Recently we've been all over our new dim sum recipe book, 正統中式點心全書: 師承香港傳奇料理大師 by 吉岡勝美 which translates into 'The Complete Book of Authentic Chinese Dim Sum' by Katsumi Yoshioka. The Japanese author of this book apprenticed with the legendary culinary master Chef Liang Jing 梁敬, at the 敬賓酒家, a famous Cantonese restaurant in the 80's. Omgosh, this book, it's so fab!
Y'all know that dim sum is traditional Cantonese way of eating where bite sized dishes, both sweet and savory, are served alongside of pots of fragrant tea. Dim sum translates to 'touch the heart' and is one of the Cantonese culinary treasures!
From this recipe book we previously made the Chinese Peony Pastry 牡丹形酥餅, a most delightful pastry that opens silky pastry petals out just like a real flower. This time we tried another pastry from this dim sum book, Chinese Lotus Paste Cookie Pastry 蓮子糕餅, and were so taken with the results...in other words, can't stop eating! These small delicate morsels of pastry consist of a flavorful cookie dough wrapped about a lusciously smooth and velvety lotus seed paste filling. Kinda like a Chinese version of petit fours. What's there not to love?
The uniqueness of this pastry, to my mind, is that it uses an outer dough that is basically a cookie dough! So it's like a cookie wrapped around the lusciousness that is lotus seed paste. And there's nothing better than cookies, amirite?!
The first step to this delectable cookie dough is to add lard and butter to the low gluten flour. Then use a scraper or blunt knife to cut the butter/lard into the flour as much as possible. When the pieces are pretty small already use your fingers to further rub the oil into the flour as evenly as possible, until the mix resembles a coarse crumb texture.
Why is this process used? Cutting in and mixing the oil like this will coat the flour with the fat which will restrict the formation of gluten, allowing for a much more tender, softer texture. The fat also adds moisture and flavor to the cookie dough.
In a separate bowl an egg is whisked with sugar and some custard powder until the sugar is dissolved. The custard powder adds an eggy flavor and gives the cookie its distinct yellow color.
The egg mixture is added to the flour/oil mixture. It is stirred until just mixed together. Don't overmix the dough as it will toughen the cookie.
The final mixture of our Chinese cookie dough! Yellow and soft, it's covered and placed in the fridge to chill and firm up a bit.
Once the dough is thoroughly chilled it's time to weigh the cookie dough out and roll into rounds (image left). The same is done with the lotus seed paste* (image right).
Weighing all the portions out in advance takes a bit of time, true, but it is to make sure that the final cookies are all the same size and look fabulously professional!
*You can substitute alternate fillings like red bean paste, black sesame, mung bean, etc. If your desired filling paste is more on the soft side you can freeze the filling balls until hardened up before wrapping the cookie dough around it. Actually I recommend chilling all types of fillings before wrapping, it just makes it that much easier!
To wrap we take one dough round and make a bowl shape from it. Drop in one lotus seed filling round.
Place the pastry in one hand. Use fingers to push/pull the out wrapping over the filling while you turn the pasty. The dough will creep up the side, encouraged by your fingers until it is able to meet together at the top. Make sure that there are no air bubbles in the filling paste as you close up. Give the round a roll between the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Your cookie is wrapped!
For a more detailed look check out the video of the wrapping that we have here:
The wrapped cookies are placed on a baking tray. These don't expand too much so they can be placed more closely together.
The final touches! Egg yolk/milk wash is brushed over the cookies before they are sent to the fridge to chill and to allow the egg yolk wash to dry.
Once the egg wash is dried the cookie are again brushed with egg wash. This double wash technique is the something new, usually we only do it once, but we loved the shiny buttery gleam it provided on the final bake. Slivers of almond or whatever nut you would like to decorate with are placed on top of each cookie before sending the pan to the oven.
After a short bake our Chinese Lotus Seed Paste Cookie Pastries come out the oven, golden and gorgeous and utterly cute and perfect! A final tip from our fabulous recipe book advised a quick brush of sugar water over the still hot cookie. The perfect final kiss of sweetness!
What can I say? I love these little pastries, they are so beautiful and scrummy! My little girl and I cannot stop eating these! The outside of the pastries are slightly sweet, nutty and crunchy. Once you bite in, tho', the delicate cookie crumbles, contrasting with the velvety smooth texture of lusciously caramel-y, sweet and just a bit nutty lotus paste. These Lotus Paste Filled Chinese Cookie Pastry 蓮子糕餅 are the perfect combo of tastes and textures and our new favorite cookie pastry!
Chinese Lotus Paste Cookie Pastry
蓮子糕餅
adapted from The Complete Book of Authentic Chinese Dim Sum by Katsumi Yoshioka
(makes approx. 40) Prep: 20 mins Chill: 1 hr Bake: 20 mins
Ingredients:
Cookie dough
- 1 cup low gluten flour, 150g
- 3/4 tsp baking powder, 3g
- 3 tbsp lard, 45g
- 2.5 tbsp butter, 35g
- 3 tbsp sugar, 35g
- 2 tbsp custard powder, 20g
- 1 egg
Filling and toppings
- 10 oz lotus seed paste filling, 280g (check out our homemade lotus seed paste recipe)
- 40 almond silvers
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp milk
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp water
Directions:
Prepare the lotus seed paste filling: If making your own (optional), follow our recipe to make easy and luscious homemade lotus seed paste. Weigh the lotus paste into 0.25oz/7g portions and roll into balls. Place into the freezer to firm up while making the cookie dough.
Make the wrapping cookie dough: Add flour and baking powder to a mixing bowl. Whisk to mix. Add butter and lard. Use a metal scraper or blunt knife to cut the fats up as small as possible. Then use your fingers to rub the fat into the flour. Keep going until the fat is totally incorporated into the flour and the mixture has a coarse crumb texture. Add more flour, one tbsp at a time, if needed.
In another bowl add the sugar, custard powder and egg. Whisk to mix. Add the whisked mixture to the flour/fat mixture. Use a scraper to lift up and press down until the two are combined. This lifting up and pressing down technique will minimize the gluten formation. Once the wet and dry are just mixed you can stop. Form into a ball, cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour to rest and harden up a bit. Divide the chilled dough into 10g portions and roll into balls.
Wrap the pastry: Take one round of cookie dough and shape into a bowl shape of approx. 1.5"(3.5 cm) in diameter. Place one ball of lotus seed paste in the bowl shaped dough. Hold the pastry loosely in right hand. Use the left thumb to push the filling gently down while using the right thumb to pull/push the outer wrapping up and over the filling, all the while turning the pastry bit by bit until the wrapping meets at the top and can be closed. Don't leave any air bubbles in the filling as you close up. Roll the wrapped pastry between two palms to smooth into a ball. (Refer to above video of wrapping technique.) Place on the baking paper covered baking pan, leaving 1 1/2 inch between each pasty.
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).
Prepare egg wash: Mix egg yolk and milk with a whisk. Brush the egg wash over the pastries. Place into the fridge for 15 mins or so until the egg wash is dried. When dried reapply the egg wash and top each pastry with an almond sliver.
Bake the pastries: Slide the baking pan into the middle of the oven and bake for 20-25 mins or until the pastries are golden brown on top.
Prepare sugar wash: Add sugar and water to a bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Brush over the tops of the still hot pastries. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 mins before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Crazy Cookie-liciousness at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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