Burmese Yellow Split Pea Fritters (Baya Kyaw)

If yellow split peas aren’t something you use very often, get ready for a fabulous way to put them to use!

Crispy, spicy and flavorful, these Burmese yellow split pea fritters can be served as appetizers or the main course with your favorite dipping sauce.  They can also be thought of as Burmese falafel and are wonderful served up in pita bread with veggies and drizzled with a refreshing yogurt sauce.

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.

A simple and naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten free dish, these Burmese split yellow pea fritters are deliciously flavorful and can be prepped well in advance.

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 all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Pulse the ingredients to form a semi-smooth and gritty paste with some chunks of peas. Do not over-process.

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

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

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce (eg, chili sauce).  You can also use these fritters likeBurmese-style falafel with pita bread, veggies and a yogurt sauce.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Burmese Yellow Split Pea Fritters (Baya Kyaw)

Crispy, spicy and flavorful, these Burmese yellow split pea fritters can be served as appetizers or the main course with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time20 mins

Servings: 16 2-inch patties

Calories: 46kcal

Author: Kimberly Killebrew

Ingredients

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

US Customary - Metric

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 with some chunks of peas. Do not over-process.
• Form the mixture into patties (they will very moist). Cover and refrigerate the patties for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Heat some oil in a frying pan and fry the patties on both sides until golden brown.
• Serve with your choice of dipping sauce or use as a Burmese-style falafel with pita bread, veggies and a yogurt sauce.

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 3g | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.6mg