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In his travels by means of the island metropolis of Phuket, cookbook writer Austin Bush observed an abundance of sweets and snacks made with wheat-based flour. Although most Thai-style treats are rice-based, the delicacies of Phuket province is formed by the historical past of its Chinese language residents, most notably laborers who introduced with them an urge for food for wheat-based noodles, breads, and treats. These cookies, offered by a Phuket bakery in operation for greater than two generations, are identified by Hokkien Chinese language as khanom naa taek, or “cracked high.” Their gentle colour and small measurement make them an ideal snack to accompany espresso or afternoon tea.
Ammonium bicarbonate is an ingredient used as a leavening agent in lots of Thai sweets and baked items. Throughout the baking course of, it releases each carbon dioxide and ammonia, and may produce a powerful, nearly noxious odor. At excessive warmth, nonetheless, the aroma disappears fully, abandoning a taste akin to fortune cookies. (In case your oven can’t attain as excessive as 500°F, Bush suggests cranking it to its most warmth and baking a minute or two longer to make sure your cookies emerge crispy, toasty, and ammonia-aroma-free.)
Tailored from The Meals of Southern Thailand. Copyright © 2024 by Austin Bush. Used with permission of the writer, W.W. Norton & Firm. All rights reserved.
Components
- 1½ cups all-goal flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. ammonium bicarbonate
- ½ tsp. wonderful salt
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 massive egg
- 1–2 drops yellow meals coloring, elective
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Step 2
Into a big bowl, sift collectively the flour, sugar, ammonium bicarbonate, salt, and baking powder. Stir within the oil, egg, meals coloring (if utilizing), and 1 tablespoon of water. Utilizing your arms, knead till the components are effectively included.
Step 3
Roll heaping teaspoons (10 grams every) of the dough into balls and house at the very least ½ inch aside on two massive unlined baking sheets. Utilizing your finger, make a shallow dimple within the high of every ball.
Step 4
Bake, rotating midway by means of, till the cookies are simply agency and barely toasted on the underside, about 7 minutes. Enable to chill on the baking sheets. The cookies are finest eaten the day they’re baked however may be saved in an hermetic container for as much as 2 days.