Last Updated on January 11, 2020 by Chef Mireille
Phulourie – Split Pea Fritters
Phulourie are one of the most popular street foods in Trinidad & Guyana. These vegan snacks are a great option for game day parties!
Today I am joining a group of bloggers in the Eat the World Challenge. Now all of my regular readers know this challenge was designed for us – people who like to delve deep into the cuisines and cultures around the world. Before we get to today’s Trini recipe, we need to talk a little about Guyana to give you some reference.
Guyana and Suriname, although geographically in South America, are culturally and economically part of the Caribbean. Guyana and Trinidad have very similar cuisines. They are the two Caribbean countries with the largest Indian descended populations.
Many Indians came to these countries in the 1800’s as indentured servants to replace the slave population, that were now free. Today, 42% of Trinidad’s population claim at least partial Indian heritage. The cuisine of India was brought with these Indian transplants, albeit with local adaptations to the recipes.
Phulourie – Split Pea Fritters are basically the Trini version of an Indian pakora or bhaji. Although I am presenting this recipe to represent Trini cuisine, it is just as popular in Guyana.
One of my aunt’s is from Tobago, the sister island of Trinidad. I grew up eating these at most family parties and now I always make them for family get togethers.
They are great for parties. This recipe makes a lot as I am always making it for family get togethers. Once you start making these, they will become a requested item for your family get together’s too.
This recipe makes about 100 Phulourie – Split Pea Fritters but they are easily reheatable in the oven.
Serve them with your favorite chutneys. You can check out my homemade Tamarind Chutney recipe here!
In the Caribbean, fruit based chutneys like mango and tamarind are more popular than green chutneys.
RELATED – SPINACH PHULOURIE
Phulourie have a light and airy texture that make them the perfect snack! You won’t be able to resist and will just keep on eating up phulourie!
Regardless which chutney you prefer, make up a big batch of Phulourie for your next party!
Visit Trinidad
Before we get to the details on the Phulourie recipe, wouldn’t you like to visit Trinidad where you can taste the famous Bake & Shark from Richard’s on Maracas Beach or try some doubles from any vendor in Port of Spain or visit Soong’s Great Wall, the restaurant in San Fernando, serving up Trini Chinese food for 3 generations!
Check out my travel post here, all about my visit to Trinidad!
Be sure to go through the specialty ingredients and tips below for perfect Phulourie!
Roasted Jeera
Roasted Jeera aka Roasted Cumin powder has a more intense flavor profile than regular ground cumin. If you cannot source roasted cumin powder yourself, it is pretty easy to make.
Simply roast whole cumin seeds in a dry skillet until it starts to change color and becomes fragrant. Grind the roasted cumin seed in a coffee/spice grinder.
Be sure to use a high powered blender to get a very smooth blender. I used the Kitchen Aid blender (link below). However, any good blender like a Ninja, Blendtec or Vitamix would also work well.
Making Phulourie – Split Pea Fritters
Phulourie – Split Pea Fritters
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow split peas soaked overnight
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ Scotch Bonnet pepper habanero
- 1 ½ teaspoons roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- In a high powered blender or food processor, grind the garlic and Scotch Bonnet pepper.
- Add half of the peas with 1 cup water. Grind to a smooth batter.
- Add the remaining peas and another cup of water. Grind to a very smooth batter.
- Transfer to a bowl.
- Add roasted cumin powder, turmeric and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add flour and baking powder. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Heat enough oil for deep frying.
- Add about a tablespoon of batter at a time into the hot oil for each fritter.
- Using a spider, toss continuously so that the fritters will be evenly fried.
- Fry until golden brown.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Serve with your favorite chutneys.
Notes
Nutrition
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Feels liks grabbing and munching some..
A very new name…Looks very tempting.
Phulory looks so soft and yummy snacks. It is my alltime favourite..You have a wonderful blog..
I make something like this with just moong dal, looks yummy should try out this version, you used scotch bonnet!, my those chillies are so spicy.., I have a episode to write about it!!, lovely clicks
wow Mirielle, these look so yummy, now i know your reference to them , would love to try
ohh dear !!!they look so soft n very delicious !!!!loved it !!! a great tea time snack!!!
i love that last pic where you have showed the cut fritter..so soft and yumm..
Hi..Thanks for the link…this is very similar to the fritters on my blog..These look lovely
Wow! I can’t wait to try this. Pakora are a family favorite; I’ve never heard of this version. It looks SO good. Thanks for sharing.
Absolutely. They are just as delicious as pakora so I am sure your family will love them!
Recipe looks easy enough to cut down for a smaller group- keep me from eating all of them myself. 🙂
Yes you can easily halve the recipe!
These will be a great addition to an appetizer platter. Thanks
yes – a great addition to any party platter!
The fritters look deliciously soft inside and crispy on the outside. I love that the yellow split peas give them lots of fiber and protein. Delicious and healthy!
yes even though they are fried, all of the other ingredients included are pretty healthy although you can add a little more fiber if you like and use whole wheat flour.
These phulouries are so addictive, they are so spongy and airy.
They are so irresistible – definitely addictive!
Very late visit, but a big welcome to the group 🙂
I so want to devour a plate of these phulourie. So cool you have family there and have visited.
Thank you – yes phulourie is definitely a great food to dig into especially for parties!
Interesting recipe. We usually make these withoutthe addition of flour. Nice variation. I’m definitely going to try out this new variation. I like the name Phulourie.
I am sure you are going to love it just as much when you try it!
Phuloiries look so delicious. These are very similar to the moong dal pakoras from the Indian cuisine . Was planning to make pakora this weekend instead will make phulouries now..
I am sure you will love them just the same!
Similar and yet different to the Indian lentil bhajias or fritters. Phulourie are so soft and fluffy and so tasty they are with the tamarind sauce. About time I made these, as I had the recipe bookmarked for ages.
yes they are an awesome combo with the tamarind chutney
Your authentic Indian recipes always amaze me as I always think of you as American. I like that you always have a bit of a story behind your recipes. Split pea phulourie is such a traditional dish for us and your are so spongy. I loved serving them with the chutney. These were perfect to serve as a starter. PS: Even the word phulourie is so similar to Gujarati word for fritters!!
oh that’s interesting but not that surprising as many words in Trinidad have their roots in Hindi and other Indian languages.
Phulourie – Split Pea Fritters are so soft and airy. Interesting recipe. They were so delicious and spicy. Liked serving them with the Tamarind sauce.
I am so happy you enjoyed and yes they are so addictive especially with the Tamarind Chutney
Truly appreciate the way you made this wonderful recipe. Everything is so nicely described which really helped. Thanks and looking for more such yummy recipes.
so happy you enjoyed this delicious recipe. It’s one of my faves!