Pineapple Fritters & Lime Mayo 🍍

Suitable for: vegan, low phosphorus (81mg), low sodium (38mg), soy-free, medium potassium (504mg) – measured for 1 portion

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I’ve long been afraid of deep frying, but after doing it a few times now I became quite comfortable with it, and so one evening I just decided to try this quick pineapple fritters recipe and it turned out amazing!

The fritter recipe is adapted from the really good Poké bowl recipe book by Guy Jackson & Celia Farrar, and is recommended to be served as a side or starter dish.
The lime mayonnaise recipe is inspired from this Vegan Mayo article by Jessica in the Kitchen, and the Yuzu Mayo recipe from the same Poké book mentioned above.
As usual I slightly adapted the recipes to get rid of the salt, as well as a few other things like seaweeds, which are high in potassium. And I simplified the ingredients, because who has access to tempura flour and yuzu juice? Not me!

I served this with wasabi coleslaw and a big bowl of rice. It was a very nice meal, well balanced between the fritter greasiness, the coleslaw freshness and acidity, and the comforting rice.

[cw for discussion of kidney disease & death in the next paragraph]
I happened to make this meal mostly for myself, while my wife was out for a movie with a friend. Turns out, in the movie a young woman died from kidney disease so because of my own illness, my wife and my friend were pretty shaken, and they decided to come over for dinner afterwards. Despite the emotional setting, being able to share this delicious meal with my loved ones and finding comfort together was an amazing moment that I won’t forget anytime soon!

Recipe

Serves 3 – 4 portions.

Ingredients

Lime Mayo

• 65ml (¼ cup) unsweetened soy milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lime juice or white vinegar)
• 125ml (½ cup) oil (I used peanut oil, do not use coconut oil)
• Lime juice to taste, about 1 Tbsp
• 1 tsp curcuma (optional, for color)
• Chilli flakes (optional)
• White and black sesame seeds (optional)

Pineapple Fritters

• 1 fresh pineapple, core and skin removed
• 150g (1 cup) of all purpose flour
• 250ml (1 cup) of fridge cold sparkling water
• 1l of vegetable oil for frying (I used peanut oil)

Instructions

Lime Mayo

1. Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature (quickly microwave the milk if it was in the fridge).
2. In an immersion blender jar (or an open blender), add the soy milk and the vinegar and briefly stir together.
3. Pour the oil on top and let sit for about a minute.
4. Place the immersion blender at the bottom of the jar, and blend for about 15 seconds while it emulsifies.
5. Slowly move the blender up and down and pulse until all the ingredients are fully combined.
6. If not using right away, place in a sealed jar in the fridge where it will thicken more, and stay good for about 2 weeks.
7. Before serving, add the curcuma powder and the lime juice (about 1 Tbsp, but tasting really is the best way to go here) and mix well.
8. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and chilli flakes on top!

Pineapple Fritters

1. Cut the pineapple into 1cm (½ inch) wide sticks.
2. Remove the excess moisture from the pineapple by wiping them with a paper towel.
3. In a bowl, place the flour and whisk in the water little by little with a fork or chopsticks. Be careful not to overmix it – it’s ok if there are a few clumps in it. The batter should be thin and light.
4. Heat up the oil in a high sided pan on high heat, to about 180°C (350°F). If you can’t check the temperature, put a wooden chopstick or spoon in the oil: it’s ready if bubbles form around it!
5. Coat the pineapple fries in the batter one at a time, and put them in the boiling oil. You can add several to the pot at the same time, but make sure they don’t get too close and stick to each other! Take them off the oil and put them on a plate with some paper towel once they are crisp and golden.
6. Serve hot, with the mayo on the side!

Nutritional informations

Total measurements (for 3 – 4 portions):

• 65ml (¼ cup) unsweetened soy milk by Alpro is ~92mg potassium, ~5mg phosphorus, ~50mg salt
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar is ~4mg potassium, ~0mg phosphorus, ~0mg salt
• 125ml (½ cup) peanut oil is ~0mg potassium, ~0mg phosphorus, ~0mg salt
• 1 Tbsp lime juice is ~11mg potassium, ~1mg phosphorus, ~2mg salt
• 5g sesame seeds is ~35mg potassium, ~40mg phosphorus, ~0mg salt
• 800g pineapple is ~1392mg potassium, ~64mg phosphorus, ~80mg salt
• 150g (1 cup) of all purpose flour is ~232mg potassium, ~175mg phosphorus, ~3mg salt

For a total of (for 3 – 4 portions): ~1766mg potassium, ~285mg phosphorus, ~135mg salt, no soy, no animal products.