Latke Time!

Although I have some restaurants to post about (I promise those posts soon!), I decided to take a short break and fry up some latkes. Latkes are these amazing little potato pancakes. The funny thing is that I should be writing a scholarship essay on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Instead... I decided to make some nice Jewish food. How convenient.

Want to know how to make them? Well, today is your lucky day.

You can make them from scratch (fresh potatoes, onions, etc...) or you can go to the international/ethnic aisle of your local grocery store to by a packaged mix. They'll probably be called potato pancake mix. I'm sure my grandmother probably would've looked down on the second option, but it is so much easier. 

Ingredients:

1 package of latke mix (vegetable kind is my favorite)

1 large egg

1 cup of water

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

1. Mix the egg well in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Then add latke mix. Stir until mixed well. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes.

2. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large pan (I prefer using a nice wok due to the high sides. It reduces any oil splatter.) Once the oil is heated, drop a tablespoon of latke mix in the it.
3. Depending on the size of your pan, only cook 4-5 latkes at a time. Cook until golden brown on each side.

4. Once they're done, gently place them onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb any excess vegetable oil.

Now it is time to enjoy them! How should you eat them? You can use your fingers or a fork, I suppose. The key question is what condiment should be used. Some people prefer sweet and others prefer savory. Traditionally, people often eat latkes with applesauce. This does taste good, but I prefer using ketchup because it is nice balance of both savory and sweet. 

Now it is time to get back to my essay writing along with my thematic food. Yum!

- Thomas :)