Zucchini and Feta Bhajias
A Recipe from Kiano Moju's book AfriCali—Recipes From My Jikoni
Well, it happened. My kid went back to school. We were lucky—our school starts later than most around here, so we get to enjoy all the August summer weather—but now we’re back to our regular routine of early mornings, afternoon activities (and working in coffee shops while the kid does her thing), and, of course, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner every single night of the week.
Thankfully, I have a few new recipes in my arsenal this year from some amazing cookbooks like Kiano Moju’s gorgeous AfriCali: Recipes From My Jikoni. Last week I shared Kiano’s story of growing up as a cooking-obsessed kid and the journey to define her cooking style—a mix of flavors from her parents’ home countries, Kenya and Nigeria, and the flavors she grew up with in the Bay Area—which she now calls “AfriCali.” This recipe is one of the many in her book that exemplify this style, and we thought it would be a good one to share with all of you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Zucchini & Feta Bhajias
I was living in London when I first learned that Kenya grew zucchini. I was grocery shopping when I picked up a package of zucchini (labeled courgette) that read “grown in Kenya.” This confused me because I have been spending my summers in Kenya since kindergarten, and never once had I seen a zucchini.
Kenya’s agricultural industry had two markets at the time: food grown for locals and food grown for export. Since then, times have changed, and now the zucchini that was once exclusive to Europe has found its way into local supermarkets and slowly onto the menus of modern restaurants.
1 pound green zucchini
Fine sea salt
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 fresh medium hot chili pepper, such as serrano or Fresno
Handful fresh parsley
Handful fresh cilantro
1 ounces feta cheese
1 large egg
6 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 tablespoon Garlic Ginger Paste (recipe below)
Neutral oil, such as avocado or peanut oil, for frying
Sea salt flakes
Herby Yogurt (recipe below), for serving
Line a mixing bowl with a cheesecloth or a clean, thin kitchen towel. Cut the zucchini into matchsticks and place them in the lined bowl. Generously add fine sea salt, then set aside for 15 minutes to draw out any liquid.
After the zucchini has rested, gather the corners of the cloth so all the zucchini is at the bottom, and twist the excess fabric until you have a tight ball. Discard any liquid in the bowl. Over the sink, squeeze the zucchini ball, so the excess water comes out. Any water will make these soggy, so try to remove as much as you can. Place the zucchini back into the mixing bowl.
With a mortar and pestle or rolling pin, roughly crush the coriander seeds. Finely chop the chili pepper (remove the seeds for a milder flavor), parsley, and cilantro (leaves and stems). Crumble the feta. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add everything to the mixing bowl along with the chickpea flour, garlic ginger paste, and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt.
Use your hands to mix well until everything is evenly combined.
Fill a pan with ½ inch oil and heat to 350℉ (180℃). Set a paper towel-lined plate beside the stove. When the oil is ready, working in batches, fry the fritters. With a metal dinner spoon, drop the batter into the hot oil, and use the back of the spoon to press them flat. Be sure to leave space between each fritter. Once the bottom has lightly browned, about 1 minute, use a fork or spatula to carefully flip each fritter and cook the other side until golden brown, another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the oil, drain on the paper towel-lined plate, and immediately season with sea salt flakes.
Enjoy as a snack with the herby yogurt for dipping.
*Kiano notes that these bhajias are also great in the morning with eggs on them—a kind of Benedict-situation. Her book also has a recipe for an amazing passion fruit mimosa (shown in the photo above) that goes well with that combo.
Garlic Ginger Paste
⅓ pound whole fresh ginger
⅓ pound (about 30) garlic cloves
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Leaving the skin on, chop the ginger into ½-inch pieces.
Pulse the chopped ginger, garlic, and salt in a food processor until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Herby Yogurt
Handful fresh mint
Handful fresh parsley
Handful fresh cilantro
1 fresh medium hot chili pepper, such as serrano or Fresno
3 garlic cloves
¼ cup lime juice
⅔ cup whole milk yogurt
Fine sea salt
Remove the mint leaves, discarding the stems. Roughly chop the parsley and cilantro (leaves and stems). Chop the chili pepper (remove the seeds for a milder flavor) into large chunks.
Combine the mint, parsley, cilantro, chili pepper, garlic, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse until it’s coarse in texture. Add the yogurt and blend until it’s bright green and smooth with no large chunks remaining.
Once finished, transfer to a serving bowl or storage container and season with salt to taste. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Other California Recipes to Check Out
If you’re looking for more weeknight-friendly dinners, you’ll enjoy the Santa Cruz Sentinel’s preview of the cookbook What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, which includes a recipe for grilled lemon harissa chicken. I’m also really liking Elizabeth Poett’s peach-filled grilled cheese at The Ranch Table (stuffed grilled cheese is a no-brainer for a school-night dinner when you’re short on time and/or patience).
Lastly, if you haven’t checked out the LA Times’ new “Chef That!” series, you’re missing out! The videos look at the cooking styles of various local chefs, then show how those chefs approach a common dish, to give you a sense of how they think about food. The first one, for a Thai ice cream sundae, made me want to go out and buy mini Thai bananas, red lime paste, palm sugar, and Thai tea (thankfully I already have some canned coconut milk, dried coconut, ice cream, and canned litchi).
Photos: Kristin Teig, courtesy of Simon Element