Recipe: Golden Turmeric Latkes
Like chocolate chip cookies, everyone has their preferences. Some like it mushy, some crispy and the same can be said for latkes. Personally, I like to have both textures in the same latke! In my family, we usually spend one of Hanukah’s eight nights together at my aunts house and the tradition is to huddle around around the frying pan with our wineglasses, eating latkes straight off the line. This could be YOU! Because of this history and how latkes are so subject to the number of people that you are making it for, I’ve written it more like a cocktail recipe. In parts, so you can scale up or down.
Recently, I was playing around in the kitchen and posting it to @tofoodies Instagram stories. I found turmeric to be the perfect, happy-coloured, healthful spice to add to my usual recipe, and so did everyone watching. So, it was time to share the recipe! Turmeric has really made these latkes such a pleasing, golden colour and the hint of the spice is so welcome.
Golden Turmeric Latkes
Just in time for Hanukah
Ingredients
1 part of grated onion
2 parts of grated potato
1 teaspoon turmeric (scale up if making a larger batch)
2 tablespoons flour (scale up if making a larger batch)
One egg (scale up if making a larger batch)
Salt and pepper (scale up if making a larger batch)
Optional: serve with sour cream, pickled onion, lemon slices
Method
Mix grated potato and grated onion and place in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to let gravity do the work!
Press down to remove excess liquid and then dump out the bottom bowl. You can now use that same bowl to mix up the latke batter.
Add salt, pepper, egg, flour and at least one teaspoon of turmeric to the onion and potato mix.
Heat minimum 1/2 inch of vegetable oil (no skimping! They won’t taste as yummy if you don’t give into the power of the oil!) in a sturdy pan and begin plopping small scoops into the pan, quickly pressing them down into patty-like shapes. We like them on the thinner and crispier side, so I press down but take them out before they are overcooked so they still have a nice and juicy middle! But, it’s personal preference at this point.
Test your latkes batter by making just one latke first, eating it and to see how you like the salt ratio, crispiness, thickness, etc. Adjust accordingly.
In our humble opinion, these are best eaten straight from the fryer with a dollop of traditional sour cream and a twist of lemon and red wine-pickled onions! But make it personal. Make it you!
It’s pretty clear… Latkes should be eaten all year round!