Pastry with Chinese Date Paste

(Last Updated On: August 30, 2021)

Beijing style pastry also named tea food is the representative of Northern Desserts of China. I think pastries filled with Chinese date paste can better show the historical tradition  because of its  Chinese medicine side. Decades ago, pastry was a gift that people often brought to visit relatives and friends during the festival.

Unlike Western-style cakes, lard is often used instead of butter in Chinese-style desserts in order to get the properties of shortening. Many southern Chinese stir fry green vegetables with lard to make them greener and more delicious.

In my opinion, the chef who has been making Chinese-style pastries for years is also an artist. The dough in their hands has become art food that satisfies the stomach and the eyes. The shapes of the dessert can be flowers, animals, characters, and various auspicious patterns that you can think of. Today I really want to share this recipe for the coming lunar new year, though the cooking time is longer.

Cooking notes

• The ingredients have 3 parts. Part one are water oil wrappers, part two are oil crispy oil balls, and part three are fillings.  Part two are the fillings of the part one. Then part three are the fillings of their combinations. You can see the pictures below and you will be clear.
• You should make the pastry one by one, befoe making, Sealed with plastic wrap to prevent the snack from drying.
• To keep the white color of pastry, not need longer time for roasted.

Ingredients

water oil wrappers(Part one, they can be made 6 wrappers)

• 80 gram plain flour
• 1 2/3 tablespoon  water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon lard(melted)

Fillings

• 180 gram Chinese date paste, 6 filling balls

oil crispy balls（Part two, they can be 6 balls as fillings for part one)

• 65 gram plain flour
• 32 gram lard(melted)

Instructions

1. How to make part one: mixed the water, flour, sugar, and melted lard well , make them into 6 balls, let them rest for 20 minutes.

2.How to make part two:mixed the flour and melted lard well,  make them into 6 balls, let them  rest for 20 minutes.

3.  Make Chinese date paste into 6 balls , if you feel soft, can add more flour, so they can         become harder for making.

4.Make part one into 6 wrappers, then put every part two ball on every wrapper, knead the edge, you will  get 6 white balls, let them rest for 20 miuntes.

5.Take one ball, press then get a round shape pie, roll it from the middle to the two ends with the rolling pin, make it grow into long ellipse just like the togue, then roll it up from one end to the other, make it into a cylinder, set aside, cover with the plastic film. Make the remaining five balls, one by one,  and make them into cylinders too. cover with the plastic film, let them rest for 20 minutes.

6.Take one cylinder, Roll the cylinder in the previous step from the middle to the two ends with a  rolling pin, Make it into the shape just like the tongue, then roll it up from one end to the other, to make six shorter cylinders than last step, and then make them one by one,

7.Take one cylinder of the last step, Press the middle of the cylinder with your finger, make the two ends up, stick them together, then press them into a round ball, make it into round wrapper, add Chinese date paste ball as the filling.

9.Knead the edge together, make a ball again,  and then press it into round pie shape with your hand. Use a knife to cut six equal parts evenly, and then cut every part again, forming 12 petals. Turn the petals and make the filling face up. This is the way of chrysanthemum shape, because the petals are the most.

For the heart shape, cut  into four equal parts, and then cut each part again,  make the filling facing up.

Bauhinia Flower shape, only cut five parts with knife, knead the end of each part into the petals.

10.Preheat the oven to 180 ° , roast for 20-25 minutes, the time depends on your oven temperature.