These flavorful Zucchini Paneer Fritters/Tikkis with a beautiful golden crunch on the outside, creamy cheesy soft inside are so delicious with a touch of warm aromatic spices. They make an elegant brunch, after school snack or just as delicious tucked in a brioche bun as a vegetarian burger. Normally you’ll see them made with halloumi which is super delicious, but I had some paneer that needed using up so this was just the perfect recipe to use as a substitute. This recipe makes 10-12 small snack-sized fritters or 6-7 large zucchini burgers ready to be stuffed in buns.
Prepping Zucchini
Zucchinis hold a lot of water and it’s important to squeeze out excess liquid before using it in the recipe. We first grate the zucchinis, then use a small amount of salt over the zucchini to draw out most of the moisture. This also adds a lovely subtle saltiness to the finished dish. Here how’s its done!
- Grate the zucchini using a box grater. Place grated zucchini in a large sieve, lined with a cheese cloth over a bowl. Sprinkle with half a teaspoon of salt.Â
- Mix it well into the grated zucchini and let the zucchini rest for 10-15 minutes. At this point the zucchini will sweat out a substantial amount of moisture ready to be squeeze.Â
- Squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Repeat this 3-4 times until you feel there is not much moisture left.
- Two large zucchini will produce almost a cup of zucchini juice. This nutrient green zucchini juice is full of zucchini goodness and can be had straight up or added to smoothies, green juices etc.
Next…
Add the remaining ingredients, gently mix the and form into small fritters(1/3 cup) or large burgers sized (1/2 cup). Pan fry on low-medium heat for 3-5 minutes until golden, fire and crispy. Serve as a snack with a chutney, over a salad, tucked into a toasted brioche bun, or top it with some smoked salmon, dill sauce, fresh spring greens, the latter will probably look like something one would pay $$ at a fancy coffee shop.
Zucchini Paneer Fritters/ Tikki
Equipment
- Box grater
- frying pan
- Cheese Cloth
Ingredients
- 1 lb Zucchini grated(see notes)
- 6-8 oz fresh paneer or halloumi crumbled
- 3-4 spring onions, chopped finely
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme or oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp mild paprika use hot if you them spicier
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 egg
- up to ½ all purpose flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
Serving Suggestions
- Spring greens
- sliced avocado
- Dill Sauce
- Mint Chutney
- Brioche Buns
- Fruit chutney
Instructions
- Place grated zucchini in a large over a bowl lined with a cheese cloth or sieve. Sprinkle with the salt and toss gently to thoroughly mix zucchini and salt. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. Gather the corners, roll the cloth of the cheese cloth or using your hands squeeze out the zucchini juice into a bowl. Do this a few times till you feel zucchini is dry enough.
- Add squeezed zucchini, finely chopped spring onion and grated paneer or halloumi to a large bowl. Add the ground cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, oregano/thyme, paprika, black pepper, salt and egg. Mix well. Add baking powder and flour to the bowl and gently mix until just combined. You may need a little more or less flour to bring the fritters together. Rest the mixture in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up.
- Warm a 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium. (prefrebaably no-stick)
- Scoop about ⅓-½ cup batter, form it into a fritter and place it onto the warmed pan. Add up to 2-3 more fritters on the pan making sure there its enough room to flip the fritters. This will depend on the size of your pan. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes until golden and crispy. Lower the heat to medium- low and fry each side for a further 3-4 minutes. When cooked through and crispy, transfer the fritter onto a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Fritters are best eaten fresh off the pan with serving suggestions above or stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. Individually fritters can be packed in a freezer-safe container, separated by baking paper and frozen for up to 3 month. To eat, they can be toasted or microwaved from frozen.***I have not frozen these fritters before so can't say if they'll freeze well.
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