Bean puff pockets

Meal in a pocket

There is a stall in Kim Tian Market that sells the most amazing bean puff pocket. Each pocket is stuffed with thinly sliced cucumbers and sprouts and then grilled to give it a delicate crunch when eaten.

Best of all, they come garnished with strips of sour, freshly shredded mangoes with a sprinkling of fine, grated peanuts and toasted cuttlefish.

Just in case you feel like having something savory to dip in, the pockets are served with a little dish of prawn paste – like those used for local rojaks.

The textures and taste of the hawker snacks was so compelling that I had no choice but to reproduce it at home.  It was quite close to the real thing except that I had the misfortune of using puffs with thicker, darker skins. No delicate crunch after grilling but otherwise, everything else was perfect.

Makes 10.

Ingredients :

10 bean puffs, slit halfway like a pocket

 1 cup of bean sprouts, blanched and spin dry

1 cup of thinly sliced cucumbers

½ cup finely shredded unripe mangoes

½ cup of finely grated peanuts, mixed with 1 Tbsp of caster sugar

¼ cup of prawn paste, diluted with 2 Tbsp of warm water or pineapple juice

Cuttlefish strips,  toasted

Method :

Stuff the bean sprouts and cucumber into the puffs.

Grill the puff  to sear the surface.

Garnish with mangoes, peanuts and cuttlefish.

Serve with prawn paste.

Variations :

Use alfafa instead of sprouts.

Use shredded pineapples or granny smith apples instead mangoes.

Use BBQ sauce instead of prawn paste ( though the umami taste will be compromised )