Faux-Fancy-Fishy Sticks

Mike (my husband) doesn't usually get in the kitchen, unless it's time to impress the omnivores. And, in his opinion, what impresses more than something fried, crunchy, and meat-like? Well, he's usually right about that.

So, for his friend's gathering, he whipped up these fish imposters by using soy faux fish from the Asian market. As shown below, it comes in a big frozen pre-sliced block and is labeled "Vege Fish Ham." What fish has to do with ham, I do not know- but you gotta hand it to the Asians to come up with a descriptor like that! They're big, tender, and meaty, and wrapped in nori (seaweed), which gives it a seafood-y taste.

Yes, I consider this "cheating" in the veggie culinary world, but they did taste really good! Instead of bread crumbs, he used dried unsweetened coconut flakes, which gave it a wonderful nutty sweet taste and a great crunch.

His omni friends fell over in awe when they learned that these were vegan! ...Mission accomplished!















Note: Mike hasn't adopted the habit of measuring things, so this is the best interpretation of what he did:

Ingredients:

• All purpose (unbleached) flour
• cold water
• unsweetened coconut flakes
  
• Asian vege sliced ham, each slice cut in half
• Oil for frying (try coconut oil if you have it!)
  

Spinz:

Mix together flour and cold water until the consistency resembles pancake batter. Dip the vege ham pieces in the batter, then roll in the coconut flakes to coat. Heat a thin layer of oil (1/4" thick) in a flat skillet and fry each side for a few minutes until golden. Serve warm and dipped in sauce of choice. We made a Vegenaise "tartar" sauce, which probably didn't fit the Asian theme, but it rocked! You could use a peanut sauce or spicy chili sauce, or get creative.