By Lakshmi:
Fried Green Tomatoes – What images do those words conjure up? The namesake 1991 film set in Alabama? The southern dish by the same name that leaves you drooling? To me, it brings up memories of an amazing lunch at Friedmans in Chelsea Market in New York City. Aaah – the perfect firm tomatoes, covered with seasoned panko, deep-fried and served with the perfect buttermilk sauce. Each of us at that meal sat transfixed, a tad bit disappointed that we inhaled the plate so quickly!
And today after many months, I recreated this dish in my kitchen. Take a look at the picture and let me know what you think. From a taste standpoint, the multiple testers in my household gave it a giant thumbs up!
While I had many recipes clipped out since that meal in New York City, I decided to wing this creation. Here’s my easy how-to!
- Sliced up some beautiful green tomatoes from the farmer’s market into thick slices and sprinkled them liberally with salt and pepper
- Dredged the tomatoes in some flour seasoned with chilli pepper,
- Dipped the flour covered tomatoes in two eggs whisked with a tablespoon of milk
- Tossed the egg coated tomatoes into panko crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper
- Deep fried the tomatoes for 2-3 minutes and drained them on paper towels.
Now, this beautiful creation needed an accompanying sauce. And here’s what I did.
- Mixed two tbsps non fat sour cream with a half a cup of buttermilk
- Squirted in some Sriracha sauce into this mix along with some salt and pepper
- Blended the mix well and served it!
And finally for a piece of trivia. Most people believe that Fried Green Tomatoes are the quintessential southern dish. But according to the Smithsonian magazine, the origins of this yummy dish can be traced back to Jewish and Midwestern cookbooks!!
If you have a love affair or a story with Fried Green Tomatoes, please do share!
a global affair 