Mozzarella Sticks with Cilantro Dip
Plain ol' mozzarella sticks are great, but you know what's better? Skipping the Italian parsley for some dried cilantro leaves! Make sure to double coat the sticks and freeze before dropping them in the hot oil.
Servings 12 sticks
Ingredients
- 8 oz Mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup bread crumbs regular or Panko
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro leaves
- Oil for frying
- Cilantro Dip:
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ of a green chilli
- 4 tablespoon lemon juice
- Water as needed
Instructions
- Slice cheese into ¾ inch sticks.
- Next, prepare the breading station. In three separate bowls, add flour, eggs and bread crumbs.
- Into the bread crumbs, add salt, garlic and the dried cilantro leaves and mix.*
- To coat the mozzarella sticks, begin by dredging a stick at a time in flour, then dip it in egg and finally coat with the breadcrumbs. Dip the coated stick back into eggs and double coat with breadcrumbs. Double coating will ensure the cheese is entirely covered. Repeat with the remaining cheese sticks.
- Once all the sticks are coated, freeze them before deep frying.
- To fry, add oil in the saucepan enough to deep-fry the mozzarella sticks. Fry until brown and the cheese begins to ooze just a tiny bit.
- To prepare the cilantro dip, make a paste out of fresh cilantro leaves and green chilli. I used a mortar and pestle but you can do this in a mini-chopper. Add water to thin out the paste.
- Next scoop out the paste into the sour cream and mix well.
- Add juice from a lemon for some zesty flavor along with salt to taste.
- Pour water until you have reached your desired consistency.
- Serve mozzarella sticks with the dip.
Notes
*To dry cilantro leaves at home, microwave freshly chopped cilantro leaves on a kitchen towel on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute. The cilantro leaves will have dried up completely. Crush and use in the recipe and other awesome spice rubs. It's that easy!