Stuffed tau pok
Crunchy, golden pockets of goodness
This classic snack makes for a great party dish.
The stuffed tau pok (dried beancurd puffs) depends on the rojak sauce, which gives it the oomph. Without it, the dish is unflatteringly bland.
You can use fine sugar instead of palm sugar but the latter helps give the sauce that aromatic sweetness and glossy syrupy texture.
Choose either the gula melaka or gula jawa - both are palm sugar.
Cut the sugar into small pieces so it dissolves quicker and cook the sauce over low heat to prevent it from burning.
While prawn paste is savoury, you may want to add a pinch of salt if you find the final sauce not salty enough, depending on the brand you buy.
The tamarind juice balances out the sauce and prevents it from being cloying. I like to add lime juice to give the sauce a citrusy zing.
Leftover sauce can be stored in a clean jar in the fridge.
INGREDIENTS
- 8 tau pok (dried beancurd puffs)
- 100g beansprouts
- 1 small cucumber, shredded
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 200g deshelled raw peanuts
Rojak sauce
- 1 bottle of prawn paste (227g)
- 3 tbsp tamarind pulp
- 300ml water
- 100g gula jawa or gula melaka (palm sugar)
- Juice of six limes
METHOD
1. Fry the peanuts until slightly brown and leave aside to cool. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the peanuts. set aside.
2. For the sauce, soak the tamarind pulp in 300ml of water. strain and reserve the tamarind juice.
3. Cut the palm sugar into small pieces.
4. in a small saucepan, dissolve the palm sugar in the tamarind juice over low heat.
5. Add the prawn paste and mix.
6. stir in the lime juice. set aside.
7. Blanch the beansprouts in slightly salted water. set aside to cool.
8. Place the shredded cucumber in ice water for 10 minutes.
9. discard the ice water and place the cucumber in the fridge to dry.
10. Cut into three sides of each tau pok to make a pocket.
11. toast or grill until hot and crispy. remove from heat.
12. stuff tau pok with lettuce, bean sprouts and shredded cucumber.
13. serve with rojak sauce as a dip or drizzled over.
14. garnish with crushed peanuts.
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