Broccoli is a lovely vegetable loaded with full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. I love to have them tossed with just salt and pepper. But who does not love fritters? 😉 This recipe is so simple. One of the great way to nosh these broccoli is by tossing them with a bit of flour, garlic, good cheese, spices and sizzle them in oil. You can serve them with sour cream/yogurt dip with chopped scallions and squeeze of lemon. Or just squeeze some lemon, it still delightful. This are perfect for sneaking veggies into an easy appetizer. That cheese provides creaminess to the dish. And always broccoli compliments cheese in a great way. I used to have baked broccoli with just little bit of cheese. They just taste great. I made them eggless for my vegetarian friends 🙂 you can always add egg if you like to. The broccoli is not grated or pureed here, leave it in small recognizable chunks. Shhhh..that’s the trick here! 😉
I added chilly flakes, green chillies, chilli powder and pepper for spice. If you are not fond of spicy dishes, reduce the spice by not adding green chillies and chilli powder.
You can make this dish gluten free by using gluten free all-purpose flour. Kids would love this dish. It can be stored for 2-3 days at least. Reheat it in microwave when you want to have it. They don’t lose their crispiness much.
This dish can be made quickly. Their cooking process is similar to pancakes they cook really fast. You can even bake this dish, but it’s much quicker in a big pan. You can also serve them as a Pattie in a veggie burger topped with a fried egg. 🙂 Great. right?
My other favorite appetizers:
SPICY SWEET KIWI LAMB WALNUT PUFFS, chickpeas con capsicum puffs, jalapeno cheese muffins
- Broccoli – 3 cups chopped
- All-purpose flour – ½ cup
- Garlic -1 clove, minced
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Red pepper flakes / Red chilli – 1 tsp/ 1 broken.
- Chilli powder – 2 tsp (optional)
- Bread crumbs – 1 tbsp (optional)
- Parmesan Cheese -2 tbsp
- Nacho cheese/ cheddar cheese / blend of cheeses – 2 tbsp
- Green chillies- 1 chopped finely (optional)
- Spring onions/scallions – 2 tbsp chopped
- Pepper powder – 1 tsp
For Yogurt-Lemon dip: - Yogurt – ½ cup
- Lemon juice – Fresh 1 tbsp
- Salt – to taste
- Garlic – 1 clove (minced)
- Green onion (green part) – ½ tbsp (to garnish)
- Broccoli Preparation: Chop broccoli. I use even the stems; as the skin is thick, it doesn't cook quickly, slice them into ½-inch lengths. Bring a small saucepan of hot water to boil, add the broccoli, and steam them for 5 minutes. Do not over boil them. And also add water just to cover them, may be ½ inch of water in a small saucepan. After boiling, drain the water and keep it aside to cool.
- Batter Preparation: Place the parmesan, flour, garlic, salt, pepper, chilli flakes, green chillies, spring onions, cheese and chilli powder in a medium bowl. Add broccoli and mix them till they are all combined. With a large fork/potato masher, mash the broccoli until soft but recognizable chunks. Stir everything again.
- Pan fry: Heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium high with some olive oil. I used my non-stick griller for this recipe. Once the oil is hot, scoop two tablespoons of batter and drop it into the pan, then flatten it with a spatula or spoon. Don’t leave it thick; the inside will then remain uncooked. Cook until golden brown on both sides. It took 2-3 minutes for me per side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat same steps with the additional batter.
- Yogurt Lemon Dip: Mix all the ingredients under “for yogurt lemon dip”. Top it with green onions/coriander to garnish.
2. Add egg if you need. It does give nice bonding. But I wanted it to make it vegetarian friendly.
3. You can also serve them as a Patty in a veggie burger topped with a fried egg.
4. The broccoli is not grated or pureed here, leave it in small recognizable chunks.
5. Make sure to flatten the fritters when you add them in pan, or else it hard to cook inside.
6. You can substitute sour cream for yogurt in the yogurt lemon dip.
7. You can just use one cheese, not necessary to use all cheese.
