Cheat’s Sweet Egg Twists (Chinese New Year Snack)

23 January, Monday is a big day for Chinese people all over the world. Only two more days to go, then we’ll start the year of Dragon. Yay! Our family celebration often starts from the New Year’s Eve dinner (團年飯). Not only we enjoy the relaxed festive holidays, but also many delicious traditional Chinese foods, being around with family and friends with lots of fun. Some traditional savory and sweet snacks, like radish cake, taro cake, glutinous rice flour cake and cookies, seem to be a must on my list. Yet, sometimes, I like to tweak a traditional dish into a modern and quick one.

Ever tried a traditional sweet egg twists (蛋散, dansan) ? It’s my childhood CNY snack in Hong Kong. Some Chinese restaurants offer egg twists as dim sum. The egg twist is primarily made of flour, egg, sugar and lard. Its soft and crisp texture makes it very addictive to people who have a sweet tooth. If you are already tired of making too many CNY foods but still need some snacks to fill in on the go. Here’s a cheat’s version of sweet egg twists I tried the other day. You could make some at the moment when your visitors suddenly dropped by. Best of all, this cheat version doesn’t need any lard at all in order to make the twists crispy. Take a look at the recipe, and you’ll know how.

Cheat’s Sweet Egg Twists (Printable recipe)
By Christine's Recipes
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Yield: Makes 20

Ingredients:

• 20 wonton wrappers, or any you like
• honey, or maple syrup, to taste
• oil, for deep-frying
  

Method:

• Fold each wonton wrapper into half. Cut a slit in the middle of each wrapper, leaving about 2½cm edge at each end. Thread one end reversely through the slit. You’ll get a bow-tie shape.
• Bring a pot of oil to just boil. Put the twisted wonton wrappers in batches. Deep-fry them over medium heat until light yellow. Drain out with a strainer or slotted spoon. Place on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and let them cool completely. When served, drizzle honey or maple syrup over the egg twists. Enjoy!

Notes:

• I used to place one or two kitchen papers on a wire rack. Place the deep-fried egg twists on the kitchen paper. It helps to absorb any excess oil, and the twists stay crispy as air circulation brings away the moist.
• If not served immediately, the twists can be kept in an air-tight container for later use. Just drizzle honey or syrup when it’s time to serve.