Fritter love

FRIED foods remain one of the most delightful treats to savour. The secret is enjoying it all in moderation and using a good type of oil to fry with. My choice is coconut oil, which is absorbed less into your food and gives a lighter crisper fritter.

Fried foods should always be enjoyed right away; if you must make them ahead of time you can warm them up in the oven but be prepared to sacrifice some texture.

Remember when frying foods ensure your oil is hot before adding your foods to the pot, and do not overcrowd your pot, this will bring down the overall temperature of your oil and will result in a soggy fritter. Happy frying!

Banana fritters with pomegranate brown sugar cane syrup

Batter

1 cup flour

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp baking baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients and whisk to a smooth consistency.

Refrigerate until ready for use 30 mins or so.

4 bananas, sliced diagonally into one inch slices

Vegetable oil for frying

Heat oil, cover banana pieces with batter and deep fry until golden, 3 mins per side

Drain dust with icing sugar and serve with syrup, right away.

Syrup

½ cup brown sugar

⅓ cup water

3 tbs pomegranate molasses

1 one inch piece of cinnamon

Combine sugar, water and spice, boil until thick about 10 mins.

Remove and stir in pomegranate molasses

Cool and serve

Crispy fried shrimp with Sriracha mayo

These shrimp are perfect appetizers, the club soda makes a lovely light and crunchy batter.

24 large shrimp, deveined, shelled with tails intact

2 tsp salt

½ cup all- purpose flour

Bounty paper towels to dry shrimp, and drain shrimp when fried

Batter:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ tsp curry powder

1 tbs baking powder

½ tsp salt

1½ cups club soda

Vegetable or coconut oil to fry

Mayo:

Combine one cup mayo with 1 tbs Sriracha hot sauce.

Place shrimp in a bowl, cover with water, add salt and leave for 10 minutes.

Wash shrimp and drain well, pat dry with paper towels.

Place flour, curry powder, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.

Add club soda and stir well.

Pour oil into a wok or deep pan, heat.

Dredge shrimp in flour, hold the shrimp at the tail and dip shrimp into batter, do not cover tails.

Drop into hot oil and fry until golden on all sides.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with Siraccha mayonnaise.

Makes 24

Fish fritters

4 cups steamed fish

3 tbs lime juice

1½ to 2 cups milk

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1½ tsp salt

2 pimento peppers, seeded and chopped

⅓ cup chopped chadon beni

⅓ cup chopped chives

oil for frying

Place fish in a large mixing bowl, pick out bones, add herbs, peppers, salt and pepper.

Add flour and baking powder, stir in milk gradually to make a stiff but soft batter, almost like accras, be careful not to crush the fish.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan and drop by teaspoonfuls into hot oil.

Fry until golden and puffed.

Makes about 24 to 30.

Serve hot.

Cassava Fritters

1 lb uncooked cassava, peeled, deveined and cut into small pieces

3 cloves garlic

3 tbs chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped chives

½ hot pepper

1 tbs cornstarch

½ tsp baking powder

1 egg

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process to a fine paste.

Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Drop by teaspoonfuls into hot oil and fry until puffed and golden.

Makes about 15 fritters.

Chili Pineapple Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tbs fresh lime juice

½ cup chopped fresh pineapple

1 tsp chili powder

2 cloves garlic minced

salt to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro or chadon beni.

Combine all of the above ingredients, sprinkle with shadow beni or cilantro and serve with fritters.

Wendy's Cooking Classes:

Perfect pastry: May 25 (9 am-12 pm)

Roti: June 8 (9 am -12 pm)

Kids/Teens cooking camps for summer registering now

Call 357-0927