Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Krispy knots with honey pistachio

I always miss those days when I lived in city, which was in Hongkong. This place never sleeps! Every night, I'm talking about after 11 o'clock, there was a hawker outside my building, setting up a big stove, and cooking clams, snails and prawns to feed those night-shift daddys who just came home. When the weather was bad, some hawkers carrying cooked food came inside the building to sell door-to-door. Right now I can already think of their meat dumplings, tapioca cakes, pudding, sweet-n-sour gluten doughs, sweet bean soup... oh one more was my dad favorite - fried honey pastry. He always had it with sweet wine, yes, he has a terribly sweet tooth. In fact, my "candy pasta" is an old news to him as he has already started cooking noodle in simple syrup long time ago. My Krispy Knots aren't the same fried pastry, but the stickness and sweet honey still bring me back to that time back then. I'm going to submit this post to Ellie at Kitchen Wench, who is running an once-off event Nostalgia. Please pop over to check for details!

Ingredients (yield: about 30 knots)
  • 1 cup flour
  • Honey
  • 1 Tbp white sesame seeds
  • 1/2 salt
  • a few pinches of baking powder
  • A handful of unsalted roasted pistachio, chopped

Directions:
  • Dilute spoonfuls of honey with water, ratio about 1:1
  • Combine flour, sesame, salt and baking powder, add enough dilute honey until the dough forms. We are looking for soft and tender dough, but not too wet. Rest dough for 1/2 hour in room temperature
  • I flatten the dough by pasta machine, and done at the second-thinnest setting. If you do it by rolling pin, roll dough to 1/4 cm thick. Either way, you got to give the dough many rest between rollings, covered. This way your dough will be easier to spread out, and yields a more tender texture.
  • Lightly flour the work table, lay the dough sheet, cut into 1.5 cm-wide ribbon. Tight into knots (don't pinch the knot).
  • Pre-heat 2-inch deep oil, fry dough over medium-high until they turn golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Drain well.
  • Drizzle more honey (not dilute) and sprinkle roasted pistachio to serve. But if you're going to store them, don't proceed this step.

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29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gattina, this sounds and looks marvellous! I love that such a small and simple set of ingredients has yielded something that is this stellar! Thank you so much for taking part in my Nostalgia event :) xox

Chris said...

Oh yum....fried pastry and honey? Put a fork in me...I am done. Looks fabulous!

Anonymous said...

Sugary, fried goodness! I'm all for it, looks irresistible!

Anonymous said...

This is similar to Baklava, right?

Gattina Cheung said...

Ellie, thanks for creating such a lovely event too XOXO

Chris, thank you buddy! =)

Monisha, me too, fried food, just love it!!!

windwhisper, I don't know, for sure people from over different part of the world love fried dough :D

Anonymous said...

Gattina, they look incredibly beautiful...and honey and pistachios on the deep fried knots , I bet they would taste delicous...
-Sushma

Anh said...

Gattina, this surely looks yummy! Love everything about the recipe - fried dough, honey and esp. pitaschio!

Anonymous said...

Oh that looks great! I love fried sweets :) We have a few local fried sweets here so they do bring back memories for me too :)

Lis said...

Yum!! I love fried pastry with honey drizzled over.. I'm sad that I have none, though. =(

Beautiful as always sweetie!

xoxo

Unknown said...

I could munch on these whole day my pal! Simply irresistable!

J said...

Wish I could gobble up that picture!! Looks beautiful, Gattina.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Pistachio, honey and crispy! That's a heavenly memory!

FH said...

OMG!!! Dalicia, you are me eat more just by posting all these!:)
Honey and Pista sounds heavenly.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Have you noticed how many different cultures have desserts made out of honey and fried dough/pastry? It must be because the flavors marry so beautifully. Yours are simply gorgeous Gattina!

Anonymous said...

What an awesome creation! Looks so good.

Brilynn said...

I think if I would have stalked the hawkers if they were carrying all of those delicious things!

Mishmash ! said...

gattina dear, i have bookmarked this page...such a simple easy one..and very neat knots too...loved the way u lined p those pistachios :)

Shn

Freya said...

So beautiful!!

Gattina Cheung said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Gattina Cheung said...

Sushma, thank you for the sweet words *hug*. The nuts definitely add more flavor and texture, and creat a better presentation.

Anh, oh my husband luuuuuuuuuve pistachio! My most favorite is pine nuts, but for this crisp the former would look/ match better to me :)

Joey, any fried food, tell me more about it! Simple love it!!!

Lis, you're sweeter than honey =)

Angie, I know, seems anything once gone to the bubbling oil, it will taste great *hug hug*

jyothsna, thank you for the compliment :)

Tanna, thanks sweetie!

Asha, yes, so simple, just delish!

Susan, I know! I'm checking out some fried dough recipes from Italy, so familiar!

Kristen, thank you sweetie :D

Brilynn *lol*. That is so you! :D

Shn, thank you! I think some fried doughs from your home country always prepare in a similar way (?), or even better, as there is a variety of flours to be used :D

Freya, thank you sweetie!

Anonymous said...

oh wow,fried dough! I'm there with ya, Gattina! I love Hong Kong, my fondest memory was eating Peking Duck at Spring Deer restaurant. In the Philippines, I would remember hawkers early in the morning selling this warm sweetened bean curd with tapioca balls called 'taho' ...

Callipygia said...

I think I'd happily eat the entire plate, ohh and with sweet wine too! So Beautifully sweet.

Peabody said...

Looks good. We used to just get crispy wontons with powdered sugar on them...I loved those.

Anonymous said...

Spotted you in tastespotting :D
Those knots...must be crispy, crunchy!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Gattina, these knots are so cute!! And with honey and pistachio you just can't go wrong.

Gattina Cheung said...

Veron, I'm now imagining how delish that "taho"!!! Oh Spring Deer, I think I've been there once or twice! This place just changes too fast, next time if have a chance going back, will swing by to see if it's still there. Peking Duck, luuuuuuuuuuuve it!

Calli, you'll be my dad's drinking buddy :D

Peabody, right, I saw them in your site (last time you drizzled with caramel...) sinfully delish!

Tigerfishy, thanks for your visit :D

Sher, thanks sweetie! My house havs many windows, and plenty of sunlight, I think that helps a lot in taking photo.

Pat, I will we are always on the same wave length *hug*

Helene said...

This looks absolutely amazing. Your pictures are as incredeble as your recipes. Beautiful post...all that yummy gooieness...I am in!

Linda said...

these look absolutely sinful!

Deborah Dowd said...

This look so simple and delicious. I think I will try them to top off an oriental meal- they look like a perfect finale!