Tuna Patties (with Sunar - Pure Sunflower Oil)

These tuna patties are a simple savoury snack with a crisp outer shell and a soft, flavourful filling. They do take a little bit of shaping, but once you get into the rhythm, they come together quite easily.

For our recipe, we have used Sunar – Pure Sunflower Oil provided to us by one of our partners, Standard & Origin (S&O). This works well for frying and helps the patties turn nicely golden and crisp.

If you can’t find Sunar – Pure Sunflower Oil from a shop near you, contact 301 5533 or 301 5522.

Yield: 14 patties

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion (or 1 small onion) thinly sliced
• ¼ of a small scotch bonnet thinly sliced
• 1 tsp lime
• ¼ tsp grated ginger
• 3 curry leaves thinly sliced
• ½ of a tuna can (oil drained)
• ½ cup boiled and mashed potatoes
• ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

For the dough

• ¾ cups flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 small egg
• 2 to 3 tbsp room temperature water (or as needed)
• 2 cups oil

Instructions:

1. Add 1/2 medium onion (or 1 small onion) thinly sliced and ¼ of a small scotch bonnet thinly sliced to a mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp lime juice and, using your fingers, squash and squeeze the mixture until the onion softens and releases its juices.
2. Add ¼ tsp grated ginger and 3 curry leaves thinly sliced, then mix again using your fingers.
3. Add ½ of a tuna can (oil drained) and mix again.
4. Then add ½ cup boiled and mashed potatoes and mix until combined.
5. Add ½ tsp salt (or to taste) and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper little by little, tasting as you go to make sure the seasoning is to your liking. Mix everything together with your fingers until the filling feels fairly smooth. Make 14 oval shaped balls from the tuna filling. Set aside.
6. To make the dough, add ¾ cup flour and 1/8 tsp salt to a large bowl and mix to combine with a spoon. Then add 1 small egg and mix again.
7. Gradually add 2 to 3 tbsp room temperature water, mixing with your fingers or spoon as you go.
8. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and stops sticking to the sides of the bowl. If it still feels too sticky, you can sprinkle in a little extra flour and knead again.
9. Divide the dough into equal-sized balls. We divided ours into 2.
10. Lightly dust a surface with flour and use a rolling pin to roll out one ball of dough into a thin circle, about 10 to 11 inches wide.
11. Use an inverted drinking glass (about 3 inches wide) to cut out circles from the rolled dough and arrange them on a clean plate. We got about 7 circles per dough ball.
12. Place 1 tsp of filling on one side of each dough circle, then fold it over through the middle to form a semicircle. Press the edges gently with your fingers to seal. Then press along the edges with the tips of a fork to seal it further and create that nice pattern around the sides.
13. Repeat the rolling, cutting, filling, and sealing with the remaining dough and filling until everything is used up.
14. Heat 2 cups oil in a pot on high heat for about 3 minutes. To check if the oil is ready, drop in a tiny bit of dough. If it floats and bubbles form around it, the oil is hot enough. Once it reaches that stage, reduce the heat slightly to medium-high.
15. Fry the patties in batches until golden brown, flipping halfway through so both sides cook evenly. Our first batch took around 10 minutes, while the second batch took around 6 to 7 minutes.
16. Once done, remove the patties from the oil and place them in a strainer for a few minutes. Then transfer them onto kitchen towels to absorb any excess oil. Heat oil in a pot on high heat for 3 minutes. Drop a little bit of dough into the oil to check the temperature. When it floats and you see bubbles forming around it, that’s your cue to start frying. Keep on medium high heat switching from high to medium heat.
17. We fried ours in batches. Place the first batch in oil and fry until they turn a light golden colour. You’ll have to flip halfway through to get both sides cooked evenly first batch took 10 minutes. Second batch took 6 to 7 minutes.
18. When done, remove from oil, keep them in a strainer for a few minutes and them lay them over some kitchen towels to get rid of the excess oil.