Zucchini, Summer Squash and Corn Fritters

Today is National Zucchini Day! The question is- how do I know this? Or I guess, the question should be – WHY, do I know this? Well, I know this because every food blogger I know on facebook (and there are hundreds that I follow) has posted it on their walls!!! Yes, I know it all sounds very bizarre – but really there is a whole world out there – of food-bloggers and food-blog-followers and I seem to be in the middle of it all. I have been running my blog for a year and a half now and although I have a whole other REAL life, I have been sucked into the peer pressure of the blogosphere as well. For the past few months, my page has been a go-slow because the summer has been so hectic and my real life seems to have won the struggle against my e.life! With both my kids home from college, their friends coming in and out of the house, other summer visitors and of course all the usual pressures of normal life (ie, work, household chores, the dogs, the yard etc…) I have had little time to blog. So although I have been cooking like a freak, I haven’t had the time to take pictures and write down the recipes.
But today I wanted to get another entrée on my blog and realized that I had only one slightly limp zucchini in the refrigerator. So I combined it with a fresh yellow squash from the backyard and also a juicy fresh corn and made fritters out of the vegetables. The fritters were a cross between Indian Pakoras (Indian fritters made from Gram Flour/Besan) and zucchini pancakes. I flavored them with some Indian spices (Chaat Masala, cumin and Fenugreek leaves) and also some Middle Eastern spice mixture (Zataar powder) and the result was surprisingly great!

Ingredients:

1.    One Zucchini
2.    One Yellow Summer squash
3.    One ear of fresh sweet corn
4.    One shallot or a small part of a large onion
5.    2 cloves of garlic
6.    1.5 teaspoons of Chaat masala (available at south-asian grocery stores)
7.    3 tablespoons of Besan/gram flour (also available at south-asian grocery stores)
8.    1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
9.    2 teaspoons of Zataar Powder (available at Middle Eastern stores)
10.    1 tablespoon of dried Fenugreek leaves (also available at South Asian stores – called Kasuri Methi)
11.    One cup oil for frying
12.    Salt (to taste)…I put very little because Chaat Masala has salt in it already

Directions:

1.    Grate the Zucchini and the Yellow Squash in a large mixing bowl.

2.    Using a sharp knife cut the kernels off the cob of corn and place the kernels in the mixing bowl.

3.    Peel and finely dice the onion and add the diced pieces to the mixing bowl.

4.    Peel and finely grate the garlic in the mixing bowl.

5.    Add the Chaat Masala, dried Fenugreek leaves and cumin to the mixing bowl.
6.    Also add the Zataar powder to the mixing bowl.

7.    Add the Besan to the mixing bowl and mix the contents of the bowl thoroughly to make a thick batter. If the batter seems a bit runny, add more besan.

8.    In a small cooking pot, add the cooking oil and heat it at high heat.

9.    When the oil is hot, with a small spoon add small bits of the batter to the oil to make fritters. Deep fry the fritters till they are crispy and golden brown. Drain the fried fritters (to remove excess oil) on dry kitchen paper towels. Fry the fritters in batches of 6-7 (depending on the size of the pot in which you are frying them. Do not overcrowd the pot or they get stuck to one another.

10.    Serve the fritters while they are still piping hot and crispy with some Tamarind-Date Chutney (available at South-Asian stores) or some ketchup.
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