Zucchini 🥒 Balkan Fried with Garlic Yogurt 🇷🇸 (Pržene Tikvice)

Description

Thin-sliced zucchini, salted and flash-fried to shatter-crisp edges, served with cool garlicky yogurt. Light, crunchy, addictive. 😋🧄

Hook: 30-minute meze with a golden crunch and tangy dip. ⚡

Ingredients

• Zucchini & dredge
• 🥒 Zucchini, thin slices (≈3 mm): 600 g (4 cups / 21 oz)
• 🧂 Salt (for salting slices): 5 g (1 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🌾 All-purpose flour: 90 g (¾ cup / 3.2 oz)
• 🌽 Cornstarch: 20 g (2 tbsp / 0.7 oz)
• ⚫ Black pepper: 1 g (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🫗 Sunflower oil, for shallow frying: 250 ml (1 cup / 8 fl oz)
• Garlic yogurt
• 🥛 Thick yogurt (Balkan/Greek): 240 g (1 cup / 8.5 oz)
• 🧄 Garlic, very finely minced: 6 g (2 cloves / 0.2 oz)
• 🍋 Lemon juice: 10 ml (2 tsp / 0.34 fl oz)
• 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈2 g / ⅓ tsp)
• 🌿 Dill or parsley, chopped: 1 tbsp (4 g / 0.14 oz)
• ⚫ Black pepper: 0.5 g (¼ tsp / 0.02 oz)
• To serve
• 🌿 Extra herbs & lemon wedges: to taste

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Salt: Slice zucchini; toss with salt and rest 15 min. Pat very dry.
2. 2️⃣ Dredge: Mix flour, cornstarch, and pepper. Dredge slices lightly; shake off excess.
3. 3️⃣ Fry: Heat oil to 180°C / 350°F. Fry in batches 1–2 min/side until golden and crisp. Drain on rack; sprinkle a pinch of salt.
4. 4️⃣ Sauce: Stir yogurt with garlic, lemon, salt, herbs, and pepper.
5. 5️⃣ Serve: Pile zucchini on a platter with the garlic yogurt for dipping; add lemon wedges.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook: 15 min
⏳ Total: 35 min

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