My Food Heroes – Amy’s Marmite Fritters

Your typical breakfast can be anything from a small bowl of cereal to a slice of toast to anything as extravagant as eggs, bacon and four hundred different kinds of side dishes.  Unfortunately I’m not one of those “breakfast people” that lives for a full on english or continental spread. I’d rather skip breakfast all together and miss out on all those wonderful creations, chefs from all over the world have made. Who would have thought that one of my best friends Amy could turn me into a breakfast person with something as simple as a marmite sandwich.

I remember the day as clearly as it was yesterday. We were at Amy’s parents house on the Vaal River and Amy’s mom Sorene had suggested we should make marmite fritters. I had absolutely no clue what to expect. Fried marmite? Eek!!! Marmite mixed with something else and then fried? I had no idea. So I just stood back and watched. It seemed simple enough but I knew there was definitely something special about this specific tasty snack that would stick with me. Well it has been almost 10 years and that first marmite fritter still lingers on my taste buds.

Ever since that first taste, marmite fritters have been constructed at gatherings, birthdays, breakfasts, lunches and for midnight snacks. I’ll never know who ever invented this amazing recipe however many years ago but I will always remember the family that introduced it to me. It brings back so many wonderful warm memories spent with my amazing friends that I could even tear up right now thinking about it all. So let’s get onto the recipe before I start getting all mushy.

Compliments of my awesome friend Amy Trevarthen here is the recipe that is bound to change your breakfast time forever.

Ingredients:

2 slices soft white bread

1/2 Tablespoon of butter

1 Tbs Marmite or Bovril depending on your fancy

100g Freshly grated Cheddar

3 Tbs Flour

1tsp Potato Spice/Aromat/Salt (some kind of MSG inducing saltiness)

Water

Sunflower Oil

Instructions

Make yourself a marmite sandwich with the bread/marmite and butter. I put marmite and butter on both sides of the bread and the closed it up. Cut the sandwich into four squares.

So much marmitey buttery goodness

Make a paste with the flour, seasoning and water. The paste should resemble a kind of pancake like batter.

Heat up your pan with the oil. Dip each square into the batter making sure to cover all the sides and fry till golden brown.

As suggested by Aimz you can also add cheese to your sandwich before you fry it. I however like to put my cheese in right at the end; burning my fingers trying to pry open the square, releasing the steamy goodness and shoving freshly grated cold cheese inside, closing it up and again and shoving it straight into my mouth. It’s heavenly, indescribable really.

The salty marmite, the soft creamy cheese and the crunchy outside = Che’s heaven breakfast!!

Love to my stunning friend Amy for her recipe ❤

Melty Cheesey Marmitey Heaven

My Japanese Food Adventures – Deep Fried Squid Tentacles (Ika Geso Age)

An Izakaya restaurant is very simplistic. It’s a place to go to where you want to drink some good beer or sake and have a few delicious dishes alongside it. Like a Tapas style place. It’s usually a very small hole in the wall with  low tables shoved really close together and a small menu that can be freshly prepared in a matter of minutes.

The ever famous Suntory Whisky

We went to an Izakaya place in Asakusa, Tokyo for a taste of what was on offer. The first thing that my eyes spotted was “Deep Fried Caramali Legs”. The spelling mistake was the least of my worries. I couldn’t believe it!! Fried Calamari! What a win! I absolutely love the stuff.

The Izakaya Menu – Simple yet delicious

All the memories came flooding in of sitting on the beach in Strand, Cape Town with family, friends and boyfriends with a spread of Calamari&Chips. The smell of the sea and the breeze through your hair. The crisp crunch of that first bite. The sting of the lemon juice you doused  all over and finally the calming rejoice of the sweet and tangy mayo that soothes your tongue. This specific dish is so ingrained in my life. It truly represents some of the happiest memories of my childhood.

So as you can imagine I was over the moon and back to see this “Caramali” creation lol. I ordered almost 2 servings and came back the next day for more!

Delicious deep fried Calamari