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Bayagyaw (split pea fritters)
Pe gyaw (ပဲကြော်): lacy, crunchy split-pea fritters with onion and green chilli
Every Yangon tea shop worth its sweet milky tea keeps a tray of these by the counter from dawn, and hawkers sell them by the bag at bus stops. Soaked yellow split peas are ground until coarse, mixed with sliced onion, chilli and a spoon of rice flour, then dropped into hot oil as thin, ragged patties that fry up shatteringly crisp at the edges and nutty in the middle. People snap them into bowls of mohinga, crumble them over noodle and rice salads, or eat them plain with a sharp chilli-garlic vinegar. Blending the peas to a smooth paste is the trap: you lose the gritty texture that makes them crunch and the fritters turn dense. Chef's tip: soak the peas the night before, and fry a test fritter first; if it falls apart, stir in another spoon of rice flour.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fritters
- 9 oz yellow split peassoaked in plenty of water for 6–8 hours
- 1 onionhalved and thinly sliced
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 10 curry leaves (optional)torn, optional
- 3 tbsp rice flour
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
For the chilli vinegar dip
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 garlic clovescrushed
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Drain 9 oz yellow split peas well and shake them dry in a sieve for a few minutes; extra water makes the batter spit and the fritters soggy.
Step 2: Pulse the peas in a food processor in short bursts for about 1 minute, until they look like coarse, damp breadcrumbs with some half peas still visible. Stop well before they turn to paste.
1 minStep 3: Tip into a bowl and mix in 1 onion, 2 green chillies, 10 curry leaves, 3 tbsp rice flour, ¼ tsp ground turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Squeeze a handful; it should just hold together.
Step 4: Stir 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 garlic cloves, ½ tsp dried chilli flakes, 1 tsp sugar and 1 pinch salt together until the sugar dissolves, and set aside to mellow while you fry.
Step 5: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan over a medium-high heat to 350°F, or until a pinch of batter sizzles and rises straight away. Never fill the pan more than a third full.
6 minStep 6: Take a heaped tablespoon of batter, flatten it on your fingers or a wet spatula to a rough 7 cm disc about 5 mm thick, and slide it into the oil. Fry 4–5 at a time.
Step 7: Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and the lacy edges are crisp and quiet in the oil. Lift out onto a rack or kitchen paper.
5 minStep 8: Keep frying in batches, letting the oil come back to temperature between each, until all the batter is used.
8 minStep 9: Serve hot with the chilli vinegar, or break them over mohinga or a rice salad. They keep their crunch for a few hours; re-crisp in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bayagyaw (split pea fritters) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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