PICKLED PADRONS
I spent many a long days running the Kitchen of an extremely busy and very hip Ramen Bar in Soho, just off Wardour Street. Yes thats the one, and being the Flagship branch we had queues around the block everyday for both sittings. On Saturdays we would push out in excess of 600 Ramens notwithstanding those for our Staff lunch.
Anyhow I digress. Padron Peppers were a starter on our menu and they were really popular. We just dunked the Padrons into the hot oil in our fryer for no more than a minute, then tossed them in some Maldon Sea Salt and off they went to the anticipating diner. Now for me personally, they werent a favourite. I somehow always managed to pick up a pronounced bitter taste and for this reason I thought, "what a shame" as im not a bitter taste aficionado.
Neverthe less when i saw these Padron Peppers at my local supermarket i grabbed them as i knew they would make for a good Instagram post (visually off course) :) So i took the peppers home and wiped them down with a dry cloth and dunked them into a deep pan of hot oil (180 degrees C to be precise) for no more than 2 minutes, making sure to roll them in the oil just so that for the most part the peppers get close to an even cook all round. Now be sure to cover the pan as soon as you put the peppers into the hot oil just until the popping stops (off course you can always prick the peppers with a toothpick or similar to prevent them popping, I didnt because when you are used to cooking tons of them everyday and chasing Labour Targets, you learn to utilise your budget wisely.) Once the popping stops remove the lid and roll the peppers. Once the skin on the peppers wrinkle and some will begin to take on a bit of colour, you can drain them on some Kitchen Towel. From there all you need to do is toss them in a bowl while sprinkling on either our Pig In A Pickle Rub or the Keto Pig In A Pickle Rub and then sit back and enjoy this delicacy. PS: the rub seems to mitigate the Bitterness to an extent.
INGREDIENTS
340g Fresh Padron Peppers
200g Vegetable Oil for deep frying
15g Smoke Church Pig In A Pickle Rub or the Keto version of the rub
METHOD
1. Heat the oil to 180 degrees C.
2. Deep fry the peppers for 1 - 2 mins just to blister their skins and soften the peppers
3. Remove the peppers from the oil and drain on kitchen towel.
4. Toss the peppers in a bowl with the Rub and sit back and enjoy them.
We hope you enjoy making this dish and keep an eye out for our next recipe coming soon.
Dont forget to tag us on Instagram: @smokechurchbbq and @chefrivaajmaharaj
See you soon!
Chef Rivaaj Maharaj
