Zucchini Pancakes

Recipe from Aytekin Yar

Adapted by Elaine Louie

Published April 7, 2009

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(5,021)
Comments
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Mucver (pronounced moosh-vair) are delicate, crisp zucchini pancakes popular in Turkey. This version has not just shredded zucchini, but also tiny clouds of feta and a sprinkling of minced fresh dill and scallions. They are crisp on the outside, tender within and subtly herbaceous. The trick to making the pancakes crisp and not soggy is to squeeze all the water out of the zucchini before mixing it with the other ingredients. A little brute force is required. —Elaine Louie

Featured in: Zucchini Pancakes, Turkish Style

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Ingredients

Yield:12 pancakes

FOR THE PANCAKES

  • 3 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), shredded

  • Salt

  • freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 large eggs, beaten

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

  • 3 scallions, finely chopped

  • ⅓ cup finely chopped dill

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE

  • ⅔ cup plain yogurt

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • ½ teaspoon salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

7 grams carbs; 59 milligrams cholesterol; 149 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 217 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. FOR THE PANCAKES

    1. Step 1

      Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place zucchini in a colander over a bowl, and mix with ½ teaspoon salt. Allow to drain for five minutes. Transfer to a cloth kitchen towel, and squeeze hard to extract as much moisture as possible. Squeeze a second time; volume will shrink to about half the original.

    2. Step 2

      In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini and eggs. Using a fork, mix well. Add flour, ½ teaspoon salt, olive oil, feta, scallions, dill and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Mix well, add baking powder, and mix again.

    3. Step 3

      Place a cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Place heaping tablespoons of zucchini batter in pan several inches apart, allowing room to spread. Flatten them with a spatula if necessary; pancakes should be about ⅜ inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Fry until golden on one side, then turn and fry again until golden on other side. Repeat once or twice, frying about 5 to 6 minutes total, so pancakes get quite crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and keep warm in oven. Continue frying remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as needed. Serve hot.

    4. Step 4

      For yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and salt. Mix well, and serve on the side or on pancakes.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,021 user ratings
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Comments

Deniz Kara

The authentic recipe is much simpler and less fattening: Use one egg only. Scallions, cheese, olive oil, baking powder, black pepper are not needed. Add 1 Tbsp of dried mint. Dill weed can be dried also (1 Tbsp). The consistency of the batter: You should be able to drop the batter into the pan easily. This is not supposed to be doughy. Once in the pan, slightly flatten it with a fork/spoon. Definitely squeeze out the water of zucchinis really hard before mixing the other ingredients.

Cat M

To easily get excess moisture out of zukes:
-wrap shredded zukes in a tea towel, then spin them in the lettuce spinner

Or for more fun:
-wrap shredded zukes in a tea towel, then step out outside and swing the towel around in a large circle at your side. Helps if you have a teenager around.

Pat

How much (in weight) is "3 medium zucchini"? PLEASE give more concrete measurements?

Mary

I highly recommend using a non-stick skillet!!! The flavor is wonderful!

Faith Reien

Herbacious and delicious. This recipe was bright and pleasing to the palate. I have made it twice this month and my family is asking for more. We have been blessed with fresh zucchini from a local farm and the flavor is outstanding. These will be a new staple for meal prep each week.

Tanya S.

I know, I know. There are lots of changes here based on other reviews and it’s not true to the original recipe but there are some wise folks in here that we learn from. I’d rate this 5stars with my modifications. I grated onion and zucchini together and salted for a few hours. Squeezed out with potato ricer. Subbed chickpea flour. Added dill/mint to batter and reduced feta by half. The extra T of EVOO was good for waffles variation. Pro tip: don’t fill waffle iron all the way to leave space around edges to get crispy! Cook 12 mins. Added lemon, mint and dill to yogurt sauce. A summer essential to use all of the garden zucchini!

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Credits

Adapted from Aytekin Yar, Dardanel

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