Here’s another treat I enjoyed very much growing up in a hispanic house hold. Malanga Fritters! In previous posts I’ve included malanga as an ingredient part of specific recipes. Today, malanga is the main attraction!
Similar to the potato, malanga is a root vegetable that is very versatile. This post will be on how to create a delicious bite size snack enjoyable for everyone in the family.
Tip: When cooking with malanga, you want to make sure you handle it while it’s still hot/warm. Once it cools down, unlike the potato, it gets really hard.
Malanga is just so yummy and if you haven’t had it, I highly recommend it. You can even make mashed malanga, just like mashed potatoes! Ok, Ok, I’ll calm down now.
Let me tell you… this is another one of those treats I have to tell myself NOT to make regularly because I WILL eat the entire batch. I try to stay away from fried foods, but sometimes I’ll have myself a little cheat day! 😉
Ingredients:
3 malangas
1cup cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese)
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs onion powder
1/2 Tbs red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Tbs chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 egg
Salt
Pepper
Start by pealing the malanga. The peal is brown, flaky, and dry, but once removed, the malanga is actually white and very slippery. Need to take extra precaution while pealing.
Using the shredding section of a cheese grater, shred the malanga. You should see stringy bits.
Once the malanga is all shredded, combine all the ingredients. The mix should have a texture thick enough to be able to make bite size rounds.
Fill a pot with enough oil to completely submerge the malanga fritters. Bring it to a medium/high heat. Drop the malanga fritters a few at a time. Doing just a few at a time helps to maintain the temperature of the oil. Cook on one side until you see it get golden brown, then flip over.
Place the fritters on a paper towel as you remove them from the pan. This will help absorb and remove any excess oil. Once you’ve cooked all the fritters, feel free to squeeze a little lime juice over top. I feel lime juice just gives food an extra oomf!
