Chinese Toffee Apple

This has been my favourite dessert at Chinese restaurants since I was a small child. Inside a crisp toffee is soft and tender apple with all the juices trapped in the shell.

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6 Portions
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Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes

Ingredients

Apples

  • 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled decored and each one cut into 8 wedges (keep in a bowl with water and lemon juice if preparing in advance)

Batter

  • 3 tbsp rice flour
  • 100g self raising flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 100ml iced water

Toffee

  • 50ml water
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

To Serve

  • 1 large bowl of water with lots of ice

Method

  1. Batter: Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre, place the egg and water in it and beat it into the flour until well combined and smooth. Set aside for 15 minutes.
  2. To Cook: Preheat a deep fryer or oil in a wok to 180-190°C (a cube of bread will rise to the surface crisp and golden in a few seconds when ready). Place the rice flour in bowl. Dry the apple slices and coat them with the rice flour, followed by the batter. Cook a few pieces of apple at a time in the oil for a 2 minutes then drain on kitchen paper. Repeat this with the remaining pieces.
  3. Toffee: Place the water and sugar together in a large saucepan or clean wok and stir them together. Place the sugar over a moderate-high heat and allow to simmer without stirring until the sugar has dissolved and it is a light golden brown. Remove it from the heat and stir in the sesame seeds. Toss the apple in the toffee to coat, scoop them out one at a time with a spatula or large perforated spoon and drop them in the iced water to set. Place on a serving plate and serve at once.