Recipe: Crunchy cricket and lentil pakora

I’ve been playing with cricket recipes for a while now, and this is hands down the tastiest I’ve come up with. These pakora take some preparation time as you have to soak the lentils overnight, but they are so easy to make and result in deliciously crispy umami flavour bombs.

Makes 12-15 pakora

Ingredients:

• 10g whole roast crickets

• 200g red lentils, soaked in cold water overnight

• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

• 2 green chillies

• 1 tsp grated root ginger

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp salt

• Handful fresh coriander, stalks and leaves

• Sunflower oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash the lentils until the water runs clear, then blend in a food processor with 40ml of cold water until you have a paste.

2. Add the chillies, ginger, dry spices and coriander and blend again.

3. Scrape down the bowl, then mix in the sliced onions and whole crickets until covered.

4. Heat 3cm of sunflower oil over a medium heat. Check it’s hot enough - the batter will float to the surface when it’s the right temperature.

5. Drop a tablespoon of batter into the oil, and turn it until it is evenly cooked.

6. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen roll to soak up the excess oil.

7. Serve the pakoras warm with chutney, hot sauce or a yoghurt-based dip. I used coconut yoghurt mixed with fresh coriander.