Chinese Stir Fry Salad With Fresh Mozzarella Croutons

This stir-fry “salad” is out of this world. The idea for the mozzarella croutons came from a restaurant in Israel where we used to eat that had delicious breaded fried cheese on their appetizer menu. The stir-fry was inspired by my sister-in-law Hindy. For those who are calorie-conscious, see low-fat options below. However, once you have followed this recipe, I think you’ll agree that the cheese croutons are sensational.

Directions

1. Brown garlic in oil. Add mushrooms, snow peas and sun-dried tomatoes, and saute for five minutes. Add bean sprouts, salt and sugar and saute two minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped chives while sauteing. Add toasted walnuts when done. Remove from flame and leave uncovered.

2. Meanwhile, set up a dredging station consisting of three shallow bowls: one filled with flour, one with two eggs, whisked, and one with bread crumbs.

3. Cut the slab of fresh mozzarella into cubes (generously bite-sized) and dredge in the flour, then the eggs and then the bread crumbs.

4. Fry in heated oil (enough to cover about halfway up the cubes) for less than one minute on each side or until breadcrumbs brown and cheese just begins to melt.

5. Remove from oil with slotted spoon and place on paper towel to drain.

6. Toss into salad, mix gently and serve immediately while still warm.

Tips:

Make sure your oil is really hot before you fry the croutons so that you can fry quickly. If not, the cheese will melt.

Notes:

To keep the salad parve, substitute a block of tofu for the fresh mozzarella cheese.

Variations:

You can create a low-fat alternative by not frying the cheese and just adding the mozzarella or tofu cubes into the stir-fry at the end, together with the toasted walnuts. This makes a perfect dish for a low-carb diet.