Fried courgettes with yoghurt tahini & garlic
LEVEL: Beginner
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 64-5 courgettes, cut into ½ cm discs
50g plain flour
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
175g thick yoghurt
50g tahini
2 tsp dried mint vegetable oil, for frying
salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
METHOD
Really this dish is all about texture, so the crisp edges of the courgettes and the crunch from the fried garlic come through in the cool yoghurt and tahini sauce. This is excellent served alongside simple grilled meats, or with grilled vegetables and soft bread. Though it’s a simple dish it’s best to eat it soon after it’s made.
Use a deep heavy-based saucepan with a 4-5cm depth of oil, allowing enough space for this to triple in height during frying.
Dust the courgettes in the flour. Heat the oil then test the temperature by dropping in a slice of courgette: it should cook until crisp and golden in about 30 seconds. Then fry the rest in small batches, allowing enough room so they can brown evenly.
Scoop them out of the oil with a slotted spoon, allow to drain on kitchen paper and continue with the remainder. Next, drop the garlic into the oil, allow this to turn golden, then scoop it out and drain it separately from the courgettes.
For the sauce beat the yoghurt and tahini until smooth then stir in the mint.
To serve, spoon the courgettes into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the yoghurt sauce and scatter the crisp garlic on top.
