I made this at a cooking school in Istanbul
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 2 zucchini
- 1/2 bunch green onions (finely chopped)
- 4 tablespoons plain flour
- 8 ounces feta cheese (crumbled)
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 1 bunch fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon turkish chili flakes (turkish chilli flakes are de-seeded before being dired and crushed)
- sunflower oil (for frying)
- Carbohydrate 12.7146894209526 g
- Cholesterol 236.582151118 mg
- Fat 16.7620002176345 g
- Fiber 1.8837166970454 g
- Protein 15.9168457885494 g
- Saturated Fat 9.90134436662063 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (220g)
- Sodium 708.380600690039 mg
- Sugar 10.8309727239071 g
- Trans Fat 1.46087404783215 g
- Calories 261 calories
Step-by-step
- Wash ends of zucchini (to remove dirt and brown end piece) and slice down the middle making sure part of the stem is still on each side. Remove most of the seeds and grate using a medium sized grater. Hold at 45 degrees and use long movements to get long strips.
- Mix together and finely chop the dill, parsley and mint.
- In a large bowl break down the cheese and mix in the eggs, flour, herbs, green onions, salt and chili. Gently mix in the zucchini and let mixture sit for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil in fry pan (enough to cover base of pan). Drop in a small scoop of the zucchini mixture, enough to make a pancake about 5 inches in diameter. Repeat until pan is full and cook both sides until golden brown.
- Lay cooked patty on paper towel to absorb excess oil and serve hot with a garlic or chili sauce.
Swapping regular table salt for flaked sea salt alters the moisture extraction rate, requiring a full tablespoon instead of a teaspoon to properly draw out water from the squash. Zucchini contains up to ninety percent water, which acts as the primary obstacle to achieving a crisp exterior during frying. Removing this liquid protects the flour binder from turning gummy.
Mastering Moisture and Pan Dynamics
Grate the zucchini on a box grater using long, diagonal strokes to produce uniform strands rather than mush. Squeezing the grated vegetable firmly inside a clean cotton tea towel removes excess moisture before it ever touches the mixing bowl. Without this extraction step, the batter thins out too much and absorbs excessive oil during frying. Heat the sunflower oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit in a heavy cast-iron skillet to ensure an immediate crust forms on contact. Maintain oil depth at roughly one-quarter inch to fry evenly without submerging the patties.
- If the feta cheese is particularly dry, add one extra tablespoon of milk to balance the moisture level of the batter.
- When fresh mint is unavailable, substitute dried mint using a ratio of one teaspoon of dried herb for every tablespoon of fresh.
- Crowding the pan causes the oil temperature to drop rapidly, resulting in greasy patties; fry in batches of three or four instead.
