Aruk Khass (Lettuce Fritters)
Aruk Khass (Lettuce Fritters) is a traditional Iraqi recipe for a classic version of a chocolate brownie made using matzo cake meal and flavoured with cherry preserves and Kirsch that's typically served at Passover. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Iraqi version of: Lettuce Fritters (Aruk Khass).
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
40 minutes
Total Time:
60 minutes
Makes:
16
Rating: 
Tags : Vegetarian RecipesSpice RecipesHerb RecipesIraq Recipes
This is a classic Iraqi recipe for a fritter of a lettuce-based dough that's fried to cook. Another version of this dish uses baked potatoes instead of the lettuce.
Ingredients:
2 heads of lettuce (eg cos), coarsely chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 eggs, beaten
6 tbsp plain flour
120g spring onions, finely chopped
30g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
15g baby spinach, finely chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tbsp salt
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
Method:
Combine the chopped lettuce, garlic and 2 tbsp oil in a mortar (or food processor) and render to a paste.
Scrape into a bowl then add in the onions, eggs, flour, spring onions, parsley, spinach and all the spices. Mix thoroughly to combine.
Cover the bowl, transfer to your refrigerator and chill for 30-60 minutes to firm the mixture up.
Part fill a nonstick wok or deep frying pan with vegetable oil and place over medium high heat.
Rub your hands with additional oil and shape the mixture into 6cm patties.
Place patties into the hot oil and fry until they are a deep golden brown on both sides, turning over half way.
Serve hot or cold, accompanied by your choice of dipping sauces.
Note that these are normally cooked as fritters, but they are related to ancient Roman Catillus Ornatus you can add more flour (about 100g) and then roll these out thinner to make a more pasta-like product which is then fried until crisp.