Apart from pastries, cakes, and ice creams, donuts are an all-time favorite amongst the sweet tooth community. Many countries have different varieties of donuts. One such variety is the Chinese donuts, which are a warm mix of sugar and salt. It is incredibly easy to make in no time on a lazy evening right at home.
Quick Tip!
If you are running short of time, you can skip kneading the dough. Instead, you can use the ready-made biscuit dough.
Chinese donuts are little bundles of joy, which are eaten with absolute pleasure all across the globe. It is primarily dough, which is fried in hot oil and then coated with sugar, while it is still hot. This is one of the many top traditional Chinese cuisines.
Though there now exist variations in the donuts, this traditional delicacy tops the 'list of favorites' among many food lovers. The variations include the various types of fillings that are used. Some use chocolate, while others may also use cream or fruits, or even jellies for that matter.
Chinese donuts are part of many Chinese restaurant menus. This tiny, round puff can perk anybody who is in a bad mood, but can also induce a feeling of guilt after consumption.
These donuts are rich in calories. A single piece can have around 100 - 120 calories, depending on the type of oil used, the amount of butter, sugar, all of which are contributing factors for the calorie-rich donuts. But these concerns fall apart once you gulp one of these sweet balls into your mouth. Irony, indeed!
INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
► Flour, 3 cups ► Salt, to taste ► Baking Powder, 3 tsp. ► Baking Soda, 2 tsp. ► Butter, 1 cup ► Milk, 1 cup ► Oil (preferably, peanut oil), as required for deep-frying ► Sugar, to taste ► Powdered Sugar, as required for coating
HOW TO MAKE CHINESE DONUTS
► In a large mixing bowl, combine together flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well.
► Now add the butter. Make sure to melt the butter before adding it to the flour. This is to ensure proper mixing of the butter with the dry ingredients.
► Next, you need to add the milk. Pour it slowly, mixing all the ingredients simultaneously. Keep stirring the mixture continuously while pouring in the milk, in order to avert formation of lumps.
► Knead to form a fine, fluffy, soft, and smooth dough.
► Let the dough rest for a while so that it rises, and the donuts are fluffy.
► Make small balls out of the dough. You can press them slightly in the center, if you want to flatten them a little. Else, you can omit it to have spherical balls.
► Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the balls into the oil and fry.
► Fry till slightly brownish in color.
► Turn sides and fry again, till both the sides are nicely golden brown in color.
► Take the donuts out of the oil, and place them in a saucer of powdered sugar. Roll the balls softly onto the sugar, so that they are coated uniformly on all sides.
► Chinese donuts are ready to be eaten.
Tip: You can make some hot brewing coffee and sip it with the donuts. Or you can simply admire the crunchy, soft taste of the donuts, unadulterated!
NUTRITIONAL FACTS
Calories: 100-120
Fats: 4-5 g
Proteins: 2-2.2 g
Carbohydrates: 19-20 g
Sugar: 8-9 g
Potassium: 0.04 g
Sodium: 0.32 g
Note: This nutritional information is based on the measurement of 1 Chinese donut, and is subject to change, depending on the quantity of the ingredients used.
Another variety of Chinese Donut is Youtiao, which is also known as Chinese oil stick.
Along with many other good reasons to eat Chinese donuts, another reason is that it has negligible to nil cholesterol count. Though it is high on sodium and sugar, you can control the sugar levels by minimizing the sugar coating.