Fried Walnuts with Scallion and Pepper

Fried Walnuts with Scallion and Pepper

　　Fried walnuts with scallion and pepper is a simple dish to make and a common snack in Shaanxi cuisine.

　　Ingredients:

　　200g walnut kernels, 2 eggs, a small amount of wet starch, salt, Sichuan peppercorns, ground Sichuan pepper, green onions, sweet bean paste, and cooked lard.

　　　　Features: Light yellow in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, delicious and flavorful, and highly nutritious.

　　　Method:

　　　　1. Crack the walnuts to remove the kernels, split them into quarters, discard any broken pieces, and soak them in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove, peel off the inner skins, rinse with clean water, and drain. Beat the eggs in a bowl, adding salt, ground Sichuan pepper, and wet starch to form an egg foam batter. Select 15 Sichuan peppercorns with a strong numbing flavor, crush them into a fine powder, and finely chop the green onions for later use.

　　　　2. Heat the cooked lard in a wok over medium heat. When the oil is about half-hot, add the walnut kernels and deep-fry until the moisture is removed. Remove and drain the oil, let cool, then coat evenly with the egg foam batter. Heat the oil to about 80% hot and deep-fry the coated walnuts until they turn slightly yellow, then remove.

　　　3. Add a little oil to the pan, crush the Sichuan pepper powder and green onion with the back of a knife into a scallion-pepper paste, and fry in the pan until fragrant. Pour in an appropriate amount of hot water, add the fried walnuts, and stir a few times until well coated with the scallion-pepper sauce. Remove from the pan and serve. Garnish with fresh green onion segments and a small dish of sweet bean paste on the side when serving.

　　　　Key Points for Preparation:

　　　　1. Stir the eggs in one direction to create the batter.

　　2. Do not use too high a temperature when frying the walnut kernels to avoid burning.