So, I just came back from Chicago, and I’ll no doubt publish a post sometime soon about what I ate while I was there.

But first; a story.

When I arrived in Chicago, and was dropped off by my driver at the amazing Palmer House Hotel where I was staying, I noticed that The Book of Mormon was playing literally a half a block away. I had built an extra day into my schedule, a full day with no conferences or meetings, just to explore the city and see things. I had made no plans on purpose, as I wanted to go where the wind blew me (in the Windy City!).

The Book of Mormon, like many Broadway shows, has a special program to make theatre available to the people who might have a hard time affording it. This was a practice started by the producers of RENT many years ago. On the day of the performance, you can put your name into a draw, and the first two rows of the theatre are reserved for this purpose. These tickets sell for $25. So, I had to try. I had to put my name in the draw.

You have to be present at 5:30 when they draw, and the night I was there, they had more tickets to spare, so everyone got in. I got an amazing seat in row Q. But by then it was 6 pm or even later, and all I had time for was a quick shower before being back at the theatre before the curtain at 7:30.

I figured I’d get dinner after. It’s Chicago, after all!

The show was amazing. I won’t get into it. If you’ve seen it, you’ll know. But the show didn’t let out until 10 and by then I was starving.

All the places I thought I’d be able to eat, like the little bar across the street, were closed. I walked a 4-block radius around my hotel, but all that was open were fast-food places. I finally stumbled into one burger joint and asked if they could make me a grilled cheese sandwich. They could. I ordered a side of fries to go with, and they came sprinkled with rosemary sea salt. Sadly, neither the grilled cheese nor the fries were amazing, BUT they had this dip bar which included a bunch of different kinds of flavoured mayos, including a mango one. Mango mayo! This stuff is a revelation! I had to make it, and I had to find something tastier than fries to dip it in.

This recipe is inspired partly by pakoras. If you’ve never had this South-Asian treat, you’re missing out. They are deep-fried fritters that hide vegetables inside, usually cauliflower, bound together in a chickpea-flour batter.

I don’t deep fry, and I also wanted to make it vegan. The challenge with making fritters of this kind (vegan and gluten free) is that eggs bind the ingredients together. No one wants a falling-apart fritter.

Enter aquafaba! Yup, that magical bean juice is good for this kinda thing, too!

The full recipe is featured in my new cookbook: Aquafabulous!: 100+ Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba (Bean Water).

These are so good. Crispy and crunchy around the edges, but still soft on the inside. There is a slight sweetness from the carrots and yams, and the mango mayo is both sweet and tangy.

I dare you not to eat the entire batch. I most certainly did.

Vegetable Fritters with Mango Mayo {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

Ingredients:

1 medium potato

1 medium yam

3 medium-large carrots

6 green onions

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/4 cup aquafaba

2 tbsp vegan milk

Method:

Peel all the vegetables. Grate the potato first on a box grater, and then dump the grated potato into a large bowl of cold water to soak for a few minutes while to grate up the rest of the yam and carrots. Drain the potatoes well and squeeze out as much water as possible. Add the yams and carrots and toss well together. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss. The mixture may feel loose and like it’s not binding, but you can add a little more chickpea flour if you are worried. Heat a large, cast-iron fry pan over medium-high heat, and fill up the bottom of the pan with a layer of oil about 1/2″ thick, just so the entire bottom of the pan is evenly covered. Wait until the oil is shimmery and hot. Take about 1/4 cup of batter and drop them into the hot pan. Allow them to cook and form a crust for about 3-5 minutes, then tamp them down a little with the back of your spatula. Allow to cook for another few minutes, and flip. Cook for an additional 7-10 minutes on the other side until both sides are crispy and brown around the edges. Remove from the pan, drain on paper towels, and finish with a little sprinkling of salt. To make the mango mayo: peel a very ripe mango, and cut the flesh off. Add the flesh, along with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, to a blender, and puree. Add equal parts of the mango puree to vegan mayo. Stir well, and serve as a dipping sauce for the hot fritters.

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