Indonesia Eats Cook-Up: Dadar Jagung (Corn Fritters)

In my household, fritters reign supreme. No one would think twice about eating something that's been coated in batter and fried up to puffy perfection, be it bananas, shrimp, potatoes, chicken, even ice-cream! Oh, I know it's not enormously healthy, all that deep fried stuff. But if drained properly of excess oil and eaten in moderation, homemade fritters containing all the goodness of fresh, raw produce and herbs are healthier than say, repeatedly undergoing colonic irrigation while 'detoxing' at a rather expensive yoga retreat. Figuratively speaking, of course.

This post is therefore my ode to fritters - corn fritters, to be exact. Ever since Pepy of  The Art and Science of Food gifted us with her recent Indonesian Corn Fritters or Dadar Jagung post, my hands have been itching to replicate these tasty little babies. And my mind has been dreaming constantly of eating them, while my stomach has been waiting forever for them to arrive. Yes, I was that obsessed.

Good thing that Pepy is organising an Indonesian Eats Cook-Up Contest throughout the whole month of September, when she invites her readers to use any of the recipes featured on her blog from January 2009 to August 2010. Not that I needed much encouragement, of course, to make any one of her wonderfully authentic Indonesian dishes. But it was the Corn Fritters that kept whispering my name.

Before I go on further, let me clarify that I actually do not qualify to be in the running to win the prize for this Cook-Up. Not because Pepy dislikes my propensity to gatecrash, but simply because I do not reside in the US or Canada (something to do with shipping restrictions or the like). I'd really wanted to make those corn fritters, though...*wistful*... so I asked Pepy if I could send in my post for her round-up anyway, and she kindly said yes!

So here it is, my representation of Indonesian Corn Fritters. Although, they might not be strictly accurate replicas of Pepy's fritters since I've adapted the recipe slightly to suit the ingredients I currently have available. In addition, I've made a snazzy, sweet-sour-spicy tomato dip to go with the fritters. Hey, I'm allowed a bit of creative freedom as I'm not going for the prize anyway, right?

All these fresh produce, for under US$3 :-)

Some beautiful red and purple chillies I'd nicked from my friend's garden. They were irresistable!

Yeay, I get to play with my corn cutter gadget thingy. So much fun.

 

Spicy Tomato Dip sprinkled with those mysterious purple chillies

 

  

Dadar Jagung/ 'Indonesian' Corn Fritters with Spicy Tomato Dip

Ingredients:
4 fresh sweet corns, shaved off the cob with a knife
1 eggplant, diced
1/2 cup dried shrimps (can use fresh shrimps)
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1 cup water
1 egg, lightly beaten
sea salt and pepper, to taste
oil, for frying

Spicy Tomato Dip
4 medium tomatoes, steamed until the skin splits
1 tablespoon chilli paste (or use about 3 fresh chillies, sliced)
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Soak the dried shrimps in water for a few minutes, drain, then pound with a pestle and mortar to grind them (or just chop them finely). If using fresh shrimps, just clean, de-shell and slice into smaller pieces.

2. Place the sweetcorn, eggplant, shrimps, shallots, garlic, basil and coriander in a large bowl. Add flour, water and egg slowly, stir gently until batter becomes smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan and drop a tablespoonful of batter into the hot oil and fry on medium high heat for a few minutes on both sides. When the fritters turn golden brown, scoop them up with a spatula and place on paper towels on a plate to drain excess oil. Serve together with the spicy tomato dip while still warm.

4. To make the dip, peel the skin off the steamed tomatoes and slice them. Place tomatoes, chillies (or paste), shallots, garlic, lime juice, and honey in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.