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FOOD FOR THOUGHT By
Wanda A. Adams
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Ever since the closing of two beloved institutions, Shung Chong Yuein Chinese Cake Shop in Chinatown and Kwong On in Kaimuki, I've been besieged with requests for recipes for various Chinese confections.
OK, let's get real. Many of these recipes are a) unavailable (because the owners or family members decline to share them), b) extremely difficult to produce at home (because of equipment and ingredient issues), and c) a lot more work than most of us have time or skill to do.
But recently I got a request for a recipe that you can reproduce at home: sesame peanut candy. I found the recipe in two old cookbooks, "Practical Recipes in Chinese Cooking" by the Te Chih Sheh Sorority and also "Japanese and Chinese Recipes" (no author given) from Tongg Publishing Co., published in the 1950s.
SESAME PEANUT CANDY
In a saucepan, dissolve sugar in vinegar and water and boil until quite thick. (The thicker the sugar solution, the more brittle the candy.) Pour peanuts into saucepan and mix well.
Sprinkle the bottom of a pan or a smooth, clean cutting board with three-quarters of the toasted sesame seeds. Pour the peanut mixture into the pan or on a board, flattening it out by rolling over it a bottle smeared with enough peanut oil to keep the candy from sticking to the bottle. Sprinkle the top with remaining sesame seeds. Allow to cool; cut into squares or diamonds.
Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
For more information about our 150th anniversary cookbook, call 535-8189 (message phone; your call will be returned). You can order the cookbook online.
