Mucver (Turkish Courgette/Zucchini Fritters)

I first had mucver (pronounced mooshvare) at a Turkish restaurant near my parents’ house in New Haven when I was in college. I loved their melty, velvety texture. They still packed a punch of flavour, and were super satisfying as a vegetarian main. While it may be possible to transform this into a vegan recipe, I wouldn’t recommend it. The melt of the feta is fundamental, and I don’t know a vegan cheese replacement that can mimic the silky-smoothness needed. I originally used an Elaine Louie recipe from New York Times Cooking to make my own, but this is an evolved version of the recipe of my own making.

Ingredients: (makes approx 14-16 fritters)

2 medium courgettes

2 medium eggs (in the UK this is common, in the US, where Grade A Large is standard, you may have to experiment with the proportions a little bit)

135 g feta (about 2/3 of a standard package)

2 green onions/scallions, green parts only

A big handful of fresh coriander (Traditionally, mucver is made with dill. I don’t currently have any on hand, and the coriander tasted great. If you don’t like the taste of coriander, use the traditional dill instead. Fresh is always best.)

1/3 cup plain flour (all-purpose)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

Black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

2/3 cup plain natural yoghurt

2 cloves of garlic

Directions:

• Shred the courgette. I recommend using a food processor if possible, but if you need to use a grater by hand, it’s not terribly hard work.

• Transfer the courgette to a strainer, and salt liberally. Do not be shy– the flavour of the salt will cook out but it’s important to get as much water out of the courgette as possible. Set the strainer over a bowl to drain.

• Meanwhile, finely slice the green onions.

• Chop the feta into small, rough cubes– think about avoiding too many big chunks in the fritters.

• Finely chop the coriander.

• Beat the eggs in the bottom of a large bowl.

• Transfer the courgette into a clean kitchen towel, and wrap it up tightly. Holding it over the sink, wring the water out of the courgette, until you can’t squeeze any more liquid out.

• Mix the courgette and egg together.

• Add the flour, baking powder, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

• Add the feta, green onion, and coriander. Give it all a thorough mix with a wooden spoon.

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• Heat a wide based pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil, at least 2-3 tablespoons to start. To know when it’s hot enough, take a little piece of courgette shred and toss it in the oil. If it sizzles, it’s ready.

• Scoop table-spoon sized amounts of the fritter mixture and gently ladle them into the pan. Leave plenty of space between fritters and don’t overcrowd. When the edges are starting to look golden-brown, flip the fritters and allow the other side to become golden-brown and crispy. Transfer fritters to kitchen towel to drain any excess oil. Continue to fry batches, adding oil to the pan as needed.

• For the sauce, crush two cloves of garlic and mix with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the natural yoghurt. (If you don’t have a garlic press, either grate the garlic, or crush the cloves with the flat part of your knife on a cutting board, rubbing the salt into the garlic to form a paste, then mix with the yoghurt as usual.)

Enjoy hot with the yogurt sauce drizzled over the top.