Tradition dictates that we eat these little pancakes of fried goodness every Hannukah, Judaism's Festival of Lights. This eight day celebration commemorates the miracle of a one day supply of oil lasting eight days to rededicate the Second Temple. Eating your body weight in fried carbs for eight days and still fitting into your skinny jeans would be the second miracle of Hannukah.
But they're not just a Hannukah dish. Latkes, like their Swiss sister the rösti, are a great winter comfort food too, and they also make a delicious canapé, topped with whatever you fancy.
This recipe is egg-free, and the sour cream is made from cashews. You can also substitute the potatoes for parsnips and throw in some zucchini as well if you prefer something a little less heavy and starchy. You can choose to fry them, or bake them for a somewhat healthier alternative.
All vegan. All yum!
Makes about 20 small latkes
CASHEW CREAM
½ cup raw cashew nuts, soaked overnight
juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
a pinch of salt, to taste
a dash of apple cider vinegar, or to taste
LATKES
5 medium potatoes about 1 kg
1 onion, finely diced or grated
1 tsp ground sea salt
ground pepper
3 tsp wholegrain mustard
2 tbsp aquafaba* / chickpea brine (optional)
2 tbsp flour (potato starch )
Oil, for frying or baking
Cashew Sour Cream •Rinse soaked cashews well and add to food processor with a bit of water. Blend on low and scrape regularly. It can be tedious with some blenders.
• Add a little more water to make the mixture thick and smooth. Mix in the lemon, apple cider vinegar and salt. Latkes 1. Scrub potatoes clean, peel and grate (use larger holes) into a large bowl. Squeeze out excess liquid with hands, or use a cheesecloth or sieve. 2. Finely dice onion and place into another bowl. Combine with potatoes and add aquafaba, mustard, flour, salt and pepper. 5. Heat your non-stick pan (non-Teflon) on medium heat and coat thinly with olive oil. Once oil is hot add a spoon of the potato mix to the pan and flatten with the back of the spoon. 6. Cook latkes on medium high for a few mins then flip over to the other side when the edges are brown. 7. Remove from pan and place latkes on an absorbent non-bleach kitchen roll. 8. Top with cashew cream and dill, and serve with a side of apple sauce.
Alternatively if you prefer to bake them, skip the pan part and add your latke mixture to a preheated oven of 200° C.
• Brush the baking tray with olive oil. Flatten latkes with spatula on the tray, brush with oil and bake for 10 mins. Flip over and bake for another 10 mins. Cool and serve.