Pholourie

Ingredients

Batter

• 250 gsplit pea flour, or 250 g yellow split peas, soaked and ground
• 150 gplain flour
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tspinstant yeast, or 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tspsugar
• about 300 ml warm water

Optional

• 1hot pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tbspchopped chadon beni or coriander

Mango sour

• 2green mangoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 clovesgarlic
• 1hot pepper
• 1 tbspbrown sugar
• juice of 1 lime
• salt
• 200 mlwater

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

Directions

1. Mix the split pea flour, plain flour, turmeric, cumin, salt, garlic, yeast and sugar. The turmeric is for colour as much as flavour, and pholourie should be a clear yellow. Add warm water gradually, whisking, into a thick smooth batter. It should be thick enough to drop from a spoon in a lump rather than run, roughly like a stiff cake batter.
2. Cover it and leave it in a warm place for 2 hours if using yeast, until it is visibly bubbly and risen. With baking powder there is no rise needed and it can be fried after 15 minutes.
3. Use green unripe mango, which is sour and firm. Blend or mash it with the garlic, pepper, sugar, lime and salt. It should be sharply sour first, then hot, then faintly sweet, and it should be thin enough to dip into.
4. Heat the oil to 175°C (345°F). Now scoop the batter with a wet spoon or squeeze it out between your thumb and forefinger, dropping small balls into the oil. Keep your hand and the spoon wet, because the batter sticks to anything dry. Make them small, about the size of a walnut.
5. Fry a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning them, until deep golden all over. They will turn themselves as they cook, and nudging them keeps the colour even. Keep the oil at a steady moderate temperature. Too hot and they colour before the inside cooks, which is the usual failure.
6. Break one open to check the first batch before frying the rest. The inside should be light, hollow and completely cooked, with no raw batter at the centre. Drain on a rack rather than paper.
7. Serve hot in a paper bag or a bowl with the mango sour poured over or served alongside. They are eaten hot from street vendors and at parties, and they are always served with a sour dip, whether mango, tamarind or a hot pepper sauce.

Technique

• Tamarind sour is the other classic dip and is used interchangeably.
• They go heavy as they cool and are made to be eaten immediately.
• The batter can be made the night before and kept in the fridge.

Substitutions

• Baking powder in place of yeast, which is much faster.
• Tamarind chutney in place of mango sour.

Variations

• With chopped hot pepper through the batter.
• Served with tamarind sour.
• Made larger, as a fritter rather than a ball.

History

Fritters of ground split peas served with tamarind or mango sour, an Indo-Guyanese street snack shared with Trinidad.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pholourie?

Pholourie is a street food from Guyana: fried split-pea dough balls dipped in mango sour. Fritters of ground split peas served with tamarind or mango sour, an Indo-Guyanese street snack shared with Trinidad.

How long does Pholourie take to make?

Pholourie takes 20 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 40. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Pholourie?

Yes, within limits. Baking powder in place of yeast, which is much faster. Tamarind chutney in place of mango sour.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pholourie?

Mix the split pea flour, plain flour, turmeric, cumin, salt, garlic, yeast and sugar. The turmeric is for colour as much as flavour, and pholourie should be a clear yellow. Add warm water gradually, whisking, into a thick smooth batter. It should be thick enough to drop from a spoon in a lump rather than run, roughly like a stiff cake batter.