Caramelized Egg Fritters (Sachima or Shaqima 沙琪玛）

INTRODUCTION

I am happy with this trial of making sachima but I am not happy with the set of images.

It seems that I really lack of inspiration of taking the photo because my cutting was rather messy. Bear with me readers, I am sure you can cut much better than I did.

“Sachima, also spelled Shaqima is a common Chinese pastry found in many Chinese-speaking regions. Each regional cuisine has its own slightly different variation of this food, though the appearance of all versions is essentially the same. It is made of fluffy strands of fried batter bound together with a stiff sugar syrup, showing similarity to American Rice Krispies Treats. In Manchu cuisine originally, sachima is a sweet snack. It mainly consists of flour, butter, and rock sugar or rock candy. It is now popular in mainland China among children and adults.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachima)

I learned to like this snack when I was stationed in China. What I like its its egg aroma and the crispy fritters made from eggs and flour. It remind me of the Chinese rice crispy that I used to have back in hometown.

This in fact is not in my blogging agenda. When I stumbled across this recipe, I have the urge to try it out immediately. It looks very easy and doable. Yes, it is doable though a bit messy and taste and texture is what I am looking for. Except my cutting skills, I have no regret of preparing this batch of sachima.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: About 15-20 pieces depending on size and thickness

Dough

200 grams of plain flour
2 eggs
5 grams of baking soda or ammonia bicarbonate
Adequate corn flour for dusting

Sugar Syrup

100 grams of castor sugar
100 grams of maltose
50 grams of water
3 tablespoons of cooking oil

STEPS OF PREPARATION

In a big mixing bowl, sift the plain flour and baking soda. Make a well in the centre and add in beaten eggs. Knead until it form a pliable dough . Note that the dough can be very sticky and if you wish, you can use a mixer. Transfer the dough to a surface heavily dusted with corn flour . Let it rest for at least half and hour.

After half an our, use a rolling pin to roll it with thickness of about 2 mm thick. Use a knife or pizza knife to cut into think strips of about 2-3 mm wide. Dust the stripes with additional corn flour to avoid sticking to each other.

Heat up a pot of oil and transfer the dough strips to the hot oil, reduce the heat to medium and deep fried until the dough is light brownish. Drain and set aside.

In a non stick pan, put maltose, sugar and water together and bring to boil under medium to high heat. Occasional stirring is required. during this boiling process, you will start to witness the bubbles being formed. These bubbles will change in size from small and gradually get bigger. The bigger the bubble, the more sticky is the syrup as water vapour are evaporated leaving the thick syrup in the pan. To test the readiness of the caramelized syrup, take a small spoon of the syrup, place it in a metal plate and cool it using a fan. If after it cooled, a transparent piece of solid sugar is formed, the syrup is considered as done. While you are testing the syrup, reduce the heat to low to avoid over caramelization. When the syrup is ready, off the heat, quickly add in the fritters. . Stir quickly until well mixed.

Transfer it to a baking tin lined with baking paper.and press it until as tight as possible. Quickly put another piece of baking paper on top, use a rolling pin to roll it even. While it is still warm, use a pizza cutter to cut into the desired sizes. Once completely cooled, the sachima shall be stored in an air tight container.

CONCLUSION

This is a good attempt accept that my cutting is not beautiful. Love the egg aroma and texture of this special snack. Do give it a try and tell me if it suits your taste bud.

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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