We start with the creamiest and most basic flavor of the five as we begin our tour of the Five Flavors Mini Crystal Zongzi 五味迷你水晶粽子 filling's flavors. Based on the classic and comforting flavors of custard and coconut, this Coconut Milk Custard Pastry 椰香蛋奶餡 is a milky, eggy creamy delight that is easy to make and suitable not only as filling for zongzi 粽子 but also for all kinds of Chinese pastries and bao!
So simple to make! First just add all the dry ingredients: sugar, custard powder, glutinous rice flour and corn starch to a mixing bowl and whisk. The glutinous rice flour and corn starch help to thicken the liquid and give the end result a smooth scoopable texture.
Next we add in the condensed milk and whole milk. Why two kinds of milk? Milk is needed to help make the custard's structure. Condensed milk adds its unique rich milky sweet flavor.
At the next stage there is a choice that can be made. Egg white or whole egg. If you choose egg white (left image) you will achieve a final result with a light ivory color. If you choose whole egg (right image) you will achieve a sunny yellow color.
It's useful to be able to choose as this particular filling can be used as the base for other flavors of filling and sometimes you may want to have a light colored base so that other colors can shine through clearly. Or, as in the case of our mini crystal zongzi, we wanted to showcase a white filling, achieving a white on white effect.
The last touch is a swirl of luscious coconut cream. Coconut makes everything taste better, no? Nom, nom, amirite?
Now mix, mix, mix until smooth. It might take a while, actually, cuz of the butter. Tho we're using room temperature butter, it still takes a bit of smearing and mixing to get the butter to incorporate evenly.
Once evenly incorporated, pour into the largest shallow pan you can fit into your steamer. The larger area will allow the custard to cook more quickly and evenly.
The mixture is then steamed until liquid turns to custard. Key thing to remember here is to steam and let the custard cool without messing around with it. When cooled to room temperature, place in fridge to chill. When chilled you can finally mix the custard and form it into balls or whatever and it will hold its shape. If you mix the custard too early it will be too soft.
The final fabulous result of our Coconut Milk Custard Pastry Filling is a coconut-y, milky, creamy filling that's easy to use and scrumm-licious to eat! As you can see from the photos below you can have two colors of results (depending on the use of egg white or whole egg): one a light ivory colored filling, the other a sunny yellow. To be used as is or combined as a base for other stronger flavors. Or use to accentuate a white on white like in our mini crystal zongzi. How creamy coolly-licious is that!?
More flavors coming up soon, so stay tuned, dear readers!
Light ivory colored filling vs sunny yellow colored filling
Coconut Milk Custard Pastry Filling
椰香蛋奶餡
(adapted from 正統中式點心全書: 師承香港傳奇料理大師 by 吉岡勝美)
(makes 360g) Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar, 112g
- 1 tbsp custard powder, 7.5g
- 1 1/2 tbsp glutinous rice flour, 13g
- 1 1/4 tbsp corn starch 11.25g
- 2 tbsp milk, 30g
- 3 1/2 tbsp condensed milk, 56g
- 1 1/2 egg white, 45g (or 1 medium egg)
- 1 1/3 tbsp butter, room temperature, 20g
- 1/2 cup coconut cream, 112g
Directions:
Mix the ingredients: Put all the ingredients in one mixing bowl and stir until all the lumps are gone.
Steam the custard: Pour the custard mix into the largest wide shallow bowl that will fit into your steamer. Steam over high heat for 10-15 mins or until the custard is firm.
Cool the custard: Let the custard cool to room temperature. Then cover and place into the fridge to chill.
Mix the custard: Once the custard is chilled you can shape it. It will be in a pancake shape from the steaming. Gently smoosh the custard to loosen it until it is able to be shaped and rolled into balls.
Make pastry: Use our recipe for Five Flavors Mini Crystal Zongzi to make zongzi filled with coconut milk custard filling. Or use filling for whatever pasty you have in mind.
Store the custard: Place in air tight container and keep in fridge until ready to use in your pastry. Will keep for up to 5 days.
Fabulous Fillings at The Hong Kong Cookery:
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