84. Making Soy beans as snack or as side dish

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Chinese soy beans

My parents used to always prepare some ‘Chinese snacks’ at home. The quotation mark means -- really -- it is only me treated them as snacks. As I told you before, my mum did not really approve that we, me and my brother, had any snacks, as they could disturb our appetite for the main meals. So these snacks are really the side dishes. Sometimes, it was peanuts, peas, sometimes it was these soy beans -- they are mostly savory. But I like to grab a handful of them to take time to time, so I call them a ‘snack’. :)))

This kind of soy beans are a very popular Chinese snack --- at least before crisps and other Western snacks were introduced in China. In fact, you can nowadays find similar soy bean snacks in England; for example, I have seen them in M&S. I prefer my homemade version, though --- I have to boast it a little bit, :) - my dad makes the best.



The special thing about this home made Chinese snack is that, instead of simply oil frying the soy beans, they are stir fried first and left in the hot wok ‘cook’ so that they become crispy. And since it is 'slow' cooked, the final texture is different to just being simply oil fried, and more 'chewable'.

It is not difficult to make, just needs a little patience.

Here you go.

Ingredients:

Soybeans (I used one cup of soy beans)

Oil, salt.

Cooking:

1) Soak the soybeans in the water over night, or until it is no longer hard. (You can use finger nail test it.) Then get rid of excess of water.

2) Pour in around 2 tablespoons of oil.

3) When the oil is hot, (not super hot), add soaked soybeans into the wok. Keep the fire medium to low, and keep on stir frying.

4) Keep on stir frying, until the oil has all ben absorbed, and the soybeans get crispy. Normally this takes around 8-10 minutes.

Chinese soy bean snacks

5) Before removing it to the plate, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix well. --

--- Done!!

You can have it as daily snack, or a side dish when serving dinner.
Don't worry if it gets dry inside the wok, just keep on stirring to prevent them from getting burnt.