GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: Fritters

  • Sweet Potato and Kimchi Fritters

    Sweet Potato and Kimchi Fritters

    This recipe is one many that I’m developing for an cookbook project called Kimcheelicious. It’s about home-fermentation and cooking with kimchi that you make in your own kitchen. I’m raising funds on Kickstarter.com to get this book off the ground.

    If you like this recipe please support Kimcheelicious on Kickstarter. Fundraising ends on August 28, 2012.
    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1906123150/kimcheelicious-puts-a-korean-pickle-on-the-america

    To look at Kimcheelicious food ideas go to my Tumblr.com page:
    http://kimcheelicious.tumblr.com

    Cheers,
    Tony Limuaco
    Contributing Food Writer

    Sweet Potato and Kimchi Fritter (makes roughly 20 fritters)

    • 1 1/2 cup sweet potato, grated
    • 1 cup mashed potato (Russet or Yukon)
    • 1/2 cup Napa cabbage kimchi, well drained and minced, reserve juice
    • 1/2 cups onion, minced (white or Spanish)
    • 1/2 cup Poblano pepper, cut into match sticks
    • 1/2 cup corn starch
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 2 tsp sugar
    • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
    • 1 tbsp granulated garlic
    • 1 tbsp salt
    • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or 1 tbsp dark sesame oil (optional)
    • 2 tbsp coarse Korean chili (optional)
    • high frying oil (canola or soy)

    Dipping Sauce: Mix all these ingredients together.

    • 2 tbsp kimchi juice
    • 2 tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 tsp rice vinegar
    • 2 tbsp water
    • 1 tsp honey
    • 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
    • 1 clove minced garlic

    Prep: Boil potato, mash and cool. Cut pepper into matchsticks, rough 1 1/2″ in length. Drain kimchi well in a colander and press into a paper towel, and mince. Mince onion. Reserve the juice for sauce. Grate sweet potato. In a large bowl, combine all these with dry ingredients. Beat egg and mix everything well well. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

    In a wok or large pot, add oil to the depth of at least 2″. Heat oil to 375°. You can also check the temperature with the end of a wooden spoon or a chop stick. When bubbles form around end the oil is ready for frying. Be sure to cover with a splatter screen wen frying. For larger batches: If oil starts smoking or becomes very cloudy, lower heat or allow to cool and change oil.

    Scoop sweet potato batter with a large dinner spoon and pack tightly, squeeze out excess juice as you form a fritter. Drop into hot oil. Fry no more than 6 to 8 fritters at at time, allowing 3 minutes on each side or until the fritters are crisp and golden. Drain well on a rack or paper towels. If serving later keep warm in oven at a low temperature (100°). Serve while they’re crisp and hot with dipping sauce.

    You can freeze in batches for future meals. Freezing actually preserves flavor and nutrients such as vitamins A and B. To prevent them from freezing into a large boulder, freeze them individually first. Form fritters and place them onto tray with at least 1″ of space between. Put them in the freezer for about two and a half hours then put them into a large freezer bag. Deep fry as instructed above.

  • Zucchini and Corn Fritter Recipe

    Zucchini and Corn Fritter Recipe

    This fried dish marks the last summer harvest — sweet corn and zucchini from Eric’s garden make for some tasty, savory fritters. Some find it difficult to make golden, crispy fritters that hold together. When something is deep-fried correctly it is not greasy and the inside is perfectly steamed. The usual suspects are soggy batter, over crowding the pan, and oil that isn’t hot enough for deep frying. The key ingredient, zucchini, must be coarsely grated and salted to remove some of the liquid, otherwise the batter is too wet. Use a high heat oil like Canola to get the right frying temperature, which is between 175 and 190 °C (345–375 °F). Frying in small batches ensure that the oil maintains its high temperature. Baking powder is optional, but it does lighten up the batter as it rises with heat. Are you ready to fry?

    Squash and Corn Fritters
    Yield: 4 fritters

    2 cups coarsely grated young squash (or zucchini)
    1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
    1 cup cooked corn (frozen or fresh)
    1/4 cup Quinoa, (optional) or corn meal
    1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
    1 egg
    1 tsp each thyme, oregano, powder cumin, dried onion flakes
    1/2 tsp chili powder
    1/2 tsp powdered garlic
    1/2 tsp baking powder (optional)
    1/4 tsp black pepper
    2 tsp white flour
    1 tbsp sea salt
    9″ Cast  iron skillet
    Canola or any high-heat oil

    With a coarse grater, shred the green squash, add thin slices of onion (paper thin), Quinoa,  and 1/2 tbsp salt and mix well. Press the mix in a sieve with a spatula then set aside for about an hour to drain most of the liquid. It should yield about 1/8 cup of liquid, which you will discard. If your squash is a bit seedy, use a tablespoon to scoop out the seeds and tough fiber.

    In a hot pan, cook corn with a little water then add a little oil (or butter) and a pinch of a salt. When most of the water has evaporated and the corn is lightly browned, it’s ready. Set it aside to cool down to room temperature. The corn can be fresh or frozen. You can’t beat corn on the cob, but freezing actually improves corn giving it a sweeter flavor and a better texture. If you’re using frozen corn be sure it’s completely thawed and drained before cooking.

    In a large bowl, add cooked corn, grated squash and onion, dried herbs and spices. Mix until everything is evenly incorporated. Then add egg, baking powder, salt and all remaining dry ingredients to bind everything. Mix well, cover and set aside in the fridge for at least half an hour. The batter should be thick, gloppy, and lumpy and it should hold together without separating.

    In a hot 9″ cast iron skillet add oil to a depth of 1/4″. To check if the oil is hot enough, stick the end of a wooden chopstick into the pan. When bubbles form around the chopstick it’s fryin’ time. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of batter into the pan. Brown for about five minutes, gently press down with a spatula, then carefully flip it over. Don’t crowd the pan, fry only two or three at at time. When both sides are evenly browned, drain well on paper towels. If the oil starts to smoke, clear out the dukes and lower the temperature.

    Keep the finished fritters in a warm oven and serve hot — garnish with fresh cilantro, fried onion or mushroom. How about some mango chutney or Branston Pickle? If you want to make this an authentic South Asian dish, add ground dried shrimp or diced cooked lap song sausage to the batter and served with pan-toasted garlic.