Andrea Nguyen
Author & Teacher
Send a message
My Books + App
Book trailer, info on ebook w/ video, sample content
BUY NOW @ Amazon, B&N, iBooks, IndieBound, J. Biscuit & local bookstores
* * *
Details on eBooklet, how & where to buy
* * *
BUY NOW @ Amazon, B&N, iBooks, IndieBound, J. Biscuit & local bookstores
* * *
Info on e-book w/ videos!
BUY NOW @ Amazon, B&N, iBooks, IndieBound, J. Biscuit & local bookstores
* * *
The mobile app is here!
BUY NOW @ iTunes store
« Piglet Cookbook Face-Off: Asian Tofu vs. Japanese Farm Food |Main| Asian Tofu Makes IACP Cookbook Award Finals »
February 26, 2013Salted Caramelized Walnuts RecipeWalnuts look like brains and I read of an old Chinese beliefthat if you eat them, you may get smarter! Whether or not you subscribe to thatidea, you must try these walnuts.They are so cleverly done – soaked to remove their tannins (the stuff thatmakes you pucker) and then oven roasted to slowly cook them. The nuts can sitfor days until an hour or so before you’re ready to serve.
The final cooking in a skillet coats the nuts with adelicate touch of salt and sugar. While it’s dead simple, remember to watch theskillet temp or the nuts can burn. The refined flavor remains intact, deliciouswith drinks or even cheese for a cross-cultural approach.
I made these Chinese walnuts for a Lunar New Year dinner party and guests ate most of them up, along with a bunch of dumplings as appetizers. Then I made another batch just for myself to eat!
How are these like the fried candied walnuts that we usuallythink of as Chinese treats? They're better, more elegant. I found the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks,TheModern Art of Chinese Cooking by Barbara Tropp. There are no photos,just some illustrations in that book. Her charming, enthusiastic prose anddetailed instructions encourage you to cook and experiment. If you have room onyour shelf for another Chinese cookbook, that’s a nice one for discoveries likethis:
RECIPE
Salted CaramelizedWalnuts
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
8 ounces (225g) walnuts, mostly plump halves preferred2 teaspoons canola oil1/2 teaspoon kosher salt2 tablespoons sugarInstructions
Put the walnuts in a bowl, then cover with just-boiledwater. Let sit to soak for 30 minutes. Drain, pat with paper towel to removeexcess moisture.Preheat the oven to 300F with a rack in the middle position.Line a baking sheet with 2 or 3 sheets of paper towel. Arrange the walnuts ontop in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes to gently dry and roast. Cool andstore in an airtight container for up to several days.About 1 hour before serving, heat the oil in a large skilletover medium heat. Add the walnuts and heat to warm, stirring and/or shaking thepan frequently. When the nuts are shiny and little oil is left in the skillet,sprinkle in the salt. Continue stirring and shaking to heat but not burn thenuts. If you fear burning, lower the heat.When the salt is no longer visible, add the sugar in 3 or 4batches, shaking and stirring in between each and waiting till the sugar hasmelted and coated the nuts. Eventually, you’ll see a bit of smoke as the sugarcaramelizes. Be more vigilant and keep stirring and shaking. When all the sugarhas melted and there are little brownish-red bubbles in the skillet, turn offthe heat. Total cooking time is about 5 minutes.Dump the walnuts onto a piece of parchment or a clean bakingsheet. Cool to warm or room temperature. Break apart any nuts that stucktogether. Eat. These are best within an hour or so of being roasted. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container or zip-top bag. Warm in the microwave oven or skillet over medium heat to refresh.Posted in Recipes: All, Recipes: Appetizer and Snack, Recipes: Chinese, Recipes: Gluten-Free , Recipes: Vegan, Recipes: Vegetarian | Permalink | |
| TrackBackTrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341ef22f53ef017ee8b07270970d
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Salted Caramelized Walnuts Recipe:
Comments Salted Caramelized Walnuts RecipeWalnuts look like brains and I read of an old Chinese beliefthat if you eat them, you may get smarter! Whether or not you subscribe to thatidea, you must try these walnuts.They are so cleverly done – soaked to remove their tannins (the stuff thatmakes you pucker) and then oven roasted to slowly cook them. The nuts can sitfor days until an hour or so before you’re ready to serve.
The final cooking in a skillet coats the nuts with adelicate touch of salt and sugar. While it’s dead simple, remember to watch theskillet temp or the nuts can burn. The refined flavor remains intact, deliciouswith drinks or even cheese for a cross-cultural approach.
Stay Connected
Asian Tofu in the News"A whole cookbook devoted to tofu? Yes, please."— Kate Williams, Serious Eats 2012 Favorite Cookbooks
"Cooking with Tofu (Are You Serious?!)"
— Michael Rulhman on his tofu conversion
"This book should be a priority for anyone with the slightest interest in Asian cuisines."
— Anne Mendelson, Taste & Travel
"The most gratifying part about cooking from Asian Tofu is that all the recipes work the way they’re written."
— T. Susan Chang, Boston Globe
Book info, reviews, radio & TV . . .Classes & Events4-hrs @LoveAppleFarms, Santa Cruz
Sat, Mar 16, 12-4pm: Get Into the Viet Kitchen (FULL)
Sat, Apr 20, 12-4pm:Asian Dumplings
5-hrs @SFCooking, San Francisco
Sat, Mar 23, 10am-3pm: Homemade Tofu & Yuba too
Sun, Mar 24, 10am-3pm: Asian Dumplings (waitlist)
Sun, Apr 7, 10am-3pm: Asian Dumplings (waitlist)
Sat, Aug 17, 11am-4pm: Asian Dumplings (reg not open)
35th Annual IACP Conference, San Francisco
Sat, Apr 6: Hands-on tofu class
Tues, Apr 9: Beyond Takeout -- Chinese food in US
1/2 day @Cakebreadwines, Rutherford
Sat, May 18, 9:30am-early afternoon: Viet Spring Celebration (cooking class, winery tour & luncheon)
document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2013/02/salted-caramelized-walnuts-recipe.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});
No comments:
Post a Comment