowl mix eggs. Put flour on a plate. Lightly dust the quinoa in the flour and press to flatten between your hands. Coat them with eggs and than with sesame seeds or peanuts.

Add enough oil for deep frying and heat it up. Cook on both sides until golden and crispy (minute or so on each side). Drain on paper towel.
They are best to eat lukewarm or on a room temperature.

Light yogurt dressing to compliment
1 cup yogurt
1 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
few basil leaves (finely chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix al the ingredients and leave in refrigerator to rest for 15 minutes so that all flavors combine.
We ate them with pan fried chicken, wine gravy and sweet sour sauce.

It was a messy job. The mixture wasn’t dry enough, so some of the fritters fall apart. The oil was burning, the smoke was rising. I was swearing and sweating and burnt my hand. Later they were fantastic to eat. I’ll do better next time.

Next time…

Next time came 4 months later, only after my husband complained that simple carbohydrates make us fat. Ok, I said we’ll not eat rice or bread today. Stir fried vegetables with what? And then I remembered this recipe.

I put some shiitake mushrooms in the frying mix, instead of onion I used shallots and instead of leeks spring onion. I add fish stock, otherwise I would have to throw it away. At the end I added some chives and spring onion together with parsley. Coat everything in the mix of white and black sesame seeds. delicious. As a sauce, mix some yoghurt with sliced cappers and fresh dill.