OHLALA Insights

“I am thrilled to share with you one of my favourite recipes from our recently introduced Quick Bites menu. This dish holds a special place in my heart because of its simplicity and remarkable freshness. This recipe combines the perfect balance of spiciness, sweetness, acidity and saltiness – all harmoniously coming together in every bite. When executed with precision and care, the result is nothing short of a resounding WOW

INGREDIENTS:

8 red Romano peppers

100g plain flour

4 beaten eggs

100g Panko breadcrumbs

60g white and black sesame seeds

16 kaffir lime leaves (finely chopped)

1tbsp sheet of nori (finely blitz it in a spice grinder)

600ml sunflower oil

2tsp lime zest

Salt and black pepper as needed

Spicy Cocktail Sauce:

1 garlic head

180g cherry tomatoes

4 chillies

1tbsp maple syrup

2tbsp Worcestershire sauce

60g mayonnaise

METHOD:

For the Spicy Cocktail Sauce:

1. Sprinkle the garlic bulb with some salt and pepper, then wrap tightly in foil and place on a parchment lined baking tray with the tomatoes and chilies. Roast in pre-heated oven at 230°C fan for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes and chilies begin to blacken and blister.

2. Remove from the oven and, when cool, squeeze the garlic into the small bowl of a food processor, discarding the skins.

3. Add the chilies (deseeded for less heat), tomatoes, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and ¼ teaspoon of salt and blitz to a coarse paste.

Leave to cool completely, then mix in the mayonnaise and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

For the Romano peppers:

1. Cut a 5cm slit vertically in the base of each pepper, then place them on a large parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for 16 minutes, turning the peppers over halfway, until cooked through and beginning to blacken a little. Transfer to a sieve, to drain any liquid, taking care to keep the stalks intact. Once cool enough to handle, carefully peel away as much of the skin as possible without puncturing the flesh, then sprinkle each pepper with a good pinch of salt and set aside.

2. Prepare three shallow containers long enough to fit the length of the peppers. Mix the flour with 1tsp of salt and plenty of black pepper in the first container. Put the eggs into the second container. In the last container, mix the Panko breadcrumbs, sesame seeds, kaffir lime leaves, nori, 2tsp of salt and a generous pinch of black pepper.

3. Set a large metal rack over a tray (on which to place the Panko-coated peppers). Prepare a separate tray lined with plenty of kitchen paper (on which to place the fried peppers). Dip each pepper first into the flour, then into the egg and finally into the Panko mixture, shaking any excess off as you go, and lay each on the rack while you repeat with the rest of the peppers.

4. Pour the oil into a large, high-sided sauté pan or wok and place on a medium high heat. Once very hot (180°C if you have a temperature probe), fry the peppers two at a time so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Lower each pepper carefully into the oil and fry for one to two minutes on each side, until golden-brown and crispy. Transfer to the kitchen paper-lined tray as you go.

5. Serve the peppers straight away, with the lime zest, salt sprinkled on top, lime wedges and the spicy cocktail sauce.

@marriottmarquisdoha