Food and prop styling by Goldie Stern
Photography by Felicia Perretti

If there’s one food that defines a heimish dinner party, it’s kishka! So why not fry up some kishka for Chanukah?

YIELDS 10 CORN DOGS

• 1 1-lb (450-g) pkg meat-based kishka (I used Meal Mart), defrosted
• any neutral oil, for frying (I used canola)

Batter

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 egg

Dipping Sauce

• 2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp duck sauce

Cut the kishka into 10 equal parts by cutting 5 slices and then cutting the slices in half. Thread each piece of kishka onto a skewer so it forms a 3-inch (7¹⁄₂-cm) log. Line the logs up on a baking pan and freeze.

Prepare the batter: Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Using a fork or a whisk, slowly add the pareve milk and eggs to form a batter.

Fill a deep fryer or a small deep saucepan with oil until it’s about 3 inches (7¹⁄₂ cm) high. Heat the oil until it’s really hot.

Take a frozen kishka stick and dip it into the batter, then place immediately into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Work with only a few skewers at a time so as not to overcrowd the pot.

Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C).

Once all the skewers are done, line them up on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. This ensures that your kishka is warmed through and totally cooked.

Combine the sweet chili and duck sauces and serve as a dipping sauce with the corn dogs.

Note: These kishka dogs freeze amazingly well. If you’re freezing them, don’t bake them after frying; do it only once you rewarm them.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 820)