The Food Diaries

Carrot & beet fritters

A lovely but straightforward alternative to falafel.

In a bowl mix together 1 cup grated raw carrots, 1 cup grated raw beets (peeled, and if you can find the golden/yellow variety of beet, all the better), 1 egg, 2 heaping tbs flour, and a pinch of salt. (optional: add 1/2 cup chopped onion though I prefer to do without). 

Form into small patties and place in a hot frying pan in which you have warmed 1 tbs rapeseed oil. Fry till golden on both sides and cooked through.

This is great served alongside some pita bread and houmous.

Kinpira Gobo (Burdock and Carrot Salad)

I first had this dish at my favourite conveyor belt sushi restaurant in London - Kulu Kulu in Covent Garden and I have wanted to recreate it ever since. Tracking down burdock root (or Gobo) is not the easiest thing in the world, and actually is quite fiddly to peel and cut up. Much better to buy them pre-cut into matchstick-sized pieces (I lucked out in the frozen section of the Japan Centre, London).

Heat a 1 tbs of vegetable oil in a frying pan and briefly stir fry 1 1/2 cups burdock root and 1/2 cup carrots cut into matchsticks. Add 1 1/2 tbs mirin, 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbs sake, 1 tbs sugar, and a pinch of Nanami Togarashi (a Japanese chili mix) or substitute plain chili flakes. It should still be crunchy.

Serve with a drizzle of sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds.