How to Deep-Fry food with Confidence

If I am given a chance to choose between two plates of food where the 1st plate has a nutritious Salad and the 2nd plate has a deep fried food like French fry or Fritters, I will definitely choose the 2nd plate and eat it before anyone can judge me! I know eating healthy goes a long way but I love deep fried food. In fact now it has been proven by the Keto diet that fat is considered a natural part of our diet and consuming fat while you are on Keto diet is not harmful to the body. I have been so happy ever since I started following this diet plan because I am one of those people who look forward to their meal and love to cook. Staple Bengali food, for sure, does not fall into most, or any, diet plans. Being full of fried food and carbs, any diet plan leaves me craving for the food I grew up on.

We Bengalis just love deep fried food. In fact most of our side dishes and snacks are deep-fried.

A typical breakfast will always have Luchi (deep fried bread) or Porotha (pan fried bread) with some simple Torkari. Even our most common and simple lunch menu will have some fried vegetables like Alu Bhaja, Bhindi Bhaja, Begun Bhaja and Mach Bhaja (potato, okra, eggplant and fish fry). The evening snack will have fried Peanuts with Muri (puffed rice). The love of fried food is not contained to Bengalis or Eastern parts of the country. North Indians snack on Samosas, Pakoras or Chat which are all deep-fried. South Indians are famous for their Mirchi Vadas (deep fried Chili Peppers dipped in batter). Dinner menus throughout India usually includes deep-fried food to enhance the taste.

Now you must be thinking how we survive? The answer is simple; the daily food menu is balanced. When it has the yummy slightly unhealthy portions, it is balanced with whole wheat carb options like Roti (flatbread baked on stove top) and Salad. Our lunch will have Rice, Dal and a leafy vegetable to start. Although, the menu normally available at an Indian restaurant, is not our everyday meal, I won’t say we do not enjoy occasionally a hefty meal consisting of Luchi with a rich Potato Curry and some slow cooked delicious Kosha Mangsho (goat curry).

From a general observation, every Bengali knows how to cook. I think it’s because of our inherent connection with food, in a way that we take it as our personal responsibility to learn how to cook. I guess it is safe to say, there are businessmen and there are philosophers but Bengalis are best known for their love of food. 

I know now you are interested to know the tips on deep-frying food. Below are the pointers, which I follow. These are simple but effective and work for me every time.

Frying the food:

I use a deep Wok with a round bottom (karahi - I like this as it is easier and doesn’t take a whole container of oil to fry) or you can also use a deep-walled Saucepan or a deep Fryer. I always use a wide spider-frying Spoon with a long handle to remove the hot food. I recommend keeping an Oven Safe Dish lined with a paper towel on the side. This makes it easier to transfer the hot food from the wok. Also I never put all the pakoras or vegetables at the same time in the wok, as it will drop the temperature of the oil. I add only a couple of pakoras (or vegetable/ meat pieces) at a time and keep it moving in the wok after a couple of seconds to allow the oil to fry all the sides equally. Another must have equipment while frying is a Splatter Screen. Once I drop the food into the wok and move it around I cover it with the splatter screen. It blocks the oil splutter. It’s a fine mesh with a handle and I can see through the mesh and flip the food as soon as it’s done.

Pat-dry the vegetable/ meat:

If there is any water in the vegetable the batter will not coat evenly on it. Also, water will make the oil jump. Its scary and the hot oil burns are bad. Adding the food in the oil is an important task and should be done with utmost care.

Safety first:

Ensure there are no children or people in the kitchen who are unaware of the hot oil. If possible use the back burner to deep-fry food to prevent any burns from the burner itself. I always place one pakora at a time in the oil, very carefully to prevent any splash of hot oil outside the pan. I know it sounds scary but believe me the farther you are from the hot oil the more it will splash. If I am not feeling confident to put my hand inside the hot wok I use the frying spoon to place food in the oil. I will not recommend multitasking when you are deep-frying as at that high temperature it only takes a matter of seconds to turn a well-fried food to burnt food.

I know all this information may look scary but believe me they really help. Even a simple chicken curry tastes great if you deep-fry the pieces first.

I will soon add the recipe for the Panch Bhajas, which you can try and believe me Alu Bhaja tastes very different than French Fries. You got to try it yourself to understand the difference in taste. The recipe will be a complete lunch menu along with Steamed Rice and Arhar Dal, which are my favorite comfort food.

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”

Debarshi is enjoying his favorite breakfast on his birthday: Luchi, Alur Dom ar Chaler Payesh.

Recommended Reading:

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• Alur Dom (Bengali recipe: Potatoes with gravy)
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• Panch Bhaja (Crispy Deep Fried Vegetables)
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