Advice for Crispier Deep-Fried Fritters?

[IronDioPriest]

I make a delicious Indo-Chinese deep-fried cauliflower dish. The flavor of the recipe is even better than our favorite restaurant, but when I make it, the batter does not crisp-up, and instead is thin, and more like a coating. When we eat it at the restaurant, the fritters are crispy and more substantive.

The recipe as it was given to me includes flour, corn starch, turmeric, salt, soy sauce, minced Serrano chilis, minced garlic, minced ginger, and water. The fritters are deep-fried in 375º peanut oil.

Unless someone knows better, I don't believe I can double-deep-fry (like some Asian chicken dishes) because it would overcook the cauliflower.

After researching, it seems like the introduction of Co2 to the batter would give it more substance and crispiness. In an effort to introduce Co2, I substituted beer for the water, but it had little effect. It didn't ruin anything, and the fritters LOOKED like they were going to be crispier, but it still was not the effect I was looking for.

I've been considering baking powder for the next try. But I'm not certain that's the answer either, since baking powder contains corn starch, and the recipe already has that as an ingredient. So I'm also considering baking soda and cream of tartar (basically baking powder minus the corn starch).

Does anyone have advice for me? I've only begun to understand the very basics of the science, so I'm really at the point of trial-and-error, unless someone can point me in the right direction.

Essentially, my question is, what can I alter about my batter recipe to garner a crispier, more dense/substantive crust on my cauliflower fritters?

Thank you!

 

[caseydog]

The cauliflower is going to make it harder to get a crisp crust because it is loaded with water. If you wash the cauliflower, definitely let it completely dry before you coat it and cook it. Letting the minced serranos and ginger dry out for a while might not hurt, either.

However, you might want to try using club soda instead of water or beer. You get the CO2 without any other stuff that might get in the way.

I also am a bit suspicious of the soy sauce. This is purely speculation, but the salt may be drawing out water from the cauliflower... maybe.

Bottom line, I am pretty sure your enemy is water coming from inside your ingredients. I make fried pickles, and I have to let the pickles sit on paper towels for an hour or so before I flour them and fry them.

Another trick with battered and fried food is to batter, then freeze, then fry. It keeps your batter from separating from the food while frying. I've tested this on potato wedges. Without freezing, the crust falls off when I eat them. With freezing, it doesn't do that. I do not know why. It just works that way.

Hope this helps.

CD

 

[Just Cooking]

Welcome to DC, IDP....
You WILL get answers here.. Wish I could help too..

Ross

 

[IronDioPriest]

The cauliflower is going to make it harder to get a crisp crust because it is loaded with water. If you wash the cauliflower, definitely let it completely dry before you coat it and cook it. Letting the minced serranos and ginger dry out for a while might not hurt, either.

However, you might want to try using club soda instead of water or beer. You get the CO2 without any other stuff that might get in the way.

I also am a bit suspicious of the soy sauce. This is purely speculation, but the salt may be drawing out water from the cauliflower... maybe.

Bottom line, I am pretty sure your enemy is water coming from inside your ingredients. I make fried pickles, and I have to let the pickles sit on paper towels for an hour or so before I flour them and fry them.

Another trick with battered and fried food is to batter, then freeze, then fry. It keeps your batter from separating from the food while frying. I've tested this on potato wedges. Without freezing, the crust falls off when I eat them. With freezing, it doesn't do that. I do not know why. It just works that way.

Hope this helps.

CD

I have let the cauliflower dry in a colander, but I've never gone as far as to pat it dry. One other thing I could definitely do is let some of the juices from the ginger, chilis, and garlic drain into a paper towel before adding it to the batter. I might lose a little of the flavor, but it's not exact science - I could make up for it by mincing a little extra. I could subtract the soy sauce from the batter, and add a little to the sauce that I toss the fritters in after frying.

So, all good suggestions. Can I ask what it is about beer vs club soda that leads you to think soda might work better? I used beer obviously because it makes a good base for fish batter, but if there is something about it that makes it less preferable to club soda, I'd be open to experimenting with that as well.

Do you have an opinion about adding some baking powder? I've had that suggested on a fishing forum with a cooking sub-board, but I thought here would be a better place to get a definitive answer. I can find all kinds of info on what baking powder and baking soda do to baked goods, but nothing definitive about adding it to deep-fry batters.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[caseydog]

I have let the cauliflower dry in a colander, but I've never gone as far as to pat it dry. One other thing I could definitely do is let some of the juices from the ginger, chilis, and garlic drain into a paper towel before adding it to the batter. I might lose a little of the flavor, but it's not exact science - I could make up for it by mincing a little extra. I could subtract the soy sauce from the batter, and add a little to the sauce that I toss the fritters in after frying.

So, all good suggestions. Can I ask what it is about beer vs club soda that leads you to think soda might work better? I used beer obviously because it makes a good base for fish batter, but if there is something about it that makes it less preferable to club soda, I'd be open to experimenting with that as well.

Do you have an opinion about adding some baking powder? I've had that suggested on a fishing forum with a cooking sub-board, but I thought here would be a better place to get a definitive answer. I can find all kinds of info on what baking powder and baking soda do to baked goods, but nothing definitive about adding it to deep-fry batters.

Thanks for the advice!

I'm not sure that club soda would do better than beer, but I think it is worth a try.

As for baking powder, I don't know. You already use corn starch, which is good for crispy frying. Not sure if baking powder would help.

Again, I'm thinking water is the problem. I know I have a problem making corn fritters crispy with canned corn, which is what most recipes call for. The water in the corn seems to "steam" in the hot oil, and keep the fritters from getting a good, crisp crust.

CD

 

[IronDioPriest]

From what I've read, baking powder will release Co2 when it is heated, basically leavening the batter by sending bubbles to the exterior and quickly forming a crust. That was the effect I was hoping the beer would have, but it make very little difference. I will definitely try to bring the recipe together with less moisture next time, and see what effect that has.

I failed to mention that once before, I tried adding an egg to the batter, and that did little more than make the batter gummy, and made the fritters stick together.

 

[medtran49]

What kind of flour are you using? If it's wheat, try rice. If it's rice, try wheat. Posting your entire recipe, including amounts of each, might help also.

 

[IronDioPriest]

What kind of flour are you using? If it's wheat, try rice. If it's rice, try wheat. Posting your entire recipe, including amounts of each, might help also.

The recipe calls for wheat flour, so that's what I've used. Does rice flour change the taste? Never used it before...

The recipe for the fritters is:
10 Tbsp flour
2tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 Tbsp corn starch
Two Serrano chilis de-stemmed & minced
2 tsp minced ginger
4 fat cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
Begin with 1/2 cup water and stir, and add a little at a time to the right consistency
Mix it all together
Fold in one head of cauliflower fritters until thoiroughly coated
Deep fry in 375º peanut oil in manageable sized batches, allowing oil to return to temp between batches

The whole thing it tossed in a sauce immediately before serving, so my goal is to introduce it into the sauce with a crispy, substantive crust.

I've tried adding an egg and subtracting an equal amount of water. I've tried adding beer instead of water. I don't know the specifics of the science, so I came here hoping to find an expert to point me in the right direction.

 

[medtran49]

When you say cauliflower fritters, do you mean like florets of cauliflower that are uncooked or are they steamed/boiled, or something entirely different?

 

[medtran49]

And to answer your question, no rice flour in a batter won't change the taste. Think super light, crisp, crunchy tempura.

 

[IronDioPriest]

When you say cauliflower fritters, do you mean like florets of cauliflower that are uncooked or are they steamed/boiled, or something entirely different?

Raw florets.

 

[powerplantop]

The recipe calls for wheat flour, so that's what I've used. Does rice flour change the taste? Never used it before...

The recipe for the fritters is:
10 Tbsp flour
2tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 Tbsp corn starch
Two Serrano chilis de-stemmed & minced
2 tsp minced ginger
4 fat cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp soy sauce
Begin with 1/2 cup water and stir, and add a little at a time to the right consistency
Mix it all together
Fold in one head of cauliflower fritters until thoiroughly coated
Deep fry in 375º peanut oil in manageable sized batches, allowing oil to return to temp between batches

The whole thing it tossed in a sauce immediately before serving, so my goal is to introduce it into the sauce with a crispy, substantive crust.

I've tried adding an egg and subtracting an equal amount of water. I've tried adding beer instead of water. I don't know the specifics of the science, so I came here hoping to find an expert to point me in the right direction.

Some recipes have egg so that is not a problem but to me it looks like to much liquid. As long your cooking out water they will not crisp up.

 

[IronDioPriest]

Some recipes have egg so that is not a problem but to me it looks like to much liquid. As long your cooking out water they will not crisp up.

That is sound logic, but since the restaurant is able to do it, I'm tormented knowing it can be done!

 

[medtran49]

That is sound logic, but since the restaurant is able to do it, I'm tormented knowing it can be done!

Restaurants also have different equipment than a home cook has. They probably have a much larger deep fat fryer than you do with a lot more room and oil circulating.

Have you tried tossing them with flour before battering? Also, since you say your finished product is not as substantial coating wise as the restaurant, I'd have to say PPO is right about too much liquid. Thinner the batter, thinner the coating.

 

[IronDioPriest]

Restaurants also have different equipment than a home cook has. They probably have a much larger deep fat fryer than you do with a lot more room and oil circulating.

Have you tried tossing them with flour before battering? Also, since you say your finished product is not as substantial coating wise as the restaurant, I'd have to say PPO is right about too much liquid. Thinner the batter, thinner the coating.

It is an electric deep fryer with the element raised an inch off the bottom, and it holds one gallon of oil, so you're right - not as large as a restaurant, but better than a Dutch oven on a stovetop.

I have not tried tossing with flour before battering. The batter doesn't appear thin. It is of a consistency that I'm able to toss the cauliflower in the amount of batter this recipe makes, and it coats the florets without dripping off.