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Vegetarian brunch with zing!

Thai sweetcorn fritters, deep-fried eggs (yes!), fresh tomato salsa, avocado and greens. A bright, zingy, super crispy, vegetarian brunch.
Servings: 4

Ingredients

fresh tomato salsa

  • 400 g fresh tomatoes
  • 1 lime juice only
  • 1 clove garlic
  • big handful fresh coriander

crispy Thai corn cakes

  • 4 heads sweetcorn
  • 10 fresh or frozen lime leaves (or a big handful of fresh coriander)
  • 4 heaped tbsp plain flour
  • 4 heaped tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp flaky sea salt
  • 1 litre frying oil

avocado and greens

  • 2 big handfuls lettuce or greens
  • 2 avocados
  • 1/2 lime juice only
  • 1 hot green chilli finely sliced

deep-fried eggs

  • 4 eggs

Instructions

for the salsa

  • Slice the tomatoes like you fancy and gently transfer to a sieve or colander. Sprinkle with about 1 tsp flaky sea salt and gently stir through. Leave to drain for 20-30 minutes.
  • Squeeze the lime juice into small dish and crush in the garlic. Steep for 20 minutes.
  • Chop the coriander and stir everything together.

for the corn cakes

  • Cut the sweetcorn from the cob and scrape into a large bowl. Lay all the lime leaves flat on top of each other and fold in half. Thinly slice into strips. If using fresh coriander, finely chop (including the stalks) and add to the bowl.
  • Sprinkle over the flours and salt and drizzle in enough water to make a medium-thick batter (about 6-8 tbsp water – see the picture above for guidance). Stir to thoroughly combine.
  • Preheat the oven to 100℃ to keep the corn cakes warm as you fry. Heat the frying oil in a large pan over high heat to 180℃. Working in batches (about 5-6 corn cakes at a time), carefully spoon in 5-6cm dollops and fry, turning occasionally, until well browned and very crispy. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest of the corn cakes.

for the salad

  • Arrange the greens on a plate. Chop or slice the avocado flesh and arrange on the greens. Squeeze over the lime juice and sprinkle over the sliced chilli and some flaky sea salt.

for the eggs

  • Bring the oil up back to 160℃. Crack one egg into a mini sieve or small cup with a handle and carefully slide the egg into the hot oil. Watch out for spitting oil! Repeat with the other eggs. You may need to work in two batches, depending on how big your pan is – the eggs need a little room between each other to fry properly.
  • Cook for a minute or two, turning once, until the outside is a little crispy, the white is no longer jiggly and the yolk is still lovely and runny. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.