Vegan Courgette Rostis with Plum and Edamame Salad

How to make the vegan courgette rostis

Courgettes, or zucchinis in the U.S, are a surprisingly versatile vegetable. You can eat them diced in pasta dishes, roasted whole and stuffed, sliced in oven bakes, even thinly sliced with a mandolin or veg peeler and eaten raw with a drizzle of olive oil. There seems to be no end to what can be done with them. For these vegan courgette rostis we are going to grate them, along with potatoes, and pan fry them.

The first thing to know is that potatoes contain a lot of moisture, so when cooking anything with grated potatoes it is important that they are squeezed out first. The standard way to do this is by putting the grated potato into a tea towel and squeezing it over a bowl or the kitchen sink, until as much water as possible has been removed. It requires a little bit of elbow grease but it’s an essential step. Ask someone to help you if you’re struggling. There is a full video of this recipe below, so you can see every step of the process.

Binding the vegan rostis together.

After the moisture has been squeezed out of the mix, more is introduced in the form of flaxseeds and vegan yoghurt, which bind it all together. You can use milled flaxseed for this, just leave them sitting in water for 15 minutes before putting them into the mix so it becomes thick and sticky.

Making the salad.

You can buy edamame beans frozen in most supermarkets. It’s always worth keeping a couple of bags in your freezer as they make a great addition to all kinds of foods. In this salad they are served warm, as are the plums, which are caramelised gently in a pan with a little sugar and some jarred cranberry sauce. You can also use any mixed lettuce leaves you like. I chose a bag of mixed leaves in addition to some baby spinach leaves. Try these vegan courgette rostis the next time you want an exciting combination of hot and cold on your plate. You can see more of my courgette recipes here.

Watch the video below to see this dish being made

Vegan courgette and Red Pepper Rostis with Plum and Edamame Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: about 40 minutes

Serves 4

Gluten-Free

Ingredients:

For the Rostis:

2 heaped tbsp milled flaxseeds

4-6 tbsp water

2 courgettes

3 large potatoes, washed but unpeeled

3 cloves garlic

1 red pepper

4 tbsp plain vegan yoghurt

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

The juice from 1 lemon

2 tsp tried oregano

1 ½ tbsp groundnut oil per batch

For the Salad:

4 ripe plums

1 tbsp groundnut oil

1 ½ tsp sugar

1 tbsp jarred cranberry sauce

250g frozen edamame beans

1 bag mixed salad leaves

1 bag baby spinach leaves

A handful of pine nuts

Method:

First combine the flaxseeds and water in a small bowl. Mix to incorporate and then set aside for 15 minutes, until you have a thick, gloopy mixture.

Top and tail the courgettes, then grate them into a large mixing bowl. Now grate the potatoes into the same bowl, then tip the mix onto a clean tea towel. Wrap in the towel and squeeze tightly either over the sink or the bowl (see video below), until you can get no more moisture out. Empty the bowl of liquid and then put the mix back in. Cover with a plate to stop the air from getting to it and set aside.

Peel and chop the garlic and finely dice the pepper, then add it to the potato and courgette mixture, along with the yoghurt and the flaxseed mix. Add the salt, pepper, oregano and the lemon juice and stir to completely combine.

Heat the groundnut oil in a frying pan, then place a generous tablespoon of the courgette mixture into the hot oil. It should start to sizzle immediately. Cook 3-4 at a time, shaping them into small rounds in the pan with the back of the spoon. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes and then gently turn them over. Keep frying until they are nicely browned on both sides. Set them aside on a baking tray and cook the rest of the mixture the same way.

Preheat the oven to gas 5/190C/375F and finish cooking the batch of rostis in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes. Keep warm.

Deseed and cut the plums into quarters. Heat more oil in the pan and cook on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, moving them often, until they have started to soften and brown. Now sprinkle on the sugar and add the cranberry sauce. Give them a couple of minutes more to caramelise, then transfer to a bowl.

Clean the pan, heat a little more oil and fry the edamame beans for about 5 minutes, stirring often.

Once everything is cooked, place a handful of the salad leaves onto a plate, stop with 3 of the rostis, then gently place on 3-4 plums. Finally top with a spoonful of the edamame beans and a sprinkle of the pine nuts. Serve immediately.