Flaky Asian Buns with Red Bean Paste and Salted Duck Egg Yolks

中文菜谱：

豆沙蛋黄酥

Flaky buns are very popular in Asian countries.  Literally every bakery sells them.  The recipes and fillings vary from bakery to bakery.  Some popular choices are sweet red bean paste, lotus seed paste, mung bean paste, and even savory ground pork filling.

I like to bake my own instead buying them from store.  They are best when they are freshly out the oven, piping hot.  But it is very hard to get such perfect timing when buying from store.

The recipe was posted a long time ago here: Flower Shape Pastry Cookies with Red Bean Filling.  I use it every time I make flaky buns at home. Therefore I think I can proudly announce this is a time-tested solid recipe O(∩_∩)O~

Salted duck egg yolks are available in frozen food section in most Asian grocery stores.  Sometimes I make salt duck eggs from scratch.  They look and taste much better.  But the thing with homemade salted duck eggs is that it takes one month to marinate.  That is a long waiting time.  I usually go with store-bought version if I have a sudden crave and can’t wait 30 days.

Ingredients for the flaky buns:

150 g all purpose flour
105 g lard / butter / shortening / vegetable oil
40 g powder sugar
70 g water
110 g cake flour

For the filling：

Salted duck egg yolks (12 to 15 yolks)
red bean paste (homemade or store bought from Asian grocery store)
egg yolk wash
black sesame seeds

Directions：

Although you can use lard / butter / shortening / vegetable oil to make the cookies, lard is always the preferable choice because of its major role in making these buns’ flaky and air-like layers while no other oil/ fat can do the same.

The easiest way to get pure lard is to make it yourself at home.

Pork lard is sold by pound in Asian grocery stores.  And this is how it looks like.

With a sharp knife, cut it into small pieces.

Add pork lard pieces to a cast iron pan/ wok, along with 1/4 cup water.

Heat the pan over medium heat.  The water will gradually evaporate as cooking process going on.

When the pork lard pieces shrink in sizes and turn into light golden brown color, remove pan from heat.  Allow the mixture to cool for 10 to 20 minutes. 

Drain pork fat liquid.  Reserve what is needed for this recipe.  Store the rest in Mason jar.  Seal and refrigerate after it is totally cooled down.

In a medium bowl, add 55g lard, all purpose flour, powder sugar and water.   Whisk with a wooden spoon or chop sticks until all ingredients come together.  Knead with hands until the dough is smooth and elastic.  This is dough NO 1.

In another bowl, add 50 g lard and cake flour.  With a wooden spoon, mix flour and lard until they are well blended.  This is dough NO 2.

I always make my own red bean paste.  And I posted how to make red bean paste from scratch before: Sweet Rice Dumplings with Red Beans and Jujubes Wrapped in Bamboo Leaves

Everything is ready

Preheat the oven to 400F/204C

Divide dough NO 1 into 20 g/ each piece; dough NO 2 into 10 g/ each; and red bean paste into 30 g/ each.  Roll each of them into small dough balls.

Punch down each red bean paste balls and wrap the salted duck egg yolks with red bean paste.  Shape each pieces back into round red bean balls again.

Take one piece of dough NO 1; press it down with your palm; wrap it around one piece of dough NO 2; seal the edges; and roll it into a ball shape again.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough ball into 3 mm thin, roll it up from one end, cover with plastic wrap and repeat the process again 10 minutes later.  It is kind of similar to making croissants.

Press the dough down a little bit with a rolling pin or your palm.  Fold two ends towards center.  Press it down again and then roll it into 1/4 inch thin.  Place a red bean paste ball in the center.  Wrap it up and seal the edge with your fingers.  Roll it into a round dough ball. 

Repeat the process until all the dough balls are done.

Press down the dough balls a little bit between palms.  Add to a cookie pan lined with silicone mat.  

Brush with egg yolk wash and sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bun tops are golden brown.

These are some fine delicate and flaky buns! O(∩_∩)O~

The layers are really amazing.

Black tea or coffee is perfect for these sweet little flaky buns.

The best part is the flaky layers.  They are delicate, slightly sweet and of course, very flaky. Take a bite, and the layers crumble between teeth, and in your mouth, and maybe all over you O(∩_∩)O~

Salted duck egg yolks and red bean paste may sound a bizarre combination, but it works!  The two together create a savory sweet excellent balance and flavor.

Ok, if you don’t want to go through all the kneading and baking process listed above but still want to know what they taste like, grab you car key and drive to a nearby authentic Asian bakery.  Remember the key word is authentic!  Buy one in store that is freshly out of oven, and you will know how good it is; and most likely you will agree with me that all the effort I go through to make them fresh at home is well worthy O(∩_∩)O~

Dinner Rolls with Salted Egg Yolks and Pork Song (Dry Shredded Pork)

中文菜谱：

酥皮蛋黄肉松小面包

If you have been to an Asian bakery, you might have come across with some pork song buns.  Pork song is dry shredded pork which is made from pork that has been stewed, shredded, seasoned, slowly sautéed, and dried.   It is a long and slow process to make pork song.  That is also why it has such a nutty, delicate and rich flavor. 

Asian bakeries use pork song a lot.  If you have a chance to try it, just go ahead and have one.  You might instantly be hooked O(∩_∩)O~

Sometimes I love to bake pork song buns at home too. 

Ingredient s for the buns:

For the starter：

20 g all purpose flour
100 g water

For the dough：

380 g all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
50 g granulated sugar
120 g milk
1 large egg
4 g salt
40 g butter, diced and softened under room temperature
egg wash and white sesame seeds for topping (optional)

For crispy toppings：

15 g egg
30 g butter, melted
50 to 60 g cake flour
10 g dry milk powder
30 g confectioner sugar

For pork song and salted duck egg yolks filling：

8 salted duck egg yolks
1 package of pork song （4 盎司，约112克）
3 to 4 tablespoons syrup

*** I posted before how to make salted duck eggs from scratch: https://www.yankitchen.com/english-blog/salted-duck-eggs .  Salted duck eggs and egg yolks are both available in most Asian grocery stores if you don’t want to wait that long.  Take a look at the package when you buy them from store.  Some are already cooked; some are not.  Buy the ones that have been cooked.  Otherwise, raw egg yolks need to be baked or steamed with a drizzle of rice cooking wine before adding to the filling.  ***

Directions：

In a small bowl, add 20 g flour.  Whisk while gradually adding 100 g water to the bowl.  Microwave the batter on high for 30 seconds.  Take it out, whisk again.  And then send back to the microwave for another 20 seconds.  Take it out; whisk; and send back to microwave for 15 seconds.  Repeat the process until you get a very thick batter.

Cover with plastic wrap.  The starter can be used right away when it cools down.  Or it can also be stored in fridge to be used on second day.

Add flour, dry milk powder, sugar and salt to a stand mixer bowl.  Whisk well. 

Add the starter, egg, milk.  Sprinkle the yeast on top.  Let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes.

Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer.  Knead at speed 2.

 When everything comes together to form a dough ball, add diced butter.

Continue to knead until the dough can pass window panel test. 

Cover with lid or plastic wrap.  Wait for about 60 minutes or until the dough doubles in its size.

While waiting for the dough to rise, prepare the filling.

With a fork, crush the egg yolks.

Add pork song and syrup, mix well.

Transfer the dough to a large lightly dusted wooden board.  

Punch down and gently knead into a dough ball again.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for another 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces.

With a small rolling pin, roll out each piece thin and flat.

Add filling.

Wrap up and shape each one into small round ball. 

Add to large baking pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and let them rest for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Add all ingredients for crispy toppings to a small bowl.  Whisk until everything is well combined together.  Refrigerate until it is totally chilled and hardened.

Divide into 16 pieces too.

With a small rolling pin, roll each piece thin and flat.  And add to the top of dinner rolls.

Brush each one with egg wash and then sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

Preheat oven to 400F/205C

Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.

Piping hot and fresh out of the oven！ O(∩_∩)O~

Shredded pork and salted duck egg yolks may sound like a bizarre combination.  It is sweet and savory, strange but in a good way.  Salted duck egg yolks have a rich fatty and nutty flavor.  When combined with pork song, that aroma is amplified.  No wonder this filling is a extremely hot trend in Asia countries for the last couple years O(∩_∩)O~

Green Sweet Rice Cakes with Salted Duck Egg Yolks and Pork Sung

中文菜谱： 咸蛋黄肉松青团，芝麻花生馅青团

Between late March and early April, there is a traditional Qingming Festival in China.  Family members get together on this day and visit their ancestors’ and passed love ones’ graves.  They are there to tidy up graves and show their respect and love.  It is a day of remembering and sharing. 

Usually food is also an essential part of this ritual.  What food items to bring really depend on local traditions and family preferences.  Besides chicken, duck, and pork, there is one item most people bring and love: green sweet rice cakes.  The green color is from fresh young mugwort plants.  It is popular because of good herbal grassy flavors as well as medical purpose to refresh up both body and mind. 

As time goes by, people like these green sweet rice cakes more and more that they are no longer just a food item used in Qingming Festival ritual.  They become a daily snack / dim sum.

And the sweet rice cake fillings are evolving too.  The traditional ones include red bean paste, black sesame, peanut and brown sugar.  A couple years ago, some restaurant in Shanghai invented a filling with salted duck egg yolks and shredded pork and it instantly became a huge hit.  People stand in a line for hours and hours just to purchase several sweet rice cakes.  Wow, foodies!  O(∩_∩)O~

I tried many times.  It is just very hard to get hold of fresh young mugwort plants in United States.  So I substitute with spinach puree and matcha green tea powder.  Spinach puree brings the dark green color and matcha green tea powder adds a mild herbal, earthy and grassy scent and flavor.

Ingredients：

250 g sweet rice flour
30 g rice flour
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
spinach puree
water
2 to 3 teaspoons matcha green tea powder

For salted duck egg yolks and shredded pork fillings:

10 to 12 salted duck egg yolks (salted duck eggs are available in fridge aisle in most Asian grocery stores)
1 package of dried shredded pork/ pork sung (4 oz)
3 to 4  tablespoons golden syrup

For sesame and peanut filling：

1/3 cup dry roasted black sesame seeds
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Directions：

With a spoon, scoop egg yolks out salted duck eggs.  And then crush them with the back of spoon.

Mix with shredded pork and syrup. 

Combine roasted black sesame seeds, peanuts and brown sugar in a coffee grinder.  Do this in two or three batches to get even and smooth grind each time.

Smells really good

Soak and clean 6 to 8 dry bamboo leaves, which are sold in most Asian grocery stores too. Lightly grease them with vegetable oil.

If you don’t have bamboo leaves available, substitute with parchment paper.

Blanch the spinach; add to vitamix along with some water; puree on high speed until very smooth. 

Add sweet rice flour, matcha green tea powder, vegetable oil and sugar.

Combine everything together and knead into a ball of green sweet rice dough.  

Divide the dough into equal-sized small pieces.  Press down and thin out with palms.

Add salted duck egg yolks and shredded pork filling.

dd black sesame and peanut filling.

Wrap up and gently round them up between palms.

The ones topped with black sesame seeds mark sesame and peanut fillings.

Transfer sweet rice cakes in a bamboo steamer lined with greased bamboo leaves, one inch apart from each other.

Steam over high heat inside a cast iron wok for 10 to 15 minutes

Remove from heat and allow the sweet rice cake balls to cool down a little bit.

Aren’t they cute? O(∩_∩)O~

Both fillings are very tasty.