If you want to get to the heart of Japanese home cooking, you will appreciate Phaidon’s most recent Country Cookbook, Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu. This hefty collection of over 400 recipes showcases the breadth of Japanese home-cooking today, and is a great reference book for any cook keen on the cuisine.
Read my full review of Japan: The Cookbook here, and enjoy the third and final extracted recipe, below. I’ve also shared Stir-Fried Japanese Leeks with Miso and Asparagus with Sesame-Vinegar Dressing.
Okinawan-Style Sesame Doughnuts | サーターアンダギー
Ingredients
- 200 g (11⁄3 cups / 7 oz) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 100 g (1⁄2 cup / 3 1⁄2 oz) sugar
- 1 large pinch fine sea salt
- 1 medium egg at room temperature
- 100 ml (3 1⁄3 fl oz) milk
- 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- Neutral oil, such as rapeseed [canola], peanut or safflower for deep-frying
Notes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the flour mixture and crack the egg into the well.
- Stir the milk and vanilla extract in slowly with a fork, while breaking up the egg, until the dry and wet ingredients are blended.
- Warm the sesame seeds in a small dry pan and crush slightly in a suribachi [Japanese grinding bowl] or nut grinder. Stir the sesame seeds into the batter — it will be fairly sticky.
- Pour 15 cm (6 inches) oil into a heavy medium pot and heat over medium-low heat until hot but not smoking.
- Working in batches of 6 (do not crowd the pot), drop rounded spoonfuls of the batter, using 2 spoons, and fry until the donuts are bobbing on the surface and most of the tiny bubbles have subsided, at least 3 minutes. (Adjust the heat if they are browning too quickly.)
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Kavey Eats received a review copy of Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu from publisher Phaidon. Food photography by Jennifer May. Recipe published with permission.
Please leave a comment - I love hearing from you!12 Comments to "Okinawan-Style Sesame Donuts | サーターアンダギー"
Looks fascinating! the idea that is a recipe from Okinawa is amazing
Yeah, I’m not so familiar at all with Okinawan cuisine, I know that it’s quite distinct from rest of Japan. It’s on my wishlist to visit there!
Oh my days, Kavey. These look so good! I am crazy about anything sesame. I haven’t done any deep frying in over 20 years but this is awfully tempting. Fun fact: I am friends with the great great grand-daughter of the last emperor of Okinawa. She is a doctor and built a version of Maggie’s Cancer Centre near Mt Fuji. Gorgeous, humble lady. Hoping to go back to Japan for the sakura festival 🙂
That’s amazing! How fun that you know a descendant of the last emperor of Okinawa! And that she has set up a similar cancer centre to Maggie’s as well. I hope you get back to Japan soon. We don’t deep fry often, usually we’ll fill the fryer with oil and maybe have a few things over the week or two, and then put it away for a few months again!!!
Ooh these sound interesting! I love the idea of using sesame as a main flavour for something like this – not something we would generally do in this country.
It’s such a great flavouring ingredient! Tahini is becoming more prevalent in all kinds of recipes, so I think the sesame flavour is getting more and more popular!
Oh I’ve never heard of these and they look amazing. I know what I’m making this weekend.
Heh, enjoy!
Those look rather interesting and I am loving the sesame seeds. Nice addition. Sharing now 🙂
Thanks, yes the combo of doughnut and sesame seeds really appeals!
How Can these be baked? I don’t like frying food
I’m not sure, as I’ve not tried that. There are some great baked doughnut recipes out there so I hope you’ll find one that suits.