Khanom khai nok kratha
Sweet potato dough balls fried twice and pressed between fries so they puff hollow.
Vegan.
Ingredients
- 400 g sweet potato, steamed and mashed
- 150 g glutinous rice flour
- 80 g tapioca flour
- 100 g caster sugar
- 0.25 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- oil, for deep frying
Method
- FRIED TWICE, AND PRESSED BETWEEN THE FRIES. That is what makes them hollow. First fry at a low heat until they float and firm, lift out, press each one gently with the back of a spoon until it just gives, then fry again hotter and they inflate. One fry gives a solid heavy ball.
- STEAM THE SWEET POTATO, do not boil it. Boiled, it takes up water and the dough needs more flour, which makes it tough.
- Mash it completely smooth while hot and let it cool before the flours go in.
- Work in both flours, the sugar and salt, adding the coconut milk a little at a time, to a soft dough that just holds a ball without cracking.
- Too dry and they split in the oil; too wet and they will not hold a round. Err towards slightly dry.
- Roll into 2.5 cm balls with oiled hands.
- FIRST FRY at 150C, 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until they float and are pale and firm. Lift onto a rack.
- Rest 3 minutes, then press each one gently until you feel it give. Not flat -- just enough to crack the structure inside.
- SECOND FRY at 180C, 2 to 3 minutes, and they will swell noticeably and go gold.
- Drain on a rack. They are hollow and crisp outside and chewy within, and they soften within a few hours.
Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.
Filed under Thailand · All recipes