Festive cookies are one of the must-have goodies when it comes to celebrating Chinese New Year. This Lunar New Year, I decided to make these Tom Yum Prawn Cookies, instead of the usual traditional cookies.
Adopting the melt-in-your-mouth pastry dough recipe from my Cassava Cookies, I’ve incorporated adequate amount of dried sakura prawns, lime leaves and tom yum paste into the dough to achieve that signature tom yum taste.
You might wonder how they actually taste. Safe to say, they still taste very much like how cookies should taste. The ghosts of the other ingredients come through gradually with every bite and this is definitely one unique taste I would love to share with my family and friends.
Ingredients:
10 g dried sakura prawns
1 stalk lemon grass – pound with back of the knife and cut into sections
4 lime leaves – remove centre rib and tear into small pieces
Ingredient A:
120 g unsalted butter
70 g caster sugar
2 tbsp (30 g) tom yum paste
Ingredient B:
6 lime leaves – centre rib removed, chopped finely
1 tsp chili powder
Ingredient C:
200 g all-purpose/plain flour
50 g potato starch (if unavailable, substitute with corn starch)
1 tbsp coconut cream powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
Garnish:
1 egg – beaten with 1 tbsp milk
Dried sakura prawns
Makes 60 – 70 cookies
Recipe inspired by: Food & Travel Magazine (with modifications)
The line up. Dried sakura prawns could be found in Japanese supermarkets.
Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F.
In a medium pan, add ½ tbsp. oil and fry the dried sakura prawns, lemon grass and lime leaves under low heat for 5 mins, or until the prawns are crispy.
Remove the lemon grass and place the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse to fine bits. Set aside.
If you do not have a spice blender, simply chop them up finely.
Using an electric hand mixer, cream Ingredient A (except tom yum paste) together till pale and fluffy. Add in tom yum paste and continue to whisk until well combined.
Mix in Ingredient B and whisk for 30 secs.
In a large bowl, add in ingredient C and use a whisk or fork to mix everything together.
Add into the dough and without turning on the mixer, gently stir to prevent the flour from flying out.
Once it is almost combined, turn on mixer and whisk for a final 30 secs. The dough should be sticky but not wet.
Transfer the dough onto a cling crap and cover with another piece of cling wrap on top.
Flatten the dough and place in the fridge for 20 – 30 mins to firm up.
Take the dough out from the fridge and roll the dough to approx. 0.5cm thickness. Use a cookie stamp and cut into desired shape.
Place onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
Brush with egg wash and garnish with dried sakura prawns.
Bake for 18 – 20 mins until golden brown and crispy.
Allow to cool before storing in air-tight containers for up to 2 weeks.
- 120 g unsalted butter
- 70 g caster sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) tom yum paste
- Ingredient B:
- 6 lime leaves – centre rib removed, chopped finely
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Ingredient C:
- 200 g all-purpose/plain flour
- 50 g potato starch (if unavailable, substitute with corn starch)
- 1 tbsp coconut cream powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Garnish:
- 1 egg – beaten with 1 tbsp milk
- Dried sakura prawns
- Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F.
- In a medium pan, add ½ tbsp. oil and fry the dried sakura prawns, lemon grass and lime leaves under low heat for 5 mins, or until the prawns are crispy. Remove the lemon grass and place the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or spice grinder and pulse to fine bits. Set aside.
- Using an electric hand mixer, cream Ingredient A (except tom yum paste) together till pale and fluffy. Add in tom yum paste and continue to whisk until well combined.
- Mix in Ingredient B and whisk for 30 secs.
- In a large bowl, add in ingredient C and use a whisk or fork to mix everything together.
- Add into the dough and without turning on the mixer, gently stir to prevent the flour from flying out. Once it is almost combined, turn on mixer and whisk for a final 30 secs. The dough should be sticky but not wet.
- Transfer the dough onto a cling crap and cover with another piece of cling wrap on top.
- Flatten the dough and place in the fridge for 20 – 30 mins to firm up.
- Take the dough out from the fridge and roll the dough to approx. 0.5cm thickness. Use a cookie stamp and cut into desired shape. Place onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
- Brush with egg wash and garnish with dried sakura prawns.
- Bake for 18 – 20 mins until golden brown and crispy.
- Allow to cool before storing in air-tight containers for up to 2 weeks.
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