The inspiration for this dish!
This is our first side on the Bao Bae menu item! It’s a mashup of youtiao 油条 with prawn nuggets.
Youtiao aka 油条 is a Chinese deep fried savoury doughnut. It’s generally shaped in a long shape, and when you bite into it, it’s crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside. Popular pairings with youtiao include congee and soy milk.
One day I thought, what if we stuff the youtiao with meat? Like prawn mousse, or even chicken?
I went with a prawn mousse filling because I feel like fast food menu items need more prawn dishes!
Though I do understand that some people have shellfish / prawn allergy – so maybe this recipe can evolve into different fillings, including chicken, tofu/mushroom and beef.
Tips for deep frying youtiao!
Here are some tips if you’re deep frying youtiao for the first time!
- Use the widest pot you’ve got: because you will need to stretch out the youtiao dough before placing it into the oil, and the dough expands once it’s being cooked, so it’s best to have a pot that is wide enough so the youtiao can be long.
- Once you place the youtiao into the oil, gently toss it with tongs or chopsticks so that it deep fries evenly. This will also ensure that the youtiao expands in size evenly. But be careful not to squeeze the youtiao too much when you’re trying to flip it, or else the centre will be smaller/thinner that the ends (see above pic).
- The best oil temperature for deep frying youtiao is 204°C or 400°F. If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer to measure the temp (just like me), I’d recommend test frying smaller bits to see if the oil sizzles. If it does sizzle, then it’s hot enough for frying. But also be careful that the oil isn’t too hot to avoid overcooking the youtiao.
Here are a few pieces of youtiao that I fried up. I experimented with different lengths – one is the traditional longer youtiao, and the other ones were shorter. In terms of taste and texture, I found that both tasted quite similar despite different lengths.
The smaller youtiaos used less dough.
This recipe does not use yeast! So if you don’t have that in your pantry, you’re in luck!
Instead of yeast, this recipe uses baking powder and baking soda.
The packaging design for our nugget box was inspired by traditional Chinese floral patterns.
The box cut out also aligns with our red pocket theme.
Prawn Youtiao Nuggets
Ingredients
Method
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cold milk with the oil. Pour this into the dry ingredients.
- Knead in the bowl until a dough ball forms. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Lightly oil your work surface.
- Transfer the dough onto the surface and gently press it into a rectangle.
- Fold the left side into the centre, then fold the right side over it. Flatten into a rectangle again.
- Repeat this folding process two more times.
- Cover and allow the dough to rest for 1.5 hours.
- Add all prawn mousse ingredients into a food processor.
- Blend until a sticky mousse forms. Avoid over-mixing so small prawn pieces remain visible.
- Transfer the mousse into a zip-lock bag placed inside a tall cup. Seal and set aside.
- Stir the ketchup and Kewpie mayo together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Lightly dust your bench or mat with flour.
- Transfer the rested dough onto the surface. Gently flatten and stretch it into a long rectangle.
- Cut into 10 rectangles, each about 3-4 cm wide.
- For 5 pieces only, run a faint line of water through the centre using a wet chopstick.
- Place the remaining 5 pieces directly on top to form pairs.
- Press a chopstick gently down the centre of each pair to seal only the middle. Note: the sides should remain separated so they can puff.
- Heat vegetable oil in a wide pan to 200°C / 392°F.
- Take one dough pair, stretch it to twice its length, and gently lower it into the oil.
- Fry, rotating continuously with chopsticks or tongs so it puffs evenly.
- When lightly golden, remove and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining pieces.
- Cut each youtiao into 6 bite-sized pieces.
- Pull out some of the soft interior to make room for the filling.
- Snip off the corner of the prawn mousse zip-lock bag and pipe filling into each piece.
- Arrange the stuffed pieces in a single layer in a lined air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 170°C for 15 minutes, or until the prawn filling is fully cooked through.
- Transfer to a bowl and toss with the ketchup-mayo sauce.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
