Pholourie

Name: Pholourie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 335 min
Yield: 6 people
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Ingredients: 200 g Yellow split peas, soaked 4 hours or overnight, drained; 150 g Wheat flour, plain; 4 clove Garlic; 1 tsp Turmeric; 1 tsp Cumin, ground, toasted; 0.5 piece Scotch bonnet, seeds out, finely minced; 1 tsp Yeast, instant dried; 1 tsp Baking powder; 1.5 tsp Salt; 200 ml Water, lukewarm, as needed; 750 ml Neutral oil, for deep frying; 4 tbsp Tamarind, paste; 3 tbsp Sugar; 1 clove Garlic, crushed; 100 ml Water

Light, spiced split pea fritters fried in balls and dipped in tamarind or mango chutney — Trinidad's favourite snack from a bag.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: 5 hr
Total: 5 hr 35 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild
Cost: Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Pholourie are small round fritters made from a batter of ground yellow split peas and flour, seasoned with garlic, turmeric, cumin and a little pepper, raised with yeast or baking powder, and dropped into hot oil where they puff into airy balls with a crisp skin. They are eaten hot from a paper bag with a sweet-sour tamarind sauce or green mango chutney. The batter should be thick enough to hold on a spoon and loose enough to drop off it. Soaking and grinding the split peas yourself gives a better texture than split pea flour, and both beat substituting chickpea flour, though that works in a pinch.

What you'll need

15 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 15 ready

6 servings

Ingredients
Tamarind sauce

Ingredients

Servings

Ingredients

Yellow split peas, soaked 4 hours or overnight, drained200 g
Wheat flour, plain150 g
Garlic4 clove
Turmeric4.9 ml
Cumin, ground, toasted4.9 ml
Scotch bonnet, seeds out, finely minced (optional)½
Yeast, instant dried4.9 ml
Baking powder4.9 ml
Salt7.4 ml
Water, lukewarm, as needed200 ml
Neutral oil, for deep frying750 ml

Tamarind sauce

Tamarind, paste59 ml
Sugar44 ml
Garlic, crushed1 clove
Water100 ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Blend the soaked split peas with the garlic, scotch bonnet and about 150 ml of water to a thick, slightly grainy paste. Scrape down as needed.
5 min
Step 2
Mix the flour, turmeric, cumin, yeast, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat in the pea paste and enough extra water to make a thick batter that slowly drops from a spoon. Beat 2 minutes to get air in. Cover and rest 1 hour until bubbly.
8 min
Tip: Beating by hand for a couple of minutes is what makes them light. It is worth the effort.
Step 3
For the sauce, simmer the tamarind, sugar, garlic and water 5 minutes until syrupy. Add a pinch of salt and a little minced pepper if you like it hot. Cool.
6 min
Step 4
Heat the oil to 175°C. Wet a spoon or your fingers and drop walnut-sized blobs of batter into the oil, 8 or so at a time. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until puffed, golden and cooked through.
15 min175°C
Watch: Too hot and they brown outside while raw inside. Test one and cut it open.
Step 5
Drain on paper and serve hot with the tamarind sauce for dipping.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 403 kcal
Protein: 12 g
Carbs: 54.7 g
Fat: 16 g
Saturated fat: 1.7 g
Fibre: 10 g
Sugar: 15.6 g
Sodium: 628 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat

Vegan
Vegetarian
Dairy-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.

Substitutions

Yellow split peas → Chickpea flour
Use 150 g. Heavier and more falafel-like, but still a good fritter.

Tips

The trick for round pholourie is to squeeze batter through a fist and scoop it off with a wet spoon, the way vendors do.
Split pea flour (sold as dal flour or besan's cousin) can replace the soaked peas: use 150 g and add water to the same batter thickness.
They go soft after an hour. Make them last and eat them first.

History & culture

Pholourie are sold at every Trinidad street corner, school gate, Divali celebration and sports ground, usually by the dozen. They are the snack that ends up in everyone's hands at a lime. Guyana and Suriname make them too. They are vegan and cheap, and nobody notices either fact.

Pholourie came with Indian indentured labourers in the 19th century and descends from the phulauri and pakora of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Trinidad version became lighter and rounder, picked up local pepper and tamarind, and lost most of its onion. The name is Bhojpuri in origin.

Traditional

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Pholourie take?

5 hr 35 min all in — 15 min prep, 20 min cook, 5 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free.

8 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Blender, Mixing bowl, Saucepan, Spider or strainer.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.

How much sugar?

3 tbsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Yellow split peas → Chickpea flour. Use 150 g. Heavier and more falafel-like, but still a good fritter.

What should I watch for?

Too hot and they brown outside while raw inside. Test one and cut it open.

Any tips from this recipe?

The trick for round pholourie is to squeeze batter through a fist and scoop it off with a wet spoon, the way vendors do. Split pea flour (sold as dal flour or besan's cousin) can replace the soaked peas: use 150 g and add water to the same batter thickness. They go soft after an hour. Make them last and eat them first.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.