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Eggless batter is a valid vegan substitute for the traditional batter used to fry fish, vegetables or meat: the basic mixture is the same – water and flour – but there are as many variations as there are possible additional ingredients.
Eggless batter vs traditional batter with eggs
Eggs serve as binder, meaning that they help batter stick to food and coat if for deep frying. They also serve to leaven the batter, which making it more light and crispy. Any substitute for eggs in batter needs to serve both of these functions.
Eggs also add a golden colour to batter through their yolk, so an eggless batter may have a different hue than you are used to.
An advantage to eggs in batter is that their protein helps seal the moisture into the food, keeping it succulent and keeping as little oil from getting in as possible. But they can also make for a heavier batter, which can lead to a doughy rather than a light, crispy texture.
Nutritionally speaking, eggs to provide a slew of nutrients, from complete proteins to iron to B vitamins. They were long snubbed for their high cholesterol content, but recent research has thrown doubt on whether high dietary cholesterol is actually unhealthy. But as nutritious as eggs may be, there are many valid reasons not related to health for leaving eggs out of batter, so here are some cooking tips for making a 100% vegan eggless batter. Enjoy.
How to make a 100% vegan eggless batter
Eggless Batter: how to obtain consistency
- Mix 200 g flour and salt to taste in a bowl.
- Slowly add mineral water. It is important to dose the water carefully to obtain a consistency that is smooth and fluid but not liquid.
- When cooking, the batter must completely coat the pieces of food, but the amount in excess has to drip off.
Frying techniques
To make your fried foods nice and crisp on the outside it is necessary to use very cold water or to add ice: in fact, the thermal shock, when in contact with boiling oil, will ensure that the fried morsels do not absorb too much fat. Alternatively, you can leave the mixture to rest in the refrigerator for half an hour, giving it a stir from time to time.
Eggless Batter: more substance
To give more substance to the batter, you can add a teaspoon of unsweetened baking powder or 1 gram of baking soda. One variation on the theme of eggless batter contemplates the addition of beer, which also makes fried foods tastier and gives them a characteristic flavour. Another minor variation consists in using durum flour instead of 00-type flour.
