Honey Date and Walnut
A traditional Shanghai sweet made by wrapping walnut halves in honey dates and deep-frying until golden and crisp.
Ingredients
Honey dates (steamed until soft, then pitted)
325 g
Walnut meat (soaked in hot water, then peeled)
125 g
Egg whites (beaten)
5
Glutinous rice flour (mixed with egg whites)
125 g
Lard (for frying)
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the Honey Dates
Steam the honey dates in a steamer until soft, then remove the pits.
2
Prepare and Wrap the Walnuts
Soak the walnut meat briefly in hot water, remove, and peel off the skins completely. Briefly fry in hot lard, then remove and cool (this makes them extra crispy). Wrap each piece of walnut meat in a honey date and roll into olive shapes.
3
Coat with Batter
Beat the egg whites, mix with glutinous rice flour to form a batter, then roll the wrapped date-walnut pieces in the batter to coat.
4
Deep-Frying
Heat the lard to about 20% hot. Place the date-walnut pieces in one by one and fry until golden and crispy. Remove each piece as it finishes. Once all are fried, return them to the oil together briefly, then remove and arrange on a plate to finish.
