Peach Fritters (Aroo Gulgulay)
The best way to describe gulgulay to someone who hasn’t tried them, is to liken them to a donut hole, or if you’re Canadian, they’re like “Tim Bites”, (my son corrected me: “Timbits, Mamma.” Oops.
The gulgulay I have had in Lahore are spherical, and made with bananas and gurh (jaggery), so these are a bit different. It is a joy for me to share dishes from back home with my son, whom I often cook with these days, so the language also plays an important role.
My sister, Maria @marsinthedistrict, asked, why not call these something other than fritters? And I realised they were very similar to the gulgulay I grew up eating. These are my version of gulgulay, made with the most gorgeous, drip-down-your-elbow juicy Ontario peaches. Use freestone peaches which are easier to dice.
Peach Fritters (Aroo Gulgula)
Ingredients
- 2-3 peaches yield: 2 cups of 1-inch diced peach
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp light or dark brown sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp crushed cardamom seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Pink Pakistani Salt marketed as Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- Neutral oil for deep frying I use grapeseed
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pit and chop peaches (skin on) into a 1-inch dice.
- In a small bowl, add milk and vinegar. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, minimum.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, crushed cardamom seeds, and salt.
- To the milk, add egg, melted butter, and whisk. Gently fold this mixture into the dry ingredient mixture until just combined. Fold in the peaches.
- Meanwhile, heat 3 inches of oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat (a candy thermometer will register 350F). Test the oil: a tiny drop of batter should sizzle and float to the top.
- Working in batches, drop a heaped tablespoon into the oil (using the aid of a second spoon to nudge the batter into the oil).
- Fry, agitating and turning the fritters occasionally, for 1½ to 2 minutes, or until they turn golden and are cooked through.
- Remove them from the oil and transfer to a large platter lined with paper towels. Adorn with powdered sugar and enjoy.
