Greek Dukkah-encrusted Zucchini Fries

I'm so excited about sharing this recipe with you!

Crunchy and full of flavour on the outside, soft and melt-in-the-mouth on the inside. These oven-baked dukkah-encrusted zucchini fries are so good you'll wonder how you ever ate two whole zucchinis to yourself.

I usually need to experiment with a new recipe idea several times before I get it right (sometimes I never get it right) but today I think I nailed this perfect snack dish on first attempt.

I am in love with these!! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect them to crunch up so well and taste so amazing. I'm so excited about this I've just finished twirling around on my office chair about 12 times in a row…

You may be familiar with Kolokithakia Tiganita (fried zucchinis) – a delicious Greek appetiser found on many Greek restaurant menus – well this is one of those dishes I've never been able to master. The zucchinis are usually sliced and dipped in a light batter then fried, and when done properly, they have a delectable crunch and stay sog-free until you finish them. But definitely not when I make them!

Since I've not had much success with traditional fried zucchinis in the past, I thought I'd put the batch of Greek-style Dukkah I made a few days ago to good use and experiment with my own take on zucchini fries, baked in the oven. And wow, what a result!

There are the usual techniques required when coating anything using the flour/egg/crumb method, like working quickly and keeping your hands goo-free, but everything else is so straight forward and easy!

These zucchini fries come out of the oven surprisingly crunchy, and stay that way for a good 15 minutes or so – plenty of time to eat the whole lot! The dukkah forms the perfect crust that seals in the zucchini juices and when you take a bite, it's all crunchy-soft and heavenly yum!

Greek Dukkah-encrusted Zucchini Fries

Makes about 24 fries

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchinis
• 1/4 cup wholemeal flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup of Greek-style Dukkah
• Olive oil spray

Instructions

1. Cut ends off the zucchinis. Cut each zucchini in half, then cut each half length ways into three strips. Then cut each strip length ways in half. You should end up with 12 sticks per zucchini.
2. Roll the zucchini sticks in flour and dust off.
3. Quickly dip each stick into the egg wash, then coat generously with dukkah.
4. Place zucchini sticks onto a greased baking tray and sprinkle more dukkah over the top if necessary.
5. Spray sticks with olive oil.
6. Bake at 200 degrees celsius for 30 minutes, or until sizzling and golden.

I'm sharing this post over on Veggie Mama's blog today for Meatless Mondays. Today she's come up with a gorgeous spaghetti dish using simple pantry favourites.