Sweet Potato and Yellow Split Pea Latkes with Cilantro Cream
Yellow split peas replace flour in this recipe for Sweet Potato Latkes. The latkes are easy to make, and gently flavored with mild chile and fresh red onion, before being pan-fried in coconut oil until they crisp and turn a deep brown.
Add the split peas to a medium saucepan and add warm water to cover by about an inch, stir in the baking soda, and then soak the split peas for at least 4 and up to 8 hours. Drain them and rinse them well. Dump them into a medium pot, cover by 1 inch. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
While the split peas cook, peel the sweet potato and the red onion, and then grate them both finely. Set them into a fine-mesh strainer,(like this one), and sprinkle it with salt. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then remove the excess water from the sweet potato by squeezing it gently with your hands.
Add the sweet potato, split peas, and shallot, to a mixing bowl with the beaten eggs, stirring until just combined. Stir in the chile powder.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and then drop in a spoonful of coconut oil, and allow it to melt. Working in batches, so as not to crowd the pan, drop a 2-tablespoon clump of the sweet potato latke mix into the skillet. Flatten the latke with a pancake turner or metal spatula until it's about 3 inches in diameter, and cook the latkes about 2 minutes on each side, until crisp and browned, adding more coconut oil to the pan as needed. Keep warm in the oven.