A few months ago, in the early hours of the morning, during a bout of insomnia, I found myself watching videos online on fermenting and kombucha. For some reason, possibly because of pure curiosity, I googled whether or not a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeasts) Pellicle was edible.
As it turns out, it is, and because of it's somewhat slimy and rubbery texture (think squid or calamari), as well as its natural sweet vinegar flavour, as it turns out it is best suited to eastern inspired recipes. After going through numerous recipes - mostly stir-fry based ones, I decided to come up with a recipe of my own to give eating a SCOBY a try.
I am not too sure why, but after not having been able to find a similar recipe, I decided to try a tempura style recipe. A few days later, and after watching many videos on the best way to make tempura batter, I was feeling brave enough to give it a try.
To my surprise it was actually quite enjoyable. The texture is something to get used to, but as long as the pieces aren't too big, it works out quite nicely, below is the recipe, give it a try and let me know what you think.
I first tried them with just plain soy sauce, but after tasting the flavour I decided that they would also suit a sweet chilli sauce quite well. I recommend giving it a go and deciding which flavour profile you personally prefer.
Ingredients:
1 x SCOBY Pellicle
1 x cup of cake or all purpose flour
Enough hot oil for a deep fry (or optionally, consider using your air fryer)
For the batter:
1 x egg
1 x tablespoon cake or all purpose flour
1/2 a cup of water
PRO TIP: The batter turns out better and stays crispy for longer if all the ingredients are refrigerated and cold before mixing together to use.
Step 1:
Slice your SCOBY pellicle into long thin slices, about half an inch wide by one inch long.
Step 2:
Place your oil for deep frying in a pot on the stove and bring to the heat. You will know it is hot enough when you can drizzle a few drops of batter and it cooks and floats to the surface with 3 seconds.
Step 3:
In a bowl place your cup of plain flour, and rub your pellicle pieces in it, making sure the pieces are lightly coated - this helps to ensure the batter sticks well to your pieces.
Step 4:
In another bowl, mix together your batter ingredients. Make sure to mix properly and ensure there are no lumps.
Step 5:
Dip your flour coated SCOBY pieces in the batter mix and drop into the hot oil. Turn occasionally while frying with a spoon, and fry until a light golden colour. (Or in your air fryer, cook until a crispy golden colour)
Step 6:
Place your pieces in a strainer or on a cloth to strain any excess oil. Leave for a few minutes, then place on a serving plate and enjoy with a sauce of your choosing.
CLICK HERE to view the recipe for my sweet chilli sauce that really compliments this dish.
Comments
Post a Comment