Jamaican Festival Fried Cornbread

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Some of you might remember that my last attempt at fried cornmeal fritters didn’t go so well.  But try, try again I say.  Plus, with a name like festival, I had the feeling that these might be just the things to turn my cornmeal fritter luck around.

Festival is new but popular addition to the street food scene in Jamaica.  I made a half batch to test the waters and knew that I’d be making them again before my two weeks in Jamaica was up.

They’re a little savory, a little sweet.  The rice flour and starches lightens the dough enough to make it almost fluffy.  If I ever get a craving for a gluten-free corndog, this would be the perfect starting point for the dough- just omit some of the sugar and the nutmeg.  Actually, a gluten-free corndog is sounding pretty awesome right about now…

Jamaican Festival Fried Cornbread

Ingredients:

* 1/3 cup brown rice flour
* 1/3 cup tapioca starch
* 1/3 cup potato starch
* 2/3 cup cornmeal
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* pinch salt
* Approx 1/2 cup milk
* oil, for frying

Directions:

Combine the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, cornmeal, sugar, xanthan gum, nutmeg, baking soda, vanilla and salt and mix well. Add just enough milk to form a stiff, workable dough. Roll into cylinders several inches long.

Heat oil in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan to 350 degrees. Drop in the shaped dough and fry for about 4-5 minutes, until outside turns golden and the center of the fritters have cooked through. Drain on paper towels and serve.

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