Saturday, January 8, 2011

Peanut Puffs/Gok Jai

Ingredients:
1½ lbs all-purpose flour
6 ozs. butter
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cold ice waer
Oil for frying
Filling:
2 cups roasted peanuts, skinned and chopped finely
2 cups roasted sesame seeds
1½ cups sugar
½ tsp. salt
Oil for frying
Method:
1. Roast peanuts on medium heat till golden brown, remove and grind to fine chunks. In the same pan, roast the sesame seeds till lightly brown. Add peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt together. Set aside
2. For pastry: Using the food processor, pulse magarine and butter till it resemble like fine breadcrumbs. Add beaten egg, water and pulse into a pliable dough. Covered and let dough rest for 15 minutes.
3. Make the puffs: Roll out the dough into thin sheet in a paste roller and cut into rounds. Put the pastry rounds in your palm and add 1/2 tsp. of filling into the center of the pastry and wrap up filling. Here's the fun part to make the decorative rope edging--it is a repetitive method of pinching and folding. Pinch a small corner of the dough up with your thumb and index finger. Slide thumb under the pinched edge and fold top edge pinched area while making a new pinch slightly above the first edge.
4. In a deep pot, heat enough oil for deep-frying. Turn heat to medium heat, and add a few at a time and fry till golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. When cool, store in containers.
Tips: You can substitute 2 cans (salted peanuts/honey toasted) if you dont have time to fry the peanuts. Mix them together and grind them to smaller pieces.