Sunshine and Fried Dough

At our home, the weather dictates when we get to cook BIG, and by big, I mean lots of high-heat, high BTU stir-frying like this or even deep-frying like these irresistable little poppers! You see, I simply do not do any form of deep-frying indoors. There's something about that lingering greasy odor that makes the food so unappetizing - yes, even 'em
wonderful deep-fried fries and don't even mention about fried fish! You've seen all those TV ads on air fresheners that supposedly not just mask bad odors but completely eliminate all of it, including fishy stench? Well, they lied. None of those products really work and even my wonderful discovery of this a decade ago can't do its wonders when it comes to fishy smells. Despite the manufacturer's claims on effectiveness, we've learnt the hard way the limits of our so-called industrial-strength range hood; I'm never going to repeat the ceiling-scrubbing-rinsing-mopping-repeat scrubbing-rinsing-mopping episode ever again!! So we rely on blue skies and sunny weather to cook big outdoors. And thank God for the great weather this morning as I crawled out of bed with a huge craving for fried dough!
I was torn between making the sweet or savory versions but at last, the cravings for sweets took over. The recipe for the dough is from my Home Science classes in high school and the savory version used to be a favorite of mine. You can use the base dough recipe, then vary the fillings: mashed couple bananas and add some toasted coconut flakes for something sweet, or add corn kennels and chopped onions for the savory version. Let's see how the weather goes tomorrow but for today, let's fry me some sweet apple-coconut balls.

Versatile Fried Dough
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
2 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon sugar
5 cups oil (I used canola oil) for deep-frying

For sweet version:
Add 1/2 cup sugar to the mixture above
1 tsp extract (banana, coconut or even vanilla, depending on what type of fillings you're using)
1 1/2 cups chopped apples or bananas
Powdered sugar and ground cinnamon for dusting

For savory version:
Add 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp salt to the dough
2 big chopped onions

1 1/2 cups corn kernels

2 stalks chopped spring onion

3/4 cups chopped shrimp meat (optional)

2 red jalapenos, chopped (optional)

Method:
Heat up oil in a heavy-based pan. Line a tray or plate with paper towels.
1. Whisk the dry ingredients to combine in a bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then pour into the dry mixture. Stir to combine well. Add in the filling ingredients. *I used Fuji apples in my fried fritters today and since I had leftover toasted coconut flakes, I threw those into the mixture as well. Set aside to rest for ~ 30 minutes
2. Using a spoon or icecream scoop, scoop the mixture into a ball and drop into hot oil  fry, flipping the balls until all sides are golden brown.
3. Remove from hot oil and drain on paper towel-lined plate.
4. Allow to cool then serve.
I sprinkled a little mix of powdered sugar and ground cinnamon on my apple fritters.

It's fried dough so it's got to be good! The crunch from the tart apples adds a nice texture to the fried dough, as do the toasted coconut flakes. Now excuse me as I finish piece number 4, 5 (who's counting) and head off to visit my little darling nieces whom I've not seen in a while. I bet one will be so overjoyed to see this treat!