DIY pub food: A cheap and easy recipe
There’s something so magical about deep fried vegetables: beneath the satisfying crunch and grease is a little core of juicy freshness. Dill pickles are an obvious choice, but it seems unethical that some places charge around 10 bucks a plate for a few pickles when a huge jar of pickles from the grocery store costs only around three dollars. Well, as it turns out, making deep fried pickles at home is ridiculously easy.It just takes a few basic ingredients that most people already have lying around at home. Plus, the preparation process is easy enough for a toddler to follow.
And the best part? This recipe works for any vegetable (or food you can fry) and the spices can be switched out for different flavour combinations. An unexpected twist on this recipe could be deep fried banana (leaving out the garlic, onion, and black pepper) with chocolate sauce or honey. It’s bar food without having to go out into sub-zero temperatures. Just be careful with the hot oil!
INGREDIENTS
- ⅔ cup of breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- 5 regular dill pickles (halved) or 10 baby dill pickles
- Vegetable oil
- Black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper on a plate.
2. In a bowl, beat the egg until the yolks and whites combine. If you’re vegan, you can dissolve corn flour into water for an egg substitute.
3. Grab your pickles, either whole or sliced, and dry them on a paper towel.
4. Dip each pickle into the egg, then roll it around in the breadcrumb mixture until evenly coated. Repeat process for a thicker breaded layer. Tip: to avoid breading your fingers, dip the pickle in the egg with one hand and roll it in the breadcrumbs with the other.
5. Heat up some oil in a saucepan or frying pan. There should be enough oil to cover the pickles.
6. When the oil is hot enough and produces lots of little bubbles, place the pickles in the pan and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Serve with your sauce of choice (you can’t go wrong with ranch or garlic mayo).
8. Enjoy!
Photo by Marika Li