Sachima

Ingredients

• 300g plain flour
• 3 eggs
• 4g baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp water, if needed
• 800ml neutral oil, for frying
• 150g maltose or golden syrup
• 120g caster sugar
• 60ml water
• 20g butter
• 1 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp osmanthus syrup
• 40g raisins
• 30g toasted white sesame seeds
• Extra flour for dusting

Before you cook

• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together.
• Beat the eggs and pour them into the flour, mixing to a firm dough and adding the tablespoon of water only if it will not come together.
• Knead the dough for 8 minutes until smooth, then cover and rest it for 30 minutes.
• Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper and brush it lightly with oil.

Steps

1. Roll the rested dough out as thinly as you can on a well-floured bench, aiming for about 2mm.
2. Dust the sheet generously with flour and fold it over on itself several times into a flat stack.
3. Cut the stack crosswise into strands about 3mm wide.
4. Shake the strands apart in a sieve so the excess flour falls away and they do not clump.
5. Heat the frying oil to 175C.
6. Fry the strands in small handfuls for about 40 seconds, until they puff and turn pale gold.
7. Lift each batch onto a rack lined with paper and fry the rest.
8. Put the maltose, sugar and 60ml water in a wide pan over medium heat.
9. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and let the syrup bubble.
10. Cook the syrup for about 6 minutes, until a drop set into cold water forms a soft ball and the colour is light amber.
11. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.
12. Tip in all the fried strands along with the raisins and sesame seeds.
13. Fold everything together quickly with a spatula until every strand is coated, working fast before the syrup sets.
14. Scrape the mixture into the lined tin.
15. Press it down firmly and evenly with an oiled spatula or a second sheet of paper.
16. Leave the slab to cool for 40 minutes until fully set.
17. Turn it out and cut it into 12 squares with a heavy knife.