FRIED PEA AND MINT PATTY SANDWICHES: PEA-LAFELS

Fried Pea and Mint Patty Sandwiches: Pea-lafels image

Provided by Aarti Sequeira

Time 34m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

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1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, plus 3/4 cup whole leaves
Kosher salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed and drained
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed and drained (if you can't find these, or don't like them, substitute with an extra cup of peas)
1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Generous 1/4 cup chickpea flour (besan, available at Indian stores; regular flour is a fine substitute)
Canola oil, for frying
2 large pitas, halved
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into large dice
1 large English cucumber, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds

Steps:

In a small skillet, toast the fennel and coriander seeds for a couple of minutes until they're fragrant and slightly darker, about 2 minutes. Don't walk away from the pan! They'll burn! Remove from the pan and throw into a coffee/spice grinder. Grind to a fine powder.
Meanwhile, make the yogurt sauce: Mix the yogurt with the 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves and a generous pinch of salt. Chill in the fridge.
Throw the peas, edamame, ground spices, shallot, garlic, remaining whole mint leaves, olive oil, and salt into a food processor. Whizz it up and puree until smooth. It won't get completely smooth because of the edamame, but process until it is as smooth as possible.
Scrape into a big bowl and stir in the flour. The mixture will still be pretty soft. Not to worry!
Pour enough oil into a large cast iron skillet so that it's 1/4-inch deep. Heat over medium heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, with wet hands, shape the pea mixture into 12 small patties the size of a golf ball, and then gently drop into the oil. Fry until the bottoms are dark caramel brown, about 2 minutes, and then carefully flip over. Brown the other side, and then remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Serve warm in a pita bread pocket stuffed with the fresh veggies and a spoonful of the yogurt sauce.