Getting batter to stick to veggies

Cafe Society
#1

My habaneros have been coming in steadily now, though we’re getting to the end of the season. Based on a suggestion in the thread above, I’ve done a couple batches of habenero poppers, following (more or less) this recipe. Aside from the first batch, which was unbearably hot (I think I left a bit too much of the ribs in, or maybe missed a seed or two), they’ve turned out well, but I’ve had some trouble getting the batter to stick to the habs. It’s not a huge big deal–enough of it stays on long enough for me to toss the whole thing in the oil and get, if not a batter-coated pepper, a pepper sitting in a patch of fried batter. But it’d be nice to have things be a bit more regular–I might want to make these for company sometime.

Any ideas? Sorry if I missed something on google–last I checked, I didn’t have much luck.

#2

Dredge the veggies in corn starch and shake as much of it as you can off. Dip into beaten egg, then dredge in the flour mixture.

#3

You can also use a potato-starch based Egg Replacer instead of corn starch & egg. Places like Whole Foods sell it, usually with the baking supplies.

#4

It seems like the commercial, frozen varieties are invariably coated in bread crumbs. So yea, as per Johnny L.A.'s recommendation… Initially dredge them in cornstarch or flour, then dip into beaten eggs, and rollcoat in seasoned breadcrumbs. If you are making them with a batter and it is not coating, perhaps experiment with a bit of a thicker consistency of batter- add more dry ingredients/less liquid.

#5

I also do the cornstarch when I use batter. (I use batter on fish.)