Corn Dogs, an amusement park treat. Part of the fun is eating food on a stick and part of the fun is being at the amusement park. However, for people on a gluten free diet many of these popular foods are off limits.
The fact that the food is not healthy isn’t the point.
The point is that once in awhile it’s nice to have amusement park food. Where I live we are gearing up for the Calgary Stampede and the midway food is always a huge attraction. The old favourites are mini donuts and corn dogs but there is always a line up of new and bizarre foods. This year that includes Kit Kat Fries, Buffalo Chicken Perogies and Prairie Oyster Balls to name a few. The cricket caramel apple is the only one that sounds like it might possibly be gluten free (yum).
Not everyone wants to try weird food but a good old corn dog might be on your list. So what if you could just make them at home?
Well, you can.
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How To Deep Fry Without a Deep Fryer; Deep Frying in a Wok
When you live with a restricted diet life gives you plenty of food-related opportunities to feel left out. So don’t do that to yourself at home. Whether you want to make calamari or corn dogs you can do it. It doesn’t matter if you deep-fry every week or only a few times a year, you simply need a way to do it.
Some people purchase a deep fryer as soon as they switch to gluten free. You can do that or you can deep-fry in a wok. Whatever you decide I think a poor set-up is a deterrent to doing anything in the kitchen. If you can picture all the steps then you just decide if you want to do it or not.
For me my flat bottom wok is perfect for deep-frying. It is excellent for all sorts of Asian cooking from stir-frying to steaming and I couldn't live without it. In my kitchen the wok lives in the cupboard just above the fridge so it's convenient to grab when I need it. I feel like I don't deep fry often enough to buy a deep fryer plus my system works for me.
A wok gets wider as it goes up so requires less oil than a frying pan or large pot. My wok came with a long-handled wire strainer but a slotted spoon also works to turn and remove food from the hot oil. A deep frying thermometer is a helpful little tool for occasional use. They are inexpensive and easily clip to the rim of a wok.
The clean up is equally important. Read how I do that in this post on Calamari with Ancho Chile Mayo.
Gluten Free Wieners
Gluten free wieners are readily available so choose the ones you like. During my recipe testing it was decided that European wieners had too much snap and all-beef wieners didn’t have the right taste. The best quality pork wieners we could find were our favourite.
Cornmeal Batter for Corn Dogs
I tried dipping the wieners in a thin batter but there wasn’t enough of a coating for this corn dog. In the end I preferred this recipe with more of a dough than a batter. I wrapped it around the wiener and the result was a crunchy corn crust, the kind I think you might find at an amusement park.
In the spirit of amusement parks and junk food make something deep fried and enjoy it. Let me know in the comments below what you made.
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More Ideas for an Amusement Park Food Party
Here's a list of recipes to use when planning your party. You'll find more ideas in some of these posts.
- Amusement Park Corn Dogs
- Cinnamon Churros
- Muffins That Taste Like Donuts
- Poutine (French fries and gravy with a Canadian twist)
- Nanaimo Ice Cream Bars - Canadian, eh!
Corn Dogs
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free cornmeal
- 1 cup EGFG gluten free flour blend*
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups buttermilk (or sour milk**)
- 1 egg
- 12-16 gluten free pork wieners
- 12-16 wooden skewers or popsicle sticks
- mustard and ketchup
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep fryer or wok to 350°F.
- Measure milk in a 2-cup measuring cup then add egg. Mix to combine.
- In a large bowl whisk cornmeal, gluten free flour mix, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. The dough will be quite stiff. Add a tablespoon of oil or more milk if it is too stiff to work with.
- Insert a wooden skewer into each wiener stopping about half way up the wiener.
- Using your hands wrap the dough around the wiener to completely cover it. Repeat until all the wieners are covered.
- Gently drop the corn dogs into the oil 3 at a time. Cook for 3 minutes until golden brown. Repeat until they are all cooked.
- If the oil goes above 350°F turn the heat down and wait. The corn dogs will brown too quickly at a higher temperature and the dough will not be fully cooked.
- Drain on paper towel and serve warm with mustard and ketchup.
Wendy
Yum!
Cinde Little
Thanks Wendy. I think they're fun too!