Vegan Potato Pancakes with Turmeric and Onion (No Eggs)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather your ingredients. This has to be one of the most minimal, budget-friendly recipes around — you'll almost always have everything on hand in the fridge. If you can use fresh potatoes, all the better; they'll make for more tender, tastier pancakes.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash, peel, and grate the potatoes on a medium grater. To keep the grated potato from turning brown, grate the onion first into the bowl, then grate the potato on top — the onion juice coating the potato helps prevent browning. If you'd rather not have any onion flavor in your pancakes, squeeze the juice out of the grated potato right away instead.

3. Step 3:

   

   That said, don't rinse the potato — since there are no eggs to bind the batter, the potato's own starch and the flour are what hold everything together. Add your seasonings to the grated potato: salt and ground black pepper. If you like, add other spices too. Turmeric, for example, gives the pancakes a lovely golden color.

4. Step 4:

   

   Add the grated onion and the flour to the grated potato. Don't worry that squeezing out the potato juice will keep the batter from coming together — there's still plenty of moisture in the grated potato for the flour.

5. Step 5:

   

   Stir the batter together. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet. You can use rendered pork fat (lard) instead of oil — the pancakes will come out richer, juicier, and more flavorful.

6. Step 6:

   

   Drop the potato batter onto the hot oil by the tablespoonful, shaping it into round pancakes.

7. Step 7:

   

   Fry the egg-free pancakes over medium heat so they cook through inside without burning on the outside. Brown them well on both sides. Transfer them to a paper towel to drain, then serve with sour cream, mayonnaise, vegetables, and fresh herbs.

8. Step 8:

   

   Enjoy!