Crispy Hearts

Recipe

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 400ml can hearts of palm
• 1 1/2 cups avocado oil
• 1/4 cup strained tomatoes
• 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
• lemon wedges to serve
• few sprigs dill
• few sprigs parsley

Directions:

1. Soak the kombu in 1 cup of water for a few hours or overnight
2. Set up a small bowl and a plate for a wet mix and dry mix station. In the small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup kombu water, and 1/2 tsp salt. In the dry mix, whisk together 1/2 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper
3. Drain the hearts of palm and slice them to about 2 inches in length. Then, carefully press out the centre cores
4. Using forks or chopsticks, coat the hearts of palm pieces in the wet mix, then in the dry mix, and onto a plate
5. Once the hearts of palm pieces are all coated, pour the avocado oil into a frying pan and heat on medium heat. Give the oil a few minutes to heat up (you can stick a wooden chopstick in the oil, it's ready when you see fast moving bubbles)
6. Carefully add the hearts of palm to the oil and fry for 3-5mins on each side. Do this in small batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Carefully transfer them onto a cooling rack or onto a plate lined with paper towel to rest. Repeat this step until all the hearts of palm are cooked
7. Make the dipping sauce by stirring together the strained tomatoes (or marinara sauce) and Tabasco sauce
8. Serve the crispy hearts of palm with the dipping sauce, some lemon wedges and a generous sprinkle of fresh dill and parsley