Fried Green Beans, Scallions and Brussels Sprouts With Buttermilk-Cornmeal Coating
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons fine polenta or cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional for sprinkling
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup less 2 tablespoons buttermilk or yogurt thinned with milk
- 3 tablespoons cold sparkling water
- 1/2 pound green beans
- 1/2 pound brussels sprouts
- 2 bunches scallions
- Canola or grapeseed oil for frying
- Combine cornstarch, polenta or cornmeal, salt and baking powder in a bowl and whisk together.
- Add buttermilk and sparkling water and whisk together until mixture is blended and has the consistency of thick cream.
- Top and tail beans.
- Trim brussels sprouts and quarter.
- Trim root end off the scallions and cut away dark green ends.
- Pour oil into a wok or wide saucepan to a depth of 3 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 360 to 375 degrees.
- Set up a sheet pan with a rack on it next to the pan.
- Cover rack with a few layers of paper towels.
- Have a spider or deep fry skimmer handy for removing vegetables from the oil.
- Using tongs, dip vegetables into batter a few at a time, making sure to coat thoroughly.
- Transfer to hot oil and fry until golden brown, which should not take more than a couple of minutes.
- Flip over halfway through with the spider to make sure the coating is evenly fried.
- It is important not to crowd pan and to let oil come back up to temperature between batches.
- Using the spider, remove vegetables from oil, allowing excess oil to drip back into pan, and drain on towel-covered rack.
- Sprinkle with salt right away if desired.
- Allow to cool slightly and serve.
cornstarch, polenta, salt, baking powder, buttermilk, cold sparkling water, green beans, brussels sprouts, bunches scallions, grapeseed oil
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017279 (may not work)