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Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔 Recipe

The fourth recipe of our Top 8 CNY Dishes series is a signature dish of home cook Lucinda Lau: Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔!

Also known as kok chai, these crispy peanut dumplings are a traditional Cantonese must-have and one of the best Chinese New Year goodies. Crisp pastry followed by a burst of sweet, fragrant peanuts and sesame seeds; you can’t stop at one!

Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔
Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔

Kok Chye (Peanut puffs)

The kok chye also carries an auspicious symbolism of bringing wealth and prosperity as it is shaped after a gold ingot. But we think that its resemblance to the curry puff is what makes it more attractive to both adults and children alike!

Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔
Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔

The shape of the Kok Chye is auspicious and appetising

Here are the ingredients that you will need: plain flour, cooking oil, water, chopped peanuts, sugar, and toasted sesame seeds.

To begin, start with preparing the dough.

Sieve the flour into a bowl and pour in the cooking oil over it. Using a spatula, mix the flour and cooking oil until you get a breadcrumb-like texture.

Adding oil to flour in a glass bowl
Adding oil to flour in a glass bowl

Sieve the flour and add cooking oil

Mixed flour and cooking oil in glass bowl with spatula
Mixed flour and cooking oil in glass bowl with spatula

Mix with a spatula until you get a crumbly texture

Gradually add in the water while mixing the flour. You can use more or less water if needed.

Adding water to mixed flour in glass bowl with spatula
Adding water to mixed flour in glass bowl with spatula

Add water gradually while mixing at the same time so you can gauge if you need more or less water

 

Switch to hands to knead until you get a smooth dough as shown in the picture below. Then cover the bowl with a wet cloth and let the dough rest aside for 10 minutes.

Kneading dough with hands in a glass bowl
Kneading dough with hands in a glass bowl

Use hands to knead the dough into a smooth ball

Covering dough with a wet yellow kitchen towel
Covering dough with a wet yellow kitchen towel

Cover the bowl with a wet kitchen towel and set it aside to rest

The next step is prepare the filling for the kok chye and fill the puffs.

In a bowl, add the chopped peanuts, sugar, and toasted sesame seeds. Mix until well combined.

Adding seasame seeds to chopped peanuts and sugar in a glass bowl
Adding seasame seeds to chopped peanuts and sugar in a glass bowl

Add chopped peanuts, sugar, and sesame seeds into a bowl

Mixed kok chye peanut filling
Mixed kok chye peanut filling

Mix until well combined

Set the filling to one side and bring out the rested dough. Pinch off 5 grams of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten it with your palms then shape it into a bowl-like shape with your fingers.

Kok chye dough and peanut filling
Kok chye dough and peanut filling

Take out the rested kok chye dough

Rolling a ball of dough with hands
Rolling a ball of dough with hands

Pinch off 5g of dough and roll into a ball

Shaping dough into a flat circle with thumbs
Shaping dough into a flat circle with thumbs

Flatten the ball into a bowl shape with your thumbs

To fill the puff, make a circle with your index finger and thumb and place the dough on it. Spoon some filling onto the centre of the dough and pinch to seal the edges.

Spooning filling onto dough
Spooning filling onto dough

Fill the dough with the kok chye filling

Sealing kok chye puff dough
Sealing kok chye puff dough

Fold in half and pinch the edges shut to seal it

Then pleat the edges like a curry puff. #Tip: the smaller the pleats, the prettier it will look!

Pleating kok chye dough with fingers
Pleating kok chye dough with fingers

Pleat the edges by pinching and twisting the dough

Lastly, fry the peanut puffs and serve.

Heat up some oil in a pot on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the kok chye in batches but do not overcrowd the pot.

Frying kok chye puffs in a pot of oil
Frying kok chye puffs in a pot of oil

Fry the kok chye in batches, depending on how big your pot is

Freshly fried kok chye on a metal sieve
Freshly fried kok chye on a metal sieve

Fry until golden brown

Let the puffs cool down on a wire rack then serve. You can keep the kok chye in an airtight container, but they taste the best when still fresh!

Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔
Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔

Serve or store your kok chye!

Get the recipe below!

Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔 Recipe

Servings30-40 pieces

Prep Time1 hour

Cook Time10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour

  • 6tbsp cooking oil

  • 6tbsp wateradd or less if needed

  • 200g chopped peanuts

  • 100g sugar

  • 40g fried sesame seeds

Instructions

Step 1- Prepare the dough

  1. Sieve the flour into a bowl and add in the oil

  2. Mix until a breadcrumbs texture, then gradually add in the water bit by bit.

  3. Knead into a smooth dough and let the dough rest for 10 minutes

Step 2- Prepare the filling and fill the puffs

  1. In a bowl, mix the sugar and chopped peanuts together until well combined

  2. Pinch off 5grams of dough and roll into a ball with hands. Flatten dough and shape into a bowl-like shape with thumbs.

  3. • Spoon in peanut filling and fold the dough in half. Seal and pleat the edges. #Tip: make a circle with index finger and thumb and place the flattened dough on top to make filling the kok chye easier.

Step 3- Fry the peanut puffs and serve

  1. In a pot, heat up some oil on medium heat and fry the puffs until they are golden brown. #Tip: do not overcrowd the pot or the oil will get cold!

  2. Let the puffs cool on a cooling rack and serve!

The post Kok Chye/ Peanut puffs 角仔 Recipe appeared first on Share Food Singapore.