Vegan Latkes with Sour Cream

A Chanukah holiday staple with a vegan twist! Scott shares this delicious recipe for Vegan Latkes with Sour Cashew Cream that will get you a mountain of crispy and golden yumminess!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 25

Ingredients

Sour Cashew Cream

• ½ cup raw cashew nuts, soaked overnight
• juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
• salt, to taste

Latkes

• 5 medium potatoes (about 1 kg)
• 1 small onion, very finely diced or grated
• 3 tsp wholegrain mustard (optional)
• 2 tsp ground sea salt
• ground pepper
• 30 mL (2 tbsp) aquafaba* / chickpea brine (optional)
• 2 tbsp flour (potato starch or wheat flour if not GF)
• oil, for frying or baking

Instructions

Sour Cashew Cream

1. Rinse the cashews well and put them into a blender with a splash of water.
2. Start blending. You will need a silicone spatula to scrape walls of blender regularly.
3. Add just enough water to make the cashew cream thick and smooth.
4. Season with lemon juice and some salt.
5. It is best to make the cream in advance and put in fridge for a few hours as this will thicken as it chills.

Latkes

1. Grate potatoes coarsely using a grater or food processor with relevant attachment.
2. Place them on a sieve and let the excess water drain away. If you have a muslin cloth, put potatoes in middle of a cloth and squeeze as much water out of them as you can – the drier the mixture the crispier your latkes will be. If you don’t have a muslin cloth, use your hands to get rid of excess water.
3. In a large bowl, combine finely chopped onions, grated potatoes, mustard, pepper, aquafaba (if using) and enough flour to make the mixture bind together.
4. Do not add salt until you are ready to form latkes as salt will make potato mixture weep and the mixture needs to stay dry for as long as possible.
5. Method 1: Heat up a non-stick or ceramic pan on stove. Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (you’ll need to top up a little as you go along). Heat up oil. Once oil is hot, place a slightly heaped tablespoon of potato mixture on oil and flatten with back of your spoon. Fry on one side for a few minutes – do not flip latkes over until browned all over on one side – you’ll notice edges will turn brown, that’s the time to flip. Flip to other side using a flat spatula. Fry until other side turns golden brown. Remove from pan and place on plate lined with a paper towel to soak away excess oil. Put ready latkes in a warm oven (100ºC / 210ºF) while you fry subsequent batches.
   Method 2: Set oven to 200ºC / 390ºF. Brush a baking tray with a little oil. Form latkes on oiled tray, brush with oil, and bake for 10 minutes, then flip for another 10 minutes, and finally crank up oven to 225ºC / 435ºF to brown the latkes for 5 to 10 minutes on both sides.
6. Serve warm, topped with cashew sour cream.

*Notes: Aquafaba is chickpea brine obtained from a tin of chickpeas or you can make your own. When making your own, soak chickpeas in lots of water overnight, rinse and put in a large pot with lots of water. Bring to boil and then simmer for about 1 hour (until beans are soft). Remove cooked chickpeas with a slotted spoon and what’s left in your pot is aquafaba. If it’s too runny (ideally it should resemble egg whites), you can concentrate it a bit by simmering it on low heat (without a lid) until it reaches the desired consistency. Cool it down before using.

From lazycatkitchen.com