Galangal is a root that looks like ginger but has a sweet, perfumed taste. Find it fresh (the best choice), frozen, or powdered in Asian markets or gourmet food stores. The citrusy herb lemongrass can be grown from a store-bought stalk; place it in water on the windowsill until it sprouts before transferring it to a pot with soil. These rich fritters need a sweet, tangy sauce; if you don’t have time to make Tamarind Ketchup as the recipe calls for, use the simple Cilantro-Jalapeño Sauce (page 184), or whisk store-bought ketchup with honey, lime juice, and salt.

　　

Ingredients

makes approximately 15 fritters

　　1 stalk lemongrass, root and top half of stem removed

　　2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

　　1 tablespoon galangal, peeled and coarsely chopped

　　2 shallots, coarsely chopped

　　3 ears fresh corn, shucked

　　Salt

　　1 egg, lightly beaten

　　1/2 cup flour

　　Olive oil for frying

　　Tamarind Ketchup (page 178) or a store-bought tamarind sauce

　　1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced for garnish

　　

Step 1

Bruise the lemongrass with the handle of a chef’s knife until the skin splits and the juice begins to seep out. Slice off the root and the papery top third of the stem and discard. Coarsely chop the lemongrass and place in the bowl of a food processor with the ginger, galangal, and shallots. Process until the fibrous lemongrass is completely broken down. You will need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl four or five times.

　　

Step 2

Cut the kernels from the corn. Add 1 cup of the corn kernels to the food processor and grind with the herbs to form a paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in 4 teaspoons of salt and the rest of the corn kernels. Taste the batter and adjust the seasoning, then stir in the egg. Fold in the flour with a spatula. Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Set a wire rack over a baking sheet for draining the fritters. Heat a skillet and pour in 1/2 inch of oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, drop in several spoonfuls of the batter, about 2 tablespoons of batter at a time, and fry for 1 minute. Flip and continue frying until golden, about 1 minute more.

　　

Step 4

Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the rack. Season with salt.

　　

Step 5

Serve the fritters immediately with ketchup and garnish with the scallion greens.

　　Lucid Food