Fried Cempedak

The cempedak that I bought  the other day was just enough for me to bake the Cempedak Buttermilk Cake & cook cempedak puree for my Hari Raya Haji baking project. I didn't get to fry any of them. So yesterday, I made a trip to Geylang Serai market & among other things, I bought a cempedak.

I was quite curious what it would cost me. Normally, a kilogram costs about $4-$5 versus RM6 (S$2.40) I paid at Pasar Larkin. Yesterday, I got it for $3/kg. But for a slightly less than 2-kg plump cempedak, the dude charged me only $4! ("Nevermind, just pay me $4.") That was a very good bargain.... there were 16 sweet, deep orange nuggets altogether & the seeds were sooo small!

The batter I used was quite similar to the one I used for my fried bananas, except this time, I omitted the baking powder & sugar. The crunchy coating plus the sweet cempedak flesh made such a simple snack yet so satisfying..... that's just amazing..

Fried Cempedak

Ingredients:

15 cempedak nuggets
1 cup (150g) rice flour
2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp  lye water -  you may also use lime water (air kapuh sirih) 

about 3/4 cup water (Don't add all at once.)
oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Combine rice flour, plain flour & salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Gradually add water & lye water & mix well to create a smooth batter. (The batter should not be too runny or too thick.)
3. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
4. Dip cempedak nuggets, one at a time, into the batter and deep fry until they turn deep yellow. Serve warm. If there's any leftover batter, just drizzle batter using a spoon or hand into the hot oil & fry till deep yellow.

I'm linking this post to Asian Food Fest #11 Sept 2014 : Singapore, hosted by Grace Phua of Life Can Be Simple.