(Copycat) TGI Friday's Green Bean Fries

I’m beginning to see a pattern:  vegetables + breadcrumbs = crunchy success!

Have you ever been to TGI Friday’s? They have fried green bean appetizer which the menu called ‘addictive’.  Have you heard people rave about them?  They were right.  Really delicious. You should try and you will understand why.

Sometimes I go to TGI Friday’s just for the crispy green bean fries.  Hot and crispy, cooled down with a quick dip in some creamy cucumber-wasabi ranch, they make eating your veggies a pleasure instead of a chore.  Even your kids will think so! I couldn’t stop eating them.

I was wondering if there was a recipe for a copycat version so I can make them at home.  So here is my version.  I made this last night.  The result was very close to Friday’s—tender and crispy.  The breadcrumbs make a light, crispy crust, much better than just flour.

I have tried many fried green beans recipes and this is the easiest and best by far.  So easy to make at home.  A wonderful treat and so much more flavorful than traditional french fries.  I made sure that the green beans were rinsed with very cold water to make sure that they remained crisp.  I also went crazy adding lots of seasonings to the breadcrumbs and it ended up great.   Super yummy and totally addicting.

Okay, it’s a little time consuming, but worth every minute to prepare.  Completely addicting.  Just like the ones I order at Friday’s, only now I can save myself the trip, the crowd, the wait, not to mention the cost.  My family LOVES these.  My daughter actually prefers these over regular french fries.  The beans lasted all of 5 minutes and poof!....they were gone J

Copycat TGI Friday's Green Bean Fries

For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

Ingredients

For the beans:

·         1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed

·         1 cup all-purpose flour

·         ½ cup milk

·         3 cups chicken broth, low salt

·         2 eggs

·         2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

·         1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·         1 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 teaspoon onion powder

·         Kosher salt and black pepper

·         Vegetable oil for frying

For the cucumber-wasabi ranch dip:

·         ½ cup ranch dressing

·         ½ cup cucumber, peeled, chopped, seeded

·         1 tablespoon horseradish, drained

·         1 tablespoon milk

·         1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

·         2 tablespoons wasabi powder

·         1 pinch cayenne pepper

·         Kosher salt

Directions

1.       Fill large bowl with ice water.  Bring the broth to a boiling saucepan over high heat.  Add the green beans and cook until tender and bright green, about 5 minutes.  Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water to stop cooking.  Let cool in water, then drain and pat dry.

2.       Whisk the egg and milk in shallow bowl.  Put ¾ cup flour in another shallow bowl.  Combine the breadcrumbs , the remaining ¼ cup flour, the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl.

3.       Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Toss the green beans in the flour and shake off excess.  One at a time, dip the beans in the egg mixture, dredge in the breadcrumb mixture and lay on the prepared baking sheet.  Freeze until the coating is set, about 30 minutes.

4.       Heat 3 inches oil in a deep pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Fry green beans in batches until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Transfer the beans with tongs or a skimmer to a rack or paper towels to drain. Serve with dip.

5.       For the cucumber-wasabi ranch dip: puree the dressing, cucumber, horseradish, milk, vinegar, wasabi powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste in a blender until smooth.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan

Untuk buncis:

·         1 pound (450 gr) buncis segar, cuci dan buang ujungnya

·         1 cup tepung terigu serbaguna

·         ½ cup susu cair

·         3 cups kaldu ayam dengan sedikit garam

·         2 butir telur

·         2 cups tepung roti kasar (panko)

·         1 sdt cabe bubuk

·         1 sdt bawang putih bubuk

·         1 sdt bawang bombay bubuk

·         Garam dan merica hitam

·         Minyak sayur untuk menggoreng

Untuk saus:

·         ½ cup ranch dressing

·         ½ cup mentimun, kupas, iris, dan buang bijinya

·         1 sdm lobak pedas, keringkan

·         1 sdm susu cair

·         1 sdm cuka apel putih

·         2 sdm wasabi bubuk

·         Sejumput cabe bubuk

·         Garam

Cara

1.       Tuang air es ke dalam mangkuk besar, sisihkan. Didihkan kaldu, masukkan buncis dan masak sampai empuk dan berwarna hijau terang, sekitar 5 menit.  Angkat dan pindahkan buncis ke dalam mangkuk berisi air es.  Biarkan dingin dan tiriskan.

2.       Kocok telur dan susu dalam mangkuk.  Siapkan ¾ cup tepung terigu dalam mangkuk lainnya. Campur tepung roti, sisa tepung terigu, bawang putih bubuk, bawang bombay bubuk, cabe bubuk, dan garam dan merica untuk perisa dalam mangkuk ketiga.

3.       Siapkan loyang yang telah dialasi kertas roti.  Tuang tepung terigu dan buncis, aduk hingga semua buncis tertutup tepung.  Goyangkan loyang untuk membuang kelebihan terigu.  Celupkan masing-masing buncis ke dalam adonan telur, lalu gulingkan di atas campuran tepung roti yang sudah dibumbui.  Letakkan di atas wadah/loyang.  Simpan dalam lemari pendingin sampai tepung roti benar-benar menempel, sekitar 30 menit.

4.       Panaskan minyak sampai  mencapai suhu 350 derajat F (175 derajat C).  Goreng buncis sampai berwarna coklat keemasan, sekitar 1-2 menit.  Angkat dan tiriskan. Sajikan dengan saus celup.

5.       Untuk saus: haluskan semua bahan dengan menggunakan blender.  Tutup dan dinginkan sampai siap untuk disajikan.