Steamed Green Pear Cake Decorated With Water Caltrop Recipe

FILLING
90 g Sesame seed 75 g Syrup
90 g Plain flour 45 g Peanut butter
90 g Lard

OUTER DOUGH LAYER
150 g Spinach juice 75 g Sugar
110 g Wheat starch 1/2 tb Lard
35 g Glutinous flour 1 ts Milk powder
1/2 ts Shrimp roe (optional) 1/8 ts Vanilla essence

GARNISH
40 sm Twiglets, washed and dried

INNER DOUGH LAYER: Same as above outer dough layer, except replace
spinach juice with boiling water.

This one pretty much sums up the idea that in Asia things are not
always what they seem. Looking at the picture, I see what are
obviously steamed pears++complete with stems++with a couple of water
caltrops on one plate and steamed finger citrons (an Asian fruit that
looks sorta like a hand) accompanied by a couple of peaches on the
other plate. (Water caltrops are those seeds that look like a set of
miniature water buffalo horns.) What these things really are, though,
are steamed, stuffed sweet dumplings. I really wish I could post a
.gif with this message. These things look REAL! Somehow, I doubt that
anyone will want to attempt this one, but here it is just in case.

Establishment: Yung Kee Restaurant 36-40 Wellington Street, Central,
Hong Kong Chinese Cuisine Practical Class Platinum Award – Desserts

THE NEVER ENDING STORY (12 servings) Chef: Yau Shing (Yung Kee
Restaurant) “Longevity” would be an over-simplified literal
translation for this dual presentation of treasured culinary symbols
crafted out of flour. Peaches symbolize longevity, and fairy tales
often feature water caltrops (bull horn-shaped roots) as part of the
fairy diet. The Fairy Mother herself is given peaches on her
birthdays. The finger citrons, a kind of fruit, have long represented
Buddha, owing their resemblance to the shape of Buddha’s palm. The
combination of associations – with long life, happiness, elegance and
spiritual peace – heightens the diner’s admi- ration of the culinary
sculptures.

To prepare and cook: 1. For sesame paste filling, stir-fry sesame
seeds in a dry, heated wok until golden. Set a quarter aside and
grind rest to powder. 2. Stir-fry flour in a dry wok, over a low
flame, all slightly yellow. Then sift it. Mix all filling
ingredients together. Place in refrigerator until firm. 3. For doughs
(made in two batches, one with spinach juice, one with boiling
water). Heat spinach juice or water. Pour hot liquid into a mixing
bowl containing wheat starch and glutinous flour. Mix well. Remove
mixture to a clean working surface and add remaining ingredients one
a time, working up a smooth texture. 4. For pear shaping, form
spinach-dyed dough into small balls of approximately 4 g each.
Flatten round discs. Do same for uncoloured dough. Place one
uncoloured disc on top of a dyed dough disc. Place a small portion
of sesame paste filling on top, and mould discs upwards around it to
form pear shape. Stick one dry twiglet into top end of pear shape.
Press lightly on bottom of pear shape to form a firm base. 5. Steam
for 3 to 5 minutes. (If shrimp roe not available, chocolate powder
could be dusted over the pears after they have cooled.) (The water
caltrop garnish recipe is not included. it is also steamed dough with
colouring.)

From “Champion Recipes of the 1986 Hong Kong Food Festival”. Hong
Kong Tourist Association, 1986.