BANG BANG HEARTS OF PALM
I do not miss many things from my pre-plant-based days, but bang bang shrimp is one of them. Crispy shrimp and a spicy mayo-based sauce. It was my favorite appetizer to get whenever it was on the menu—nothing like fried shrimp with a little spice. I was excited to veganize this recipe for the February collection to share with anyone else who missed this delicious dish.
For this recipe, we used hearts of palm. It is my favorite plant protein to recreate seafood dishes. It is tender, slightly flaky, and marinades well. In researching hearts of palm, I found there are 2.7 grams of protein per 100 grams. That’s 5% of protein! Also, hearts of palm are high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is known to improve mood and promote brain health. Not only are hearts of palm good to eat, but they are also good for you. Now let’s get to the good stuff!
Let’s get into the Recipe!
The preparation for this recipe starts the night before with a good fishy marinade. The fishier the marinade, the better your hearts of palm will be. In a container, mix ground seaweed, dried kelp powder, ground cayenne pepper, cornstarch, water, and salt. Set aside. Drain a 14 oz can of hearts of palm. Slice each cylinder into small discs. Add hearts of palm pieces to the container. Tightly close the lid. Shake softly to coat small pieces in marinade. Let sit overnight.
It’s the next day, and it is time to get cooking. In a large bowl, add flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, seasoning salt, ground ginger powder, ground cayenne pepper, cumin, allspice, and black pepper. Mix well. Carefully remove hearts of palm pieces from the marinade and toss them in the dry mix. Before adding the pieces back into the marinade, mix in the sriracha. Then, add pieces back into the marinade and then into the dry mix. Set coated pieces on a wire rack to rest for a couple of minutes.
While the pieces are resting, heat vegetable oil in a stockpot or fryer. The oil should be hot enough for frying but not burning. As the oil is heating, mix the Bang Bang sauce. Add vegan mayo, Thai chili sauce, siracha, allspice, sugar, and chill oil to a medium bowl. Ensure the bowl is big enough to toss the pieces in. Once the oil is ready, carefully add pieces to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Remove the oil and toss in the Bang Bang sauce. We garnished with red pepper flakes for a little extra kick. Enjoy as an appetizer or a main dish.
Just A Suggestion…
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Bang Bang Hearts of Palm
Ingredients
- 1 can heart of palm – 14 oz, drained, cut into round slices
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 Tbsp ground seaweed
- 1 Tbsp dried kelp powder
- ¼ Tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- ½ C. water
- Dash of salt
- 1 Tbsp siracha
- 2 C. flour
- ½ Tsp nutritional yeast
- ½ Tsp onion powder
- ½ Tsp garlic powder
- ½ Tsp seasoning salt
- ½ Tsp ground ginger powder
- 1 Tbsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 Tsp cumin
- ½ Tbsp allspice
- 1 Tsp black pepper
- ½ C. vegan mayo
- ¼ C. Thai chili sauce
- ¼ Tsp siracha
- Dash of allspice
- 1 Tsp sugar
- ½ Tsp chill oil
Instructions
- In a container, mix marinade ingredients except the siracha. Add hearts of palm pieces to the container. Tightly close the lid. Shake softly to coat hearts of palm pieces in marinade. Let sit overnight.
- The next day, mix dry mix ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Carefully remove hearts of palm pieces from the marinade and toss them in the dry mix.
- Before adding the pieces back into the marinade, add sriracha and mix. Then add the pieces into the marinade. Remove from marinade and toss in the dry mix again. Set coated pieces on a wire rack to rest for a couple of minutes.
- Heat vegetable oil in a stockpot for frying.
- While the oil is heating, mix ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
- When the oil is ready, carefully add coated hearts of palm pieces. Fry until golden brown. Then, remove and let rest on the wire rack.
- Toss fried pieces in the sauce and enjoy.
