We’re on a small fried food kick here in the GMS community. Fried foods make my southern soul indescribably happy – harkening back to grandma’s kitchen, county fairs and a stint in which a part of my job involved deep frying homemade tortilla chips for upwards of 600 people per meal. But those are all stories for another day.
Today we’re funneling all our good fried foods mojo towards those gluten free-ers among us. Like with most gluten free recipes we make, this one was born out of a desire to bring our gluten free friends (aka, selfishly, me) those things they don’t often get (outside of the Whole Foods frozen section or hippie Boulder, Colorado).
This recipe may seem complicated, what with all those spices and the frying, but I honestly can’t think of a recipe more “pinterest fail” proof than this one. I haphazardously started this recipe without a deep fryer, the proper amount of oil or even a truly reliable stovetop for that matter and my mozzarella sticks turned out better and more Virginia-county fair beautiful than I could have hope for.
You can even save some of the batter when you’re done and make a small foray into other fried foods. Because there are okra, oreos and, let’s face it, butter out there just waiting for a good deep fry.
Ingredients
1 cup white rice flour
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
1 cup fizzy water
gluten free bread crumbs
frying oil
20 mozzarella sticks (I halved mine)
Directions
1. Whisk together all dry ingredients, leaving out the bread crumbs for rolling later.
2. Add in the fizzy water and egg yolks.
3. Set aside for 5-10 minutes. The rice flour needs a minute to absorb the liquid and settle.
4. Preheat oil (deep enough to fully cover the mozzarella sticks) in a deep fryer or skillet to near 375 degrees.
5. Spread GF bread crumbs evenly across a plate.
6. Coat your first mozzarella stick fully in batter.
7. Roll in bread crumbs.
8. With metal tongs, lower the coated mozzarella stick into the heated oil. Allow 30 seconds to 1 minute – depending on your stove. I kept an eye on mine. The cook time varied as the oil temperature fluctuated.
9. Remove from oil just before it turns fully golden brown (it will continue to cook even after removed) and place on a plate with a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
10. Allow to cool from the scorching temperature it will be straight from the fryer but best served hot and melty with marinara sauce. Dig in, gluten free or not.
[addtoany] Yum