Chai masala churros

Ingredients

• 75 g ghee, plus 50 g for deep frying
• ½ tsp salt
• 35 ml rosewater
• 150 g (1 cup) plain flour, sifted
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 litre vegetable oil, for frying
• edible gold leaf, to serve

Chai masala sugar

• 110 g (½ cup) caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp finely ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the ghee, salt, rosewater and 115 ml water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and remove from the heat. Add the flour and mix well with a spatula. Return to low heat and mix until the batter is smooth and glossy, pulling away from the sides of the pan but forming a film on the base of the pan.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for around 3 minutes. Add the beaten egg, about a quarter at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stop when the batter is liquid enough to form a firm 'V' hanging off the end of the spatula as you lift it out of the batter. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle.
3. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy-based saucepan to 170˚C and add the 50 g of ghee for flavour. Making sure not to crowd the pan, pipe churros around 15 cm in length into the oil and use kitchen scissors to snip the batter off from the piping bag. Fry for about 4 minutes or until golden brown, then drain on a wire rack.
4. For the chai masala sugar, mix the ingredients together.
5. Dust the churros with the chai masala sugar, then top with a little edible gold leaf and serve immediately.

Photography by Adam Liaw.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

• Cook more Adam Liaw recipes here