Smoky Vegan Mozzarella Sticks

Instructions

To Make the Smoky Mozarella

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the psyllium husk powder and the water. Set aside to thicken.
2. Soak your cashews in boiling water for at least an hour. When soaked, drain and discard the water and transfer the cashews to the cup of a high speed blender along with all the remaining ingredients including the thickened psyllium husk.
3. Blend on highest speed for at least a minute - make sure the cashews are completely smooth - no chunks or sandy grains.
4. Transfer to a medium saucepan and place over a medium low heat, stirring constantly and vigarously with a whisk spatula. The liquid will start to thicken quite quickly. Keep going until the liquid is very thick and stringy (up to around 10 minutes depending on the heat you usand resembles fondue or melted stringy cheese. When you stop stirring, the cheese should bubble around the edges. Remove from the heat.
5. Allow the cheese to cool to room temperature. Once cool enough to handle, place 3 tbsps of the cooled cheese onto a small sheet of cling film or reusable wax wrap. Roll up the cheese into roughly 3 inch cylinders and twist the ends of the plastic/wax wrap, like a little sausage. Repeat with all the cheese. Place in a small baking tray and place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6. Right before you remove the cheese from the freezer, prepare your coating.

To Make the Coating

1. If you’ve chosen to use the stale sourdough instead of the panko, you’ll need to make some breadcrumbs. Preheat the oven to 150c. Line a baking tray with greaseproof parchment or a reusable silicone mat. Place the sourdough into a food processor or high speed blender one slice at a time and blitz until coarsely breadcrumbed. Transfer the breadcrumbs to the baking tray and bake in the oven for roughly 20 minutes, stirring half way through. Keep an eye on the breadcrumbs and do not allow them to burn! All sourdough will cook at a different rate depending on how stale it is, so the 20 minute bake time is just an estimate. Once baked, allow to cool fully and then use as directed.
2. You’ll need 3 small mixing bowls for this step. In the first bowl, place the plain flour. Set aside. In the second bowl, mix together the gram flour and the water. Set aside. In the third bowl, combine the remaining coating ingredients. Set aside.
3. Remove the cheese “sausages” from the freezer. One by one, roll them in the flour, then the gram flour mixture, then the breadcrumbs. Set on a plate or baking tray when done and repeat until all the cheese is dunked. Leave the cheese on the plate to defrost slightly for around 20 minutes.
4. Once the 20 minutes is up, fill a medium, high sided saucepan about 3-5 inches deep with vegetable oil. Place over a medium/low heat and bring to oil to around 180c. Using a spider or a slotted spoon, lower two mozarella sticks into the oil at a time. Fry for roughly 2-3 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are beautifully golden brown. Remove from the oil and leave to drain on a piece of kitchen towel. Repeat with the remaining sticks.
5. I like to serve mine with wholegrain mustard but I’m told the traditional sauce is a nice marinara. You do you! Just make sure you enjoy them!