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Burmese Yellow Split Pea Fritters

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If yellow split peas aren’t something you use very often, get ready for a fabulous way to enjoy them! Known as Baya Kyaw, these Burmese yellow split pea fritters are crispy, spicy, and packed with flavor! They’re also naturally gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.

yellow split pea fritters recipe burmese patties curry spicy falafel peppers burgers vegan vegetarian gluten free

Most commonly referred to as Burma, the nation’s official name is the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, a sovereign state in Southeast Asia bordered by India, Thailand, Bangladesh, China and Laos.  Burma’s cultural influences are as varied as their nation’s different ethnic groups and their cuisine covers the range of seafood, meat, poultry rice, noodles, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and a variety of fermented foods.

These Burmese split yellow pea fritters incorporate the traditional flavors of Burma and are so tasty, I’m confident you’re going to love them as much as I do! Another bonus is that they can be prepared far in advance, in fact I recommend it because the flavors will only improve. Make the fritter batter and refrigerate it as is, or form them into patties and refrigerate them until you’re ready to fry them.

yellow split pea fritters recipe burmese patties curry spicy falafel peppers burgers vegan vegetarian gluten free

Serving Suggestions

These Burmese split pea fritters can be served as appetizers or as a light main course with your favorite dipping sauce like my homemade Sweet Chili Sauce. Just pair it with a salad or some steamed or grilled veggies for a complete meal.

I also like to think of these as “Burmese falafel”. Just like Middle Eastern Falafel, these split pea patties can be served on pita bread with veggies and my homemade Tahini or my refreshing Preserved Lemon Cilantro Yogurt Sauce.

yellow split pea fritters recipe burmese patties curry spicy falafel peppers burgers vegan vegetarian gluten free

Burmese Yellow Split Pea Fritters Recipe

Let’s get started!

Rinse and soak the yellow split peas overnight.  Be sure to thoroughly drain and pat them dry or the fritter mixture will be too wet.

Place the split peas and all remaining ingredients in a food processor.

ingredients in a food processor

Pulse the ingredients to form a semi-smooth and gritty paste.

pureeing ingredients in a food processor

Form the mixture into patties (they will very moist). Cover and refrigerate the patties for at least 3 hours or overnight.

patties on a white plate

Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the patties on both sides until golden brown.

frying the patties in a skillet

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce like my homemade Sweet Chili Sauce. ย 

Enjoy!

yellow split pea fritters recipe burmese patties curry spicy falafel peppers burgers vegan vegetarian gluten free
yellow split pea fritters recipe burmese patties curry spicy falafel peppers burgers vegan vegetarian gluten free

Burmese Yellow Split Pea Fritters

Crispy, spicy and flavorful, these Burmese yellow split pea fritters can be served as appetizers or as a light main course with your favorite dipping sauce.ย 
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Soaking and Chilling Time 16 hours
Total Time 16 hours 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Beverage
Cuisine Burmese
Servings 16 patties
Calories 47 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup dried yellow split peas , rinsed and soaked overnight and throughly drained and patted dry
  • 1 medium yellow onions , chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 red chili pepper , chopped (remove seeds if you prefer it not spicy)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger root
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • oil for frying

Instructions
 

  • Place all of the ingredients in a food processor. Make sure the peas have been thoroughly drained otherwise the mixture will be too wet. Pulse the ingredients to form a semi-smooth and gritty paste. Do not over-process.
    Form the mixture into patties (they will very moist). Cover and refrigerate the patties for at least 3 hours but preferably or overnight to give the flavors time to develop.
  • Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the patties on both sides until golden brown.
    Serve with your choice of dipping sauce like our Sweet Chili Sauce or use as a Burmese-style falafel with pita bread, veggies, tahini, and yogurt sauce.
    This makes about 16 two-inch patties.

Nutrition

Calories: 47kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 3gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 221mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Split Pea Burgers, Split Pea Fritters, Split Pea Patties, Yellow Split Pea Fritters
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 19, 2016

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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27 Comments

  1. Hi Kimberly,
    looking forward to trying the split peas, and thanks for the great tips and recipe for the schnitzel (So Thats How You Do It ) As good as the real thing

  2. The fritters are almost exactly a replica of an Indian recipe except we add red chilli powder and cumin and coriander powder

    1. Hi Monika, I’m not familiar with Indian ones specifically, what is the name of the Indian dish?

  3. I’ve never been a fan of yellow split peas (my mother made split pea soup with yellow split peas when I was growing up, which was good, but I wasn’t a fan). However, I am always intrigued by cuisines from other parts of the world, and this is the first Burmese recipe I’ve seen, so I’m interested in trying it. I especially like the idea of these fritters being like falafel, which is one of my very favorite dishes.

    1. I haven’t cooked a whole lot with yellow split peas either, Susan. I feel the same as you do about falafel and that reminds me that I keep meaning to publish my recipe for them and keeping forgetting. Thanks for the reminder!

  4. These are grown inbetween sugar cane planting to condition the soil over here. Cropping is imminent. Do you think fresh turmeric would work ? Its much easier to find than powder here.

    Regards Paul.

    1. That’s really interesting, Paul, thanks for sharing! Absolutely, fresh turmeric will work great.