Fried Fennel with Leafy Salad

Ingredients

• 200 ml water
• 150 g flour
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 pinch sugar
• 0.5 tsp Baking powder
• 1 egg (M)
• 1 onion
• 1 piece ginger (walnut-sized)
• 1 Garlic clove
• 0.5 Red chili pepper
• 1 tbsp Sesame oil
• 0.5 tsp Sugar
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• 1 can diced tomatoes (240 g drained weight)
• 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
• Pepper
• 4 handfuls herb salad (e.g., young red and green Swiss chard, spinach)
• 4 fennel bulbs
• oil for frying

Instructions

1. 1.

   Place 200 ml water in the freezer for about 20 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion, ginger, and garlic for the tomato sauce. Slice the chili lengthwise, deseed, wash, and chop. Heat sesame oil in a small pot; sauté onion, ginger, garlic, and chili for 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle 0.5 tsp sugar over them, add orange juice and chopped canned tomatoes. Let the tomato sauce simmer gently for 3-6 minutes, then season heavily with soy sauce and pepper.

2. 2.

   Clean and dry the herb salad. Wash and segment the fennel bulbs into individual parts. Mix flour with breadcrumbs, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Quickly whisk ice-cold water with the egg, then stir it into the flour mixture— the batter should be fairly thin. Heat oil in a tall pan. Dip fennel pieces into the batter and fry them in batches for 3-5 minutes until golden yellow. Drain on paper towels and arrange on plates with the herb salad. Serve the tomato sauce warm or cold alongside.