Foraging #6: Fried Preserved Maple Leaves フライドプリザーブドメープルの葉

These are a souvenir snack in Japan, Ive added a maple caramel and ginger flavor component to mine.

Foraging #6: Fried Preserved Maple Leaves フライドプリザーブドメープルの葉

Gather 2 ounces of fresh Japanese Maple Leaves

Triple wash them, first in Fit Vegetable Wash, then in 2 rinses of clean water.

Spin them dry in a salad spinner.

Sterilize a large glass jar and its lid with boiling water.

Sprinkle some salt at the bottom of the jar, then layer some leaves, then salt, then leaves, then salt etc

Screw on the lid and place a piece of masking tape on top and mark the date on it.

After a few hours give the jar a vigorous shake to distribute the salt evenly.
Every week shake it.

Put the jar in a cool dry place and retrieve it on that date one year later.

After a year, open the jar and feel a leaf, if its slimy discard the entire jar and start over for next year.
 Smell the leaves in the jar, if they smell bad in anyway TOSS them out.

If everything is fine take some leaves out and wash the salt off gently, dry them on paper towels.

Heat up some frying oil and

Make the batter

1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup diet ginger ale
2 T Maple Syrup

Whisk together everything.

When the oil is hot enough, dip the leaves carefully, one side then the other side, carefully make sure the leaves enter the hot oil totally splayed out. Fry 5 at a time, flipping them over to brown the other side, drain on paper towels.

Make as many as you wish.

Eat with a sprinkle of salt or make this maple caramel sauce.

Dipping Sauce/Drizzle

Salty Maple Caramel

1-1/2 cups Real Maple Syrup
1/2  cup Heavy Cream
Half stick of Butter
1 t Salt

On medium heat  simmer the syrup until its reduced by half, add the cream and butter and salt and let simmer until thickened slightly

Caution: Please do not FORAGE and eat anything that you have not verified as edible first by a certified plant expert. I am not responsible for YOUR stupidity.