A lot of people have the notion that vegetarians always eat healthy. WRONG. We like greasy bar food just as much as the next person.

I’m doing a double-shot of fried food posts because a few friends and I decided to get together for lunch and experiment frying different foods. I got this recipe from Food.People.Want. and they turned out fantastic. They really nailed the technique and they deserve full credit for that, I wouldn’t have thought of double-dipping or freezing otherwise!

Make sure you read the recipe through once before you start, then off you go. For the absolute best results, follow all the instructions and use the tips!

You can serve these up hot with tomato sauce, garlic aioli, chipotle mayo or honey-garlic mustard.

Ingredients

Makes 16 mozzarella sticks

• 16 (3-inch) sticks of mozzarella, as shown in photo or 8 sticks of string cheese, halved
• 1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoning (or your favourite herb blend)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pinch of black pepper to taste
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Canola oil for frying

Method

Evenly spread the breadcrumbs and flour on two separate plates. Mix the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper with the breadcrumbs until well combined. In a small bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy.

Place one piece of cheese in the flour and roll it around until completely coated. Shake off excess flour and dip in the eggs; roll the cheese in breadcrumbs. Dip the piece of cheese once more in egg and roll in breadcrumbs again to ensure there is a thick and crunchy coating. Place on a dry plate and repeat for remaining pieces of cheese.

Once all 12 pieces are coated, place the plate in the freezer, uncovered, for 2 hours. This is done so the breadcrumbs can solidify and form a solid coating so no cheese seeps out when it’s being fried.

Pour enough oil into a large saucepan to come to a depth of at least 2 inches. Heat the oil on a moderately high heat, so that it will be hot enough to fry but not to burn. Fry the mozzarella sticks in batches, being careful not to exhaust the oil, until crispy and browned on the exterior, about 3-5 minutes.  Drain cheese sticks on paper towels to rid of excess oil.

Add more oil to the saucepan (get it back to the same levels as before) and allow it to heat again. Repeat with remaining mozzarella sticks. To keep the others warm while you cook the rest, you can put them in the oven at 200 degrees. Serve immediately with any of the dips mentioned above.