Crispy Walnuts with Sweet Bean Sauce
A banquet-style cold appetizer featuring peeled dried walnut kernels that are fried until crisp and coated in sauce. The texture is light and crumbly, with a sweet-and-salty flavor profile.
Ingredients
dried walnuts
250 g
white sugar
150 g
sweet bean sauce
25 g
vegetable oil
500 g
Sichuan peppercorn powder
5 g
chili powder
5 g
MSG
1 g
water
about 75 g
Instructions
1
Peeling
Place the dried walnuts in a pot, pour in boiling water, cover, and let sit for 2 minutes. Once the walnut skins wrinkle, peel them off by hand.
2
Frying
Place a wok over medium heat, add the vegetable oil, and heat to 50% hot. Add the walnuts and fry until golden yellow, then remove and drain off the oil.
3
Sugar Coating
Place the wok over low heat, add about 75 g of water and the white sugar, and stir constantly to dissolve the sugar in the water. When the syrup concentrates and white bubbles form, add the sweet bean sauce and stir to combine. When large bubbles appear, take the wok off the heat, add the Sichuan peppercorn powder and chili powder, pour in the fried walnuts, and gently toss until evenly coated with sugar. After tossing the surface, remove from the wok, let cool, and plate to serve.
