"Chinese Doughnuts"

They look a lot like these but more heavily dredged in sugar. The colour on these is perfect.

This tea time treat is really something to be savoured. Golden and slightly crispy on the outside and a touch creamy and tender on the inside. Since I have not made these for sometime due to pesky resolutions of virtue made at the turn of the Georgian AND the lunar calendar, I had to borrow a picture from the net. ;-)

It's actually one take on how you can cook Pate a choux with a few obvious differences.

210 ml water
2 tbsp vegetable shortening or unsalted butter (or lard if you prefer hehe)
A generous pinch of salt
110g bread/high protein flour
2 tsp of milk powder
1 tsp double action baking powder
2 eggs
Caster sugar/Cinnamon Sugar/Vanilla sugar for dredging
Enough oil to deep fry

1. Bring water and shortening to the boil in a non stick sauce pan.
   
2. Gently whisk the dry ingredients, i.e. flour, salt, milk powder, double action baking powder, together
3. Using a wooden spoon, tip the dry ingredients into the boiling liquid and stir vigourously for 2 minutes until the dough leaves the side of the pot cleanly and the flour is cooked thoroughly. If need be, lower the heat and cook a while longer. Don't be alarmed if some sticks to the bottom of the pan. Just don't allow it to burn.
4. Take off the heat and cool for 20 minutes and then stir in the eggs one at a time until smooth and sticky.
   
5. Using 2 teaspoons, dip them in the COLD oil to prevent them from sticking to the spoons and form a small teaspoon of dough.
   
6. Drop the dough into the COLD oil. This is important. If you drop it into HOT oil a crust will form and it won't expand.
7. Turn up the heat to medium high and watch them slowly fry. They will expand quite dramatically.
   
8. They are ready when they are a light golden brown.
   
9. Remove from the heat, dredge in the sugar of your choice and serve hot!

I can never get enough of these. They are like salted roasted peanuts. Addictive. Be warned! ;-)