OyBar's Three-Way Globe-Trotting Latkes
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At Studio City’s Oy Bar, chef-owner Jeff Strauss celebrates Hanukkah with the same global flair found on his menu year-round. His annual Whole Lotta Latkes event serves international takes on the traditional potato pancake for eight consecutive nights. For our “Chef That” video series, Strauss, who also runs the Highland Park deli Jeff’s Table, shared his recipe and tips for a tried-and-true basic latke recipe, plus two global variants: one inspired by aloo tikki, the potato patties sold at many Indian street food stands, and another that uses Korean kimchi. He also includes optional sauces for each variation — a quick chutney in which you doctor a jar of applesauce and a spicy apple-soy sauce.
You can choose just one of Strauss’ latkes or try all three.
Note that for the aloo tikki latkes, if you don’t have chaat masala, you can substitute lemon juice, which will give you some of the tang but not all the flavor.
“The absolute best way to make latkes,” Strauss says, “is to shallow fry them in about 1/2 inch of neutral oil in a heavy skillet, ideally cast-iron. The ideal oil temperature is at or just under 350 degrees for deep golden brown latkes. I recommend using an instant-read thermometer, but you can do without if you pay close attention.”
When grating the potatoes, he says, “I like a mix of long ‘threads’ and short ones for better texture.”
For more latke-making tips, see: Two very Los Angeles latkes for anytime of the year from OyBar’s Jeff Strauss
Make the latke base: Grate the potato using the large shredding side of a box grater. Try to grate the potatoes into a mix of long “threads” and short ones for better texture.
Place the grated potatoes in a bowl of cold water and rinse very well, until the water runs clear. This removes the starch and makes for crisp, bright and pretty latkes.
Grate the onion using the same side of the box grater. Remove any large stray chunks of onion or potato and discard.
Place the rinsed potatoes and onion in a large, thin dish towel or double layer of cheese cloth and twist, squeezing out all the liquid that you can.
(If making the kimchi latkes, add the chopped kimchi at this step and strain along with potatoes and onions.)
Discard the liquid. The drier the potato mix, the crisper and fluffier the latkes will be.
In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, matzo meal, scallions, butter, potato starch, salt, black pepper and baking powder.
Add the potato-and-onion mixture and combine well.
For the Aloo Tikki Latkes: Add the cilantro stems, serrano chiles, mint, cumin, ground Aleppo pepper and chaat masala to the base latke mixture. Stir thoroughly.
For the Kimchi Latkes: Add the Korean chile flakes and gochujang to the base mixture, which should already include the chopped kimchi added earlier.
Place latke mixture in refrigerator and chill for at least 10 minutes, up to a few hours.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and place a wire rack on a sheet pan, cookie sheet or roasting pan in the oven.
Fry the latkes: Add 1/2 inch of frying oil to a shallow pan, ideally cast-iron, over medium-high heat. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the oil should be ready for frying when reaches 350 degrees. You can also test the oil for readiness with a little of the potato mixture: It should sizzle, but not immediately turn dark.
One by one, form balls a bit larger than a golf ball, gently squeezing out most of the moisture with your hands, then place them carefully in the hot oil. Flatten them to the desired thickness with a spatula (I like them about 1 inch thick, or slightly more). Cook 3 to 4 minutes before turning, repeat with the other side. After 3 to 4 minutes, flip again for 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on thickness and color. Remove finished latkes and place on rack in oven to drain and hold while you complete the rest of the latkes.
Once all of the latkes are fried, I often brush them lightly with a tiny bit of the pan oil or even a little melted butter and season with a little more salt right before serving.
Make either or both the Quick Apple Sauce Chutney (for Aloo Tikki Latkes) or Spicy Apple-Soy Pancake Sauce (for the Kimchi Latkes) by combining respective ingredients in a bowl and adjust for salt, spice and sweetness, using white sugar if needed. Other recommended latke toppings include sour cream, crème fraîche, chutneys, salsa verde, caviar or trout roe, aioli, smoked salmon or whitefish, apple sauce, fig preserves, quince paste or mostarda.
