Cheesy, Spicy Mozzarella Sticks

Spicy mozzarella sticks are crispy on the outside but cheesy on the inside breaded mozzarella cheese sticks, baked/ fried; a fun appetizer or finger food.

Nothing screams cheese more than a crispy, stringy stick of mozzarella cheese stick, oozing with melting cheese with every gentle pull or tug!

Enjoy them as such or dipped in your favorite sauce!

250 gm mozzarella block

Milk - about 1 cup

1 cup all purpose flour/whole wheat flour

1 cup bread crumbs (fresh or store bought)

½ cup crushed cornflakes

1 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese powder (optional)

½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

Salt to season the breading

Oil for deep frying

TO SERVE:

Tomato Ketchup

Marinara sauce

TO MAKE THE BREADING:

Take a small bowl and mix breadcrumbs, crushed cornflakes, Italian seasoning, red chilli flakes, Parmesan cheese powder, garlic powder and salt.

In a second bowl, place the flour.

In the third bowl, take some milk.

Make an assembly line of flour, milk and breadcrumbs mixture.

Cut mozzarella into approximately ½ inch by 4 inch sticks.

Take one mozzarella stick, dredge in flour.

Dust off excess.

Next, dip it in the milk and then place in bowl with bread crumbs mixture.

Coat evenly with the crumb mixture; pressing the crumbs into the mozzarella with your fingers.

Repeat the process again to form a thick coating on the mozzarella.

Make sure the cheese is well coated and pressed well onto the cheese.

Place the thickly coated or breaded mozzarella sticks on a plastic wrap lined plate and keep them in the freezer for at least one to two hours or even overnight.

This is absolutely necessary or the cheese will start to melt even before the coating starts to turn golden while baking.

When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Centigrade.

Place the frozen breaded mozzarella sticks on a greased foil-lined baking pan in a single layer.

Drizzle of spray the breaded cheese with oil and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until the crust turns golden and the cheese has started to melt, turning over the sticks half way.

Keep an eye on the sticks closely so they do not melt completely.

Depending upon your oven and thickness of the cheese, these mozzarella sticks may be ready anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.

Once the cheese has started to melt and the crust has turned golden, remove from oven and serve hot.

For fried mozzarella sticks, remove the frozen sticks from freezer about 30 minutes before frying.

Heat oil for deep frying and once the hot is fairly hot, gently slide the breaded mozzarella in and fry on medium heat, constantly drizzling hot oil over the cheese stick.

Once the crust turns golden brown (in about 2 minutes), remove from oil and serve them hot.

Make sure you do not fry them too much that the cheese melts into the hot oil.

Enjoy them right away with marinara sauce or tomato ketchup or even chilli mayonnaise. Just stir a couple of teaspoons of chili sauce in mayonnaise.

As like any cheese, it loses its oozing gooeyness as it cools, so serve them immediately!

Adjust the spices and seasoning according to your taste.

Enjoy and Happy Eating!