Pholourie is a fritter made with flour, split peas, herbs and curry spices. It is typically served with mango sour, a popular guyanese chutney/relish. Pholourie is the ultimate school yard snack. From Primary School to High School, buying Pholourie and mango sour for snack or even lunch is a rite of passage. Now I make pholourie for my children and they love it.
Kew ingredients for Pholourie
The main ingredients for pholourie are split peas, flour and curry powder. How you season the pholourie may vary from family to family. Some families may add fresh herbs like onion, garlic, green onions, pepper. Others may use dry ingredients like garlic powder, onion power, roasted cumin, garam and amchar masala. It really just depends on the flavor that you are familiar with. The same with rising agents. Some families use yeast and other families use baking powder. I prefer baking powder in my pholourie. It makes a lighter pholourie with a slightly crunchy exterior and soft interior, which is my favorite type of pholourie.
To Soak or Not to Soak?
I always soak my split peas for pholourie. Soaking the peas overnight makes it easier to blend and cook when you are frying the pholourie. I add two cups of warm water to a bowl, then add my rinsed split peas. Then I soak it overnight. When I am ready to make the pholourie batter, I drain then rinse the peas thoroughly with warm water. Then I add the rinsed peas, my fresh herbs, curry powder and curry spices and some water to a blend and blend into a smooth paste. Then I add the paste to the flour, baking powder and salt and make a pancake like batter.
Check out this YouTube video I made in 2013 when I first posted this recipe or come to my instagram for an updated tutorial.
Gluten Free Pholourie
If you are like me and can’t have gluten, you can still enjoy pholourie by making it gluten free. For this recipe I used yeast, because it worked best with the all purpose gluten free flour.
Gluten Free Pholourie Recipe Card:
- ¼ cup split peas, soaked over night, drained and rinsed.
- ½ large onion or 1 small onion (chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon roasted ground cumin or gear
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ¾ teaspoon salt or salt to taste
- 1 Cup of All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1 teaspoon rapid rising yeast
- 4 cups of oil for frying
- ¾ cup of water
- Food processor or blender
- In a food processor or blender, combine onion, garlic and rinsed soaked split peas. Add ½ cup of water and blend/process until it forms a smooth paste, then set aside
- Next add the all purpose gluten free flour, instant yeast, curry powder, roasted ground cumin (geara) and garam masala and mix together well
- Then, add the split peas paste to the flour mixture and mix together well
- Next add ¼ cup of water and mix together well to form a smooth batter
- Then set aside and let rest for 30 minutes
- When ready to fry, add oil to a medium saucepan on high heat. Once oil is hot, spoon mixture into the oil using a spoon or a cookie scoop and fry until golden brown
- Remove from oil and place on a few sheet of paper towel to allow the excess oil to drain
- Continue frying small batches until all the mixture has been fried
- Serve with some mango sour or achar.
Traditional Pholourie Recipe Card:
- ¼ cup split peas
- 2 cups of boiling water
- ½ large onion or 1 small onion (chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- ½ tsp geera
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp salt or salt to taste
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 cups of oil for frying
- ¾ water
- Food processor or blender
- In a food processor or blender, combine onion, garlic and rinsed, soaked split peas. Add ½ cup of water and blend/process until it form a smooth paste and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, curry powder, geera and garam masala.
- Then add the curry paste the the flour and spices and mix together well
- Next add ½ cup of water and combine to make a smooth pancake-like batter
- Set aside and let rest for 30 minutes
- When ready to fry, add oil to a medium saucepan on high heat. Once oil is hot, spoon mixture, using a spoon or cookie scoop and carefully drop into the hot oil.
- Fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a few sheet of paper towel to allow the excess oil to drain. Continue frying small batches until all the mixture has been fried
- Serve with some mango sour or achar.
2. Traditionally you fry the pholourie mixture by scooping it up in your hand and squeezing little drops, through the space created by your thumb and index finger.
3. Spray the spoon with some cooking spray or dip it into some oil before you start scooping the mixture and it will help the mixture to just slide right off the spoon.
I love your site thank thank you 😊
Thank you!
So glad I found your site! And even more impressed that you made Pholourie from scratch.
am learning to make Guyanese dishes and I love BARA…similar to Poulourie but bigger flaps. A girlfriend shows me her way, but ive tried it twice and it could be the frying pan I used was too flat or insufficient oil.
If u don’t mind, can u please if u have the recipe for this snack, please provide me with same.
Thank you and I am on my way to checking out your site….thank you Jazzie
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This is one of the simplest pholourie recipes to follow and the end product is delicious.