Peking Toffee Apples (Toffee Apple Fritters)

These Chinese-Style Peking Toffee Apples are coated in a caramel SO HOT they need to be plunged into an icy water bath to set the toffee before eating. DO NOT TOUCH THE HOT SUGAR WITH YOUR HANDS - EXTREME CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN when making this recipe!

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Please read this entire recipe through first as you need to take extreme care with this recipe around the caramel step. Peel, core and chop your apples into quarters and place into a bowl of water with the lemon juice to prevent them from going brown.

Step 2

Prepare one large bowl with the 1/3 cup of flour. Place apples in some kitchen towel to pat dry. Then all place in the bowl and toss to coat - ensuring each piece is coated entirely.

Step 3

Prepare another large bowl (for batter) by whisking together the all purpose flour, rice flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. Whisk the chilled aquafaba and water together in a small bowl till slightly bubbly then pour into the large bowl with the flours and whisk to combine.

Step 4

Heat a few inches of oil in a pot (or enough to deep fry) to around 180ºC. Working in batches, tap any excess flour off a few pieces of apples and add them to the batter bowl. Use forks to coat then fry for 3-4 minute until lightly golden then drain on some paper towel.

Step 5

Once all pieces are fried, turn heat up to 200ºC and fry for 1-2 minuted til pieces turn a deep golden brown the drain on some paper towel. Set aside.

Step 6

Place a very clean non-stick wok or large pan on medium heat. Add the syrup, then the sugar - and heat til you get a deep amber caramel. Take extreme care as sugar burns are no joke and will also stick to your skin. You can swirl the pan or even stir VERY slowly to ensure even cooking (the syrup will help prevent crystallisation). This should take 8-10 minutes but may vary depending on stove so keep an eye on the colour. Sugar can burn very quickly so as it heats you can turn the heat down if needed and cook it even slower.

Step 7

Turn the heat down to low once the colour is right. Add the sesame seeds, stir them in slowly then add your apple fritters and toss SLOWLY to coat. You can also scoop any caramel pooling at the bottom and drizzle over to help coat. The fritters may have cooled and may actually set the toffee so keeping the pan on low heat for a couple of minutes helps keep the toffee hot and moveable.

Step 8

Pour out EXTREMELY carefully onto a large plate and serve immediately with a large bowl of icy water. To eat, take a piece of apple and plunge it into the water before enjoying!