Golden Fried Kale Stems
Learn a new skill and reduce food waste!
Technical terms in cooking can sometimes feel like a roadblock to success in the kitchen; for instance whats the difference between pan-fry, sauté, and deep fry? All three involve cooking in oil, and all three can achieve similar outcomes; crispy, browned foods. Do you really need a home deep-fryer to achieve the right kind of crunch?
Personal experience has taught us that you can make most things work as long as you understand what your goal is and you’re prepped with certain important facts. For instance; these three methods all have to do with the temperature that you’re cooking the food at, and the temperature needed will indicate the type of oil that is safe to use. If you’re sautéing, you’ll be working at medium heat and the goal is to just start to see brown bits on your food while still maintaining the crunchy; structure of the vegetable. You can use medium heat oils, like olive oil or unrefined coconut oil safely at medium heat.
When you’re pan-frying (or searing) your pan will be a lot hotter but you’ll want just a little bit of fat in the pan. The goal here is to brown the outside of the food you’re cooking quickly, while leaving the internal temperature low. This is a great technique for vegetables like broccoli and asparagus because you can keep them fresh and crunchy but add that browned, cooked flavor to the outside. You will want to use oils that are safe at higher heats and won’t burn; peanut oil, sunflower seed oil, or avocado oil are excellent at this temperature.
And finally, deep frying—a tool best used in moderation, but still important to know! This process can be dangerous: cooking in an open pan over a flame in particular can be risky because if the oil spills over the edge it can start a fire so be sure to know how you plan to put the fire out before you start - and remember, throwing water on an oil-based fire will not work because oil floats in water, use sand or a fire extinguisher and be prepared to clean up quite a mess! For all that, deep frying safely is a really fun way to add texture to your dish. Use a deep pot that is as small in diameter as possible to fit the food you’re trying to fry so that your food is fully submerged but you’re not at risk of the oil spilling over the sides. High heat, low-smoke point oils for frying are peanut, canola, and safflower. Animal fats like lard are also good options for high heat frying.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of fresh kale stems
1/2 c. of either rice flour, potato starch, or corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 c. high heat frying oil
Preparation
Cut the kale stems into long thin pieces.
Mix together the starch, salt, and cayenne.
Toss the kale stems into the starch and shake out in a sifter.
Heat the oil until it pops and sizzles when you test out a kale stem, then pour the stems in (either all at once or in batches depending on the size of your pan).
Wait until they are golden brown and then carefully remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon.
Serve over your pasta.*
*Fried kale stems are one of my favorite toppings for Spaghetti al Limone