Zucchini Fries(Baked)

I had tried these amazing ‘Zucchini crisps’ @ Maggiano’s Little Italy when I had gone for a party hosted there. They had served these cute little coins, that were breaded and fried, that tasted awesome. I probably filled up on most of those, and dessert on that day. One of my friends who saw me wolf these down said, at that rate you’re eating, I see that you will definitely gonna be trying to replicate these at home. I shouldn’t bother but look at your blog for the recipe. She was right, and that comment was probably a motivation for this as well.

The changes I have made, are to make them into fries and not coins, to do a light breading, as opposed to the double breading that they had done, and baking them to keep them a healthy side. I just improvised on the recipe and added whatever I thought would have been added in and I was pretty happy with the way it came out. Here it is, from my kitchen to yours,

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp gram flour/besan
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
non stick cooking spray

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and coat generously with cooking spray.

Combine all the coating ingredients – bread crumbs, besan, cornstarch, parsley, chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg until foamy, along with about 1 tbsp of water. Set this aside as well.

Cut each zucchini in half, making two small cylinders. Cut each cylinder into thick slices – I got about 3 slices, from each cylinder. cut these slices lengthwise to make ‘fries’. Blot these with a paper towel to get rid of extra moisture. Dip the zucchini fries in the egg wash and then dredge in the bread crumb mixture. Place these on the baking sheet in a single layer. Spray more cooking spray over the zucchini

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins, turn over and bake for another10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serve as is, for an appetizer or with burger as a side.

Verdict: Crispy, crunchy and guilt free…now those 3 words in one sentence – I did good, didn’t I? Loved the spicy besan/bread crumb mixture that when clinging on the zucchini made a perfect finger snack. You cannot just stop with one.

Related posts:

1. Garlic Rosemary Baked Fries
2. Baked Bittergourd crisps(Baked Pavakkai chips)
3. Zucchini Baath
4. Zucchini Salad with Minty Yogurt Dressing
5. Crispy Baked Okra