Shrimp Paste Bullions 百花釀元寶

Shrimp Paste Bullions 百花釀元寶 (bái huā niàng yuán baǒ) is a dish I designed for celebrating Chinese New Year.  They resemble the “yuanbao” which is an ancient gold bullion or ingot.  Shanghai wontons look like yuanbao as well to symbolize prosperity as well.  During Chinese New Year, it’s all about good luck, good fortune and new beginnings.  When the whole family or close friends get together for dinner during the New Year, foods that are auspicious can help create a positive and energetic environment.  The positive energy becomes fuel to work hard throughout the year and can attract good luck!

I bought a bag of Chinese donuts to go with congee and had a couple of them left over.  Then the idea of making them look like yuanbao just popped into my head.  So, I got some shrimp paste and stuffed them into the Chinese donut.  I only dipped the tops in panko so that the base can stand firmly on its own and the tops get the beautiful golden colour.

The result was better than expected!  The Chinese donuts were very crispy; together with the soft shrimp paste, it was a match from heaven!  Dipping it in the Thai chili sauce was really good too!  You could also make this in an air-fryer if you don’t want to deep fry.  The best thing is that this is a super easy recipe!

Visit my Chinese New Year 101 page for more interesting information on Chinese New Year.  You can also get Chinese New Year recipe ideas. Did you know that the Original Spring Roll is a wrap?  Take a look at my Original Spring Roll post, give it a try and keep this ancient Chinese recipe alive!

If you like to deep-fry once in a while, consider getting a digital thermometer.  I can now accurately determine the temperature of the oil before putting my food into it.  Now, it’s so easy to get perfect results each time.  No more guessing when the oil is ready. If you’re interested, check out the one I got from Amazon. 

Shrimp Paste Bullions 百花釀元寶

You can use tofu puffs instead of Chinese donuts. But the Chinese donuts make these bullions extra crispy! Chinese donuts can usually be found in the frozen section or the bakery in Chinese grocery stores.

You can also substitute the shrimp paste with fish paste. I found my shrimp paste in the fresh seafood section of a Chinese grocery store.

I used a Thai sweet chili sauce as a dipping sauce. You can also use plum sauce or Chinese red vinegar.

Approximate cost (CAD) $8

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 1480 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 300 g Shrimp paste (store bought)
• 2 Chinese donuts (aka yau zha guai or youtiao)
• 500 ml Oil for deep frying
• ½ c Panko
• 1 Egg
• 3 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce for dipping
• 2 tsp Cornstarch

Instructions

 

• Separate the two sides of the Chinese donut
  
• Cut them into 5-6 cm pieces
  
• Uses kitchen shears to cut an opening on one of the sides of each piece
  
• Use your finger to rub some cornstarch inside and around the opening
  
• Spoon some shrimp paste into the opening
  
• Spoon some shrimp paste on top of the opening to resemble the yuanbao (Chinese gold bullion)
  
• Repeat steps 5 and 6 for all the Chinese donut pieces
  
• Beat an egg in a bowl
• Prepare ½ cup panko in a bowl or plate
• Heat 500 ml oil in a pot to 150˚C or 300˚F
• Dip only the tops (the part with the shrimp paste) into the egg
  
• Then dip it into the panko
  
• Repeat for all the stuffed Chinese donut pieces
• Once the oil reaches 150˚C or 300˚F, careful place the Chinese donuts into the oil
  
• Since the tops are heavier than the bottoms, they will naturally float with tops down in the oil. Leave them in the oil for 2 minutes
• After 2 minutes, the panko should have turned a golden colour
  
• Use a spider strainer or mesh ladle to help fry the bottoms of the Chinese donuts for 1 minute
  
• Remove from oil and put on a cooling rack
• Serve after 5 minutes

Nutrition

Calories: 1480kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 60gFat: 132gSaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 896mgSodium: 3000mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 1gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 59IUCalcium: 320mgIron: 6mg

Keyword Chinese Donut, Chinese New Year, CNY, Deep Fried, Shrimp Paste

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