MF DOOM : Deep Fried Frenz

“I check the dictionary for the meaning of friend”

Inspired by MF DOOM “Deep Fried Frenz” from MM..FOOD
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LISTEN TO MF DOOM “MM..FOOD” ON SPOTIFY

This is part of the Cooking The Album project for MF DOOM’s MM..FOOD

Riffing off the hook from a classical Whodini track, “Deep Fried Frenz” combines an indictment of phony friends and sycophants with a cautionary message to other artists achieving fame. MF DOOM explains how to know who your true friends are, warns what can happen if you let the fake friends in, and finally concludes:

Fellas! Don’t be silly! I know who my friends are!
And the next nice neighborhood I move into, you guys’ll get crackin’

It’s one of the best tracks on MM..FOOD or any DOOM album for that matter.

It’s also one of the hardest to make into a recipe. No food is mentioned in the lyrics, the “deep-fried” in the title is more about 86ing fake frenz than about cooking. So, I started thinking about culinary “friends.” Things one often eats together. Bagel & cream cheese. Peanut butter & jelly. Grilled cheese & tomato soup.

The last pair led me to think about soup dumplings which then led to this recipe. I choose to use homemade tomato soup, but a good brand of canned soup would work fine. The real trick here is the patience and practice needed to get the dumplings sealed properly. Definitely use Wonder Bread or something exactly like Wonder Bread. You’re going to need that “Wonder Bread Squish” to get these to work. Oh yeah, don’t get fancy with the cheese. Embrace the orange melty glory of American cheese.

Technically I know these are not “deep-fried.” They are skillet fried. I like this method as the dumplings get a bit crispier on the sides touching the skillet. It also uses a bit less oil. Just be sure to let them rest a bit after frying. As I can attest to from experience, they come out mouth-scorchingly hot and that’ll do nothing for enjoying this perfect pairing of friends. 

DEEP FRIED FRENZ
Deep-fried grilled cheese & tomato soup dumplings
Makes 24 dumplings

12-ounces of homemade tomato soup or condensed tomato soup – do not add water or milk
12 slices yellow Kraft Singles American cheese
24 slices of Wonder Bread, edges cut off
2 cups of water
2 quarts vegetable oil

Fill molds of an ice cube tray with 1 tablespoon of soup (do not add water or milk). You should have enough soup to fill 12 molds. Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Cut each cube in half. Wrap each piece in half a slice of cheese. Place the cheese-wrapped cube diagonal on a piece of bread. Moisten your hand in the water wrap the bread around the cheese. Flip the bread package over so the seams are in the moistened palm of your hand and press into a ball. Make sure there are no open seams.

Heat oil to 325℉ in a deep fryer, a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, or a cast-iron skillet. I prefer skillet frying as it creates a nice browning on the dumplings. Fry dumplings in batches until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Let rest 5 minutes before eating so as not to sear the roof of your mouth.