Fried Apple Rings
Listen. When you live in a foreign country, sometimes things are different. Like apples, for example. Making apple pie in Seoul is hard. It’s hard not just because you may have to go to a special market to find a pie pan, or because you may not even have an oven, but because the apples are different.
Three of the most common kinds of apples grown in Korea are Fuji, Ralls Janet and Jonathan. While some people claim they’re good for baking, I haven’t found that to be the case — they’re great for eating, but they are acidic, porous and full of water, three factors that can conspire to ruin an otherwise good pie.
When we were in Berlin, we had the good fortune to get a table at Zur Gerichtslaube, a lovely traditional German restaurant housed in a building that dates back to 1207. There were too many good things about that meal (including the house beer) to claim a highlight, but the fried apple rings in custard were a fantastic note to end on.
I’ve been thinking about those apples ever since. And I wondered if Korean apples would hold up a little better when fried.
They did. With a few caveats. If you’re using this recipe with Korean apples there are three things to remember: Keep the heat up high, to get the apples in and out of the oil faster, let them cool well before serving BUT do not wait too long, because the apples still have a lot of moisture in them, and they may go a little soggy after a while.
I also picked up some honey at the Naschmarkt in Vienna that I’ve been dying to dig into. Topping the apples with a little powdered sugar and honey helps to balance out their acidity.
I added some of the classic apple pie spices to the batter, just in case you are, like me, an American in Seoul craving a little slice of home.
Fried Apple Rings
Ingredients
- 2-3 large apples
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of flour, for battering
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Slice the apples into rings just thick enough to hold their shape. Use a paring knife or a small round cookie cutter to remove the core.
- Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the milk into the egg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until any lumps are removed.
- Fill your pan with oil deep enough so that the apples can float. Turn the heat to high and periodically check the temperature. When a drop of water dripped into the oil causes it to sizzle and pop, your oil is just about right.
- Put 1/2 a cup of flour into a wide, shallow bowl. Coat the apple slices in the flour, tapping to remove any excess, and then coat them in the batter. Be sure to clear the hole in the middle and allow any extra batter to drip off, but don't let too much drip off, or you may end up with semi-naked apples.
- Gently drop the apple slices into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan -- I found I could fit three at the most at one time. If your oil is hot enough, they should be golden brown and ready to flip in less than a minute. Fry on both sides and remove to a plate covered with a paper towel.
- Allow the apple rings to cool for 5-10 minutes, top with powdered sugar and honey, jam, syrup or any other sweet topping of your choice and serve them right away.
