Peanut Turnovers

Recipe by: Pichet Ong | from The Sweet Spot: Asian-Inspired Desserts

Cookstr

Course: Dessert

Total Time: Under 1 Hour

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

Flaky peanut cookies are a popular Chinese dessert, and puff pastry turnovers filled with savory curry or shredded turnips are a popular Hong Kong snack, so I combine the two in these little peanut turnovers. When you fry them, the pastry puffs up and fans out like flower petals. The peanut filling warms nicely and takes on a sticky sweet chew inside the delicate crisp shell.

Yield: Makes 32 small turnovers

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cups (7 ounces/200 grams) peanuts, toasted
1¼ cups (3½ ounces/100 grams) crushed palm sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
Chinese Puff Pastry
Canola or vegetable oil, or other neutral oil for deep-frying

Directions

1. Put the peanuts, palm sugar, honey, butter, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the peanuts are finely chopped and the mixture is starting to come together, about 20 times. (You can also do this by hand: Pound all the ingredients together in a large mortar with a pestle or chop the peanuts and mix with the other ingredients.) Form the mixture into ½-inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until hard, about 5 minutes.

2. Put a peanut ball in the center of a puff pastry round. Fold the circle over the filling to form a half-moon and press the edges with the tines of a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining peanut balls and puff pastry rounds.

3. Fill a medium saucepan with oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 350°F When the oil is ready (a pinch of flout will sizzle), add a few of the turnovers, without crowding the pan, and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining turnovers. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

CHEF’S TIP: A candy or deep-fry thermometer is very helpful here. Maintaining the right oil temperature while cooking will ensure pastries that are evenly browned and completely cooked through. It also prevents the pastries from absorbing too much oil, resulting in an extra light and crisp turnover

Editor's Note

Nutritional information is based on 32 servings, but does not include Chinese Puff Pastry. For nutritional information on Chinese Puff Pastry, please follow the link above.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Calories 100kcal (5%)

Calcium 6mg (1%)

Vitamin C 0mg (0%)

Vitamin A 6mcg RAE (0%)

Potassium 46mg

Magnesium 11mg

Protein 2g

Sugar 4g

Fiber 1g

Total Carbohydrate 5g