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Vjazi

Vjazi is my version of Viazi Karai, (“potato fritters” or “potato bhajia” in Swahili) a Kenyan street food that is especially famous in the coastal region of the country. It is essentially deep fried potatoes dipped in a mixture of gram flour and turmeric to give it that orange color. It can be enjoyed on its won, with chili sauce, tomato sauce, ketchup, chutney, or Ukwaju sauce.

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Ingredients

  • 1lb/2kg potatoes

  • 1 1/2 cups Gram Flour

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 cups Vegetable Oil

  • 3 tbsp Turmeric

  • 1/8 tsp salt

  • 3 scallions

  • 2 tbsp garam marsala

  • 1 tbsp Chili Flakes

  • 1 tbsp Paprika

  • Pinch salt

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Instructions

  • Peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks or cubes, and boil them in salt water until they are tender (about 10-12 min), meanwhile, prepare the batter.

  • Chop scallions, dividing the green and white parts.

  • Mix 1 cup gram flour with the paprika, 1 tbsp turmeric, 1 tbsp chili flakes, and 1 tbsp garam marsala. (And maybe green scallions) (can add in garlic paste or garlic powder)

  • Add in water and mix until you get a nice, smooth texture

  • Drain the potatoes and plunge them into cold water or set aside to cool.

  • Add potatoes to batter and toss to coat evenly

  • Heat oil over medium high heatand add coated potatoes

  • Once golden, add them to a plate or bowl lined with a paper towel.

  • Garnish with the rest of the scallions

  • Eat by itself, with chutney or Kachuumbrai, tomato sauce, tamarind sauce, hot sauce, lemon wedge, or onion rings

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Variations

  • Add just a bit of garlic paste to the batter if you want a nice garlic-y flavor. You can also add some minced garlic to the finished dish as a garnish either in addition to the paste or instead of it.

  • You can substitute the marsala for cumin powder

  • If you prefer gluten-y flour, you can use that, though you might need to double the recipe

  • The chili flakes can be swapped with cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

  • You can leave out paprika

  • Canola or peanut oil can be used instead of vegetable oil

  • Use the batter for onion rings

  • Mix chutney powder with ketchup. I did this when I was a kid over at my best friend’s house and his parents served me dosa (an Indian savory crepe) and got out some of the chutney powder, and I took some ketchup mixed it with the chutney, and apparently my friend stared at me for a minute, tried it, stared at me for another minute wondering why he’d never thought of that, and then went ahead and did it himself from then on)

  • Low-fat recipe: Place the battered potatoes in an air fryer basket and cook for 15 min at 380F, turning halfway.

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Nutritional Info

(Coming Soon)

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Tried it?

Message me, or post a video or picture of your dish on social media and tag me! I'd love to see it!

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