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Epicurious

Panko-Fried Peaches

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Panko-Fried PeachesStaci Valentine

I call this hapa food. The term hapa is deliciously slippery. It is often used to describe mixed-race Japanese Americans but not always. For me, being hapa provides a way of claiming a whole racial and ethnic identity as opposed to thinking of myself as "just" or "only" half-and-half. I am a whole person, and my experience of race, culture, and nationality is more complicated than adding fractions. This dish did not emerge from a place of separation in which two disparate things were fused together, but rather from the co-constitution, interdependence, and wholeness of my life as a hapa growing peaches in the United States and cooking food from my multiple cultural and racial lineages that go far beyond this country¿s borders. I have learned to make and cook my own path. Biting into this treat is like unleashing a burst of glowing peach wrapped in a crunchy cocoon. This could be served as a side dish with other tempura, on top of a salad, or even with green tea ice cream and chile-infused honey as a dessert. When we step outside of rigid categories, possibilities are infinite, no? --Nikiko

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Canola oil, for deep-frying
5 to 6 soft large peaches, peeled and halved
All-purpose flour, for dredging
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pour the oil to a depth of at least 3 inches into a deep-fryer, wok, or deep, heavy saucepan and heat to 300°F.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, cut the peaches into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spread the flour on a plate and spread the panko on a second plate.

    Step 3

    When the oil is ready, using chopsticks or tongs, dredge a peach slice in the flour, shaking off the excess, and then dip in the egg, allowing the excess to drip off. Finally, dredge the slice in the panko, covering it as evenly as possible with the light flakes.

    Step 4

    Carefully place the peach slice in the hot oil. It should immediately begin to bubble and hiss. While the first slice is cooking, continue to dredge and dip more slices in the flour, egg, and panko and add them to the oil. Fry no more than 3 or 4 slices at a time, making sure they do not touch one another, for about 1 minute, until evenly golden. Using a wire skimmer, transfer the finished slices to a wire rack set over a shallow bowl or pan to drain briefly. Serve piping hot.

Reprinted with permission from The Perfect Peach: Recipes and Stories from the Masumoto Family Farm by Marcy, Nikiko & David Mas Masumoto. Copyright © 2013 Copyright © 2013 by Marcy Masumoto, Nikiko Masumoto, and David Mas Masumoto; photographs copyright © 2013 by Staci Valentine. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. David Mas Masumoto is an organic peach and grape farmer, the author of numerous books, and a member of the National Council on the Arts. He is currently a columnist for the Fresno Bee, and has written for the New York Times magazine, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Times. Mas's first book, Epitaph for a Peach, won the 1995 Julia Child Cookbook Award for Literary Food Writing and was a finalist for the 1996 James Beard Foundation Food Writing Award. He owns and operates Masumoto Family Farm with his wife, Marcy, and daughter, Nikiko. Marcy Masumoto, co-owner of Masumoto Family Farm, is responsible for the selection of peach varieties, develops recipes and peach products, and is actively involved with management and seasonal fieldwork. Nikiko Masumoto grew up slurping the nectar of overripe organic peaches on the Masumoto Family Farm and has never missed a harvest. She recently received her Master of Arts in Performance as Public Practice from the University of Texas at Austin. She works full-time on the family farm as a farm apprentice and artist.
TagsFruit DessertDessertJapaneseEast AsianAsianPeachStone FruitFruitSideLunchDinnerDairy FreeNut FreeVegetarian5 Ingredients or FewerEasyDeep FrySummerCookbooks

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