Nigerian Sweet Potato Fritters
Boiled and mashed sweet potato folded with a fresh scotch bonnet, red pepper and onion base, then deep fried into crisp golden rounds. Nigerian small chop at its easiest.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Fritters
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 small red onion roughly chopped
- 1-2 scotch bonnet peppers or habanero, stemmed
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt plus more for finishing
- ½ teaspoon ground crayfish optional but traditional
- 6 cups groundnut oil peanut oil, for deep frying
For the Pepper Dip
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- ½ small red onion chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper or habanero
- 1 plum tomato chopped
- 3 tablespoons groundnut oil
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
Boil and Dry the Sweet Potatoes
- Boil the peeled cubed sweet potatoes in salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife passes through with no resistance.
- Drain well, return them to the empty hot pot over low heat, and shake for 2 minutes until the surfaces look dry and chalky. Do not skip this step.
Blend the Pepper Base
- Blend the red bell pepper, red onion and scotch bonnet to a coarse paste with no added water.
Mix and Fry
- Mash the warm dried sweet potatoes until smooth.
- Fold in the pepper paste, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and ground crayfish if using, mixing only until the batter comes together. It should hold its shape on a spoon and fall off slowly.
- Rest the batter 10 minutes while you heat 2 inches of groundnut oil to 350 degrees F.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of batter into the oil, no more than five or six at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown all over.
- Lift onto a wire rack, season with a pinch of salt, and let the oil return to temperature between batches.
Make the Pepper Dip
- Blend the red bell pepper, red onion, scotch bonnet and tomato to a coarse puree.
- Fry the blend in 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until it darkens and the raw edge cooks off. Season with salt and serve warm alongside the fritters.
Notes
- Dry the mash: Two minutes back in the hot empty pot removes the water that makes a fritter greasy.
- Blend dry: No water in the pepper base, or you will need extra flour and end up with a heavy fritter.
- Oil temperature: Hold 350 degrees F and fry five or six at a time. Six fritters drop the oil 20 to 25 degrees.
- Scotch bonnet substitute: Habanero is the closest. Fresno or red jalapeno for a milder version.
- Ground crayfish: Sold at African groceries and online. Optional, but it adds a savory note nothing else gives.
- Storage: Airtight in the fridge up to 3 days, reheat at 375 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes. Never the microwave.
- Freezer: Freeze on a tray, then bag up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 375 degrees F for 12 minutes.