Episode 6 : Deep Fried Competition

Concessionaires at the L.A. County Fair have been getting creative with their deep fried foods, serving everything up from deep fried frog legs to deep fried cupcakes. Bob checks his calorie counter at the gate to enter in the Fair's Deep Fry Contest - where fair goers judge each vendor's entry on originality, taste and appearance. Bob learns that deep frying is no easy feat - finding the right batter, the right combination of salty and sweet, and the right oil temperature to avoid a melted mess takes hours of trial and error. He hops in his vegetable oil fueled car to test out his deep fried experiments on his neighbors in L.A., with a pit stop to explore the art of tempura at a Japanese restaurant along the way. Will Bob's fried creation hold up on contest day, or will he be up to his elbows in grease?

Recipes:

Coconut Shrimp Lollipops

Note: this is another taxing recipe, but it will reward you if you have the patience

Apricot-Ginger Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
¾ cup apricot jam
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds discarded, minced
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar or freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Purée. Reserve.

Lollipops

Ingredients:
1 coconut, ideally pre-scored (first-timers should buy a spare coconut)
¼ cup beer
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
12 shrimp, 26-30 count, shelled and de-veined
3-5 cups peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
1 wedge watermelon for presentation
12 6-inch bamboo skewers

Directions:
1. With the coconut and a medium bowl in hand, go find yourself a concrete step. Break the coconut in half by banging the center (along the equator of the coconut) repeatedly on the edge of step. Split the coconut over the bowl and salvage some of the water if possible. Reserve the smaller half of the coconut. Bang the larger half on the concrete to break it into smaller pieces. Back in your kitchen, use a table knife to separate the coconut meat from the shell. Then use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the brown skin from the meat.
2. Using the fine part of your grater, shred 2 cups of coconut. (Not all graters have grates that will work.) Reserve in a shallow bowl.
3. Pour coconut water into a measuring cup and if necessary top off with beer until you have 3/4 cup of liquid. Reserve. If you are using store-bought shredded coconut (and consequently do not have any coconut water) replace mixture with ¾ cup of beer.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut water/beer mixture, egg, cayenne, baking powder, and salt. Beat until smooth. Add a bit more flour or beer, if necessary, so that the batter has the consistency of thick pancake batter. Reserve.
5. Use a paper towel to pat dry the shrimp. Tightly wrap each shrimp like a pinwheel (with the tail end of the shrimp on the outside), then skewer 1 shrimp on the end of each skewer. Reserve in refrigerator.
6. Pour oil into a medium, tall pot until it is 3 inches deep. Heat oil until it reaches 350° F.
7. While oil is heating, dip each shrimp in the batter, then pat it down in the coconut shreds so that the entire "lollipop" is covered in coconut shreds. Transfer to a plate.
8. When oil is ready, submerge 4 shrimp at a time into oil. Don’t worry if the skewers go into the oil. Fry for approximately 2 minutes, or until coconut is a golden brown, rotating once or twice. Transfer lollipops to a paper towel to drain.
9. Skim any wayward coconut shreds from the oil. Adjust heat so that it is 350°F again and continue with next batch. For a creative presentation, stick skewers in a watermelon wedge and/or serve the dipping sauce in the unused coconut half.

Yield: 12 lollipops

Mini Egg Roll Sliders

Note: I've substituted peanut butter for my hazelnut butter to simplify the process. You will barely taste the difference.

Ingredient:
7 marshmallows, sliced in thirds
3 packages of Rolos (the chocolate caramel candy)
2 bananas, peeled and sliced into ten 2" x 1/2" x 3/8" strips
1/3 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy - your choice!)
10 egg roll wrappers, trimmed by 1-inch on 2 of their sides
plastic wrap

Directions:
1. For each mini egg roll, start by putting an 8-inch strip of plastic wrap on a clean work surface. Place a strip of banana in the center of the plastic wrap. Smear banana with a 3/8-inch layer of peanut butter. Press 3 Rolos into peanut butter, then top with 2 pieces of marshmallow. Roll plastic wrap around your creation and twist each end so that it tightens the contents into a tight little "log". Place logs in freezer until frozen.
2. Place a small bowl of warm water beside egg roll wrappers. Put a single wrapper on a clean, dry surface in front of you. One at a time, remove logs from the freezer, remove plastic wrapping and wrap logs with egg roll wrappers. Dip your finger in water (which is the glue of egg roll wrappers) and use it to seal the seams and ends. If you are not going to fry the egg rolls immediately, cover with a damp dishtowel and refrigerate. Do not let egg rolls touch. If available, sprinkle surface of storage plate and the egg rolls themselves with corn starch to minimize sticking.
3. Pour oil into a medium, tall pot until it is 3 inches deep. Heat oil until it reaches 350°F.
4. When oil is ready, submerge 4 egg rolls at a time into oil. Fry for approximately 2 minutes, or until egg roll wrappers are golden brown, rotating once or twice. Transfer egg rolls to a paper towel to drain.

Yield: 10 servings

Tempura Batter

Compliments of Chef Hiroyuki Shiono at Thousand Cranes Restaurant in Los Angeles

Tempura batter:
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
2 liters water

Directions:
mix together, then mix 1 cup of egg yolk water with 1/2 cup of cake flour

Tempura sauce:
Ingredients:
5 cups dashi
1 cup milin
1 cup soya sauce

Green tea salt:
Ingredients:
3 cups Okinawa sea salt
1 cup green tea powder

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