Share Our Strength

Recipe of the Month
with
Thomas Pisha-Duffly

Thomas Pisha-Duffly
Owner, Gado Gado + Oma’s Hideaway

As summer turns into fall, we wanted to share a fun and special recipe from Chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly. Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Thomas has always found food to be a central part of his life. His mother made sure the family gathered for dinner every night, instilling in him a deep appreciation for shared meals. Tom's approach to cooking is rooted in personal memories, cultural heritage and a passion for creating dishes that resonate on an emotional level.

Outside the kitchen, Tom is an avid cyclist and dedicated father, balancing his time between family, work and his passion for biking. He has participated in Chef's Cycle for No Kid Hungry (including in this year’s 2025 ride in Bend, Oregon) combining his love for cycling with a commitment to giving back to the community.

Enjoy his delicious corn fritter recipe below!

Grandmother’s Corn Fritters (Perkedel)

My family is obsessed with my grandmother's corn fritters. Oma, as we call her, is my mother's mother, and her mother is Macho. These recipes come from them. My family on my mother’s side is Chinese-Indonesian, from Surabaya. The corn fritters that my sisters and I make were taught to us by our mom, but digging through a bunch of my Oma's recipes, I found a couple of cards—tucked in amongst the recipes from beef rendang, opor ayam and agar jello pudding—that I hadn't seen before. They were corn fritters, though not the ones I knew, and while basically the same, the difference here is the appearance of shrimp and the lack of the customary fine dice of celery and white pepper. I have taken the liberty of combining the best parts of both recipes to make this recipe for perkedel.

- Chef Thomas Pisha-Duffly

Ingredients

2 lb frozen corn kernels
1/2 bunch of green onion, sliced
15 pieces of small shrimp (about a 1/3 lb), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 tsp baking powder

Equipment

Food Processor
High-sided pan or skillet

Instructions

Soften bouillon cubes. In a food processor, add bouillon and half the corn and process to a rough paste. Add the second half of corn and shrimp and pulse until roughly chopped but does not form a paste. Transfer to a bowl and add baking powder, flour, eggs, celery, white pepper and turmeric. Mix well until incorporated.
In a high-sided pan or skillet, heat an inch of oil on medium-high. Drop spoonfuls of the dough one at a time until the pan is full, leaving space between fritters to allow for spread. As they brown, turn occasionally to cook evenly and pull when the outside begins to caramelize. Lift out with a slotted spatula and set to drain on some newspaper. Repeat.
Serve with chicken satay or beef rendang and a side of sambal and sweet soy. Eat until you feel sick.
Serve!

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