Vegan Chayote Fritters (Cho Cho/Christophine)

Vegan Chayote Fritters (Cho Cho/Christophine)

Learn how to make these delicious vegan chayote (cho cho) fritters. They are totally gluten free and generously seasoned. Crispy on the outside with a soft interior - the perfect island style side dish or appetiser.

Course Appetisers/Snacks

Cuisine Caribbean

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 15

Total Time 45

Servings people

Calories 188kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

1 chayote halved and peeled
1½ cup Charla's gluten free flour (205g)
½ small onion chopped
2 scallion sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast (15g)
½ tablespoon thyme (3.5g)fresh or dried
½ tablespoon parsley (2g)
1 teaspoon black pepper (2g)
1 teaspoon pink salt (6g)
¼ teaspoon scotch bonnet pepper powder (1.23g) or use ½ of a fresh scotch bonnet (optional)
⅓ red bell pepper chopped
1½ cup water (355ml)
olive oil for frying I used about ¼ cup in total

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Use a box grater, to grate both halves of the chayote into shreds in a large bowl.
Use either a cheesecloth or kitchen towel to squeeze out the liquid and discard it.
In another large bowl, add the gluten free flour, onion, scallion, garlic, nutritional yeast, thyme, parsley, black pepper, pink salt and scotch bonnet pepper powder.
Whisk to combine the dry ingredients together.
Add the shredded chayote and red bell pepper then stir.
Slowly pour in the water in stages (you might not use all of the water) while stirring to create a smooth batter - it shouldn't be too thin nor too thick, just somewhere in between.
On medium-high heat, add the olive oil to a large frying pan (make sure the oil is very hot).
Spoon the batter into the frying pan and repeat without overcrowding the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook each side until golden brown. Moving the pan from side to side to evenly distribute the oil.

Notes

- It is important to squeeze out ALL of the liquid from the shredded chayote to avoid soggy fritters. Don't skip this step!

- Any leftovers should be refrigerated for up to 2 days and re-heated via a pan with a small amount of oil.

- I haven't tried freezing these fritters so play it safe by refrigerating them only.

- You want to shred the chayote as thinly as possible using a box grater.

- When spooning the batter into the frying pan, don't make the fritters too thick or they will be raw on the inside.

- Make sure to fry each side until golden brown AND crispy as this will help with the structure.
- The total amount of fritters will depend on the size. I made 9 small fritters in total, yours may vary.

- Make sure the hot is very hot, hot oil will create a crispy coating for the fritters. If the oil isn't hot enough the fritters will absorb a lot of the oil like a sponge.

- Make sure your batter isn't too thick nor too runny. It should be a medium consistency, if it's too runny add a tablespoon more of flour. If too thick, thin it out with a splash of water.

- Make sure to use a non stick frying pan to eliminate using an excess amount of oil. It will take awhile for it to crisp up with the amount of oil I used but it's healthier than deep fat frying your fritters.

Nutrition