Savory Hakka Cha-Guo with Black-eyed pea filling . 眉豆餡咸茶果

 Savory Hakka Cha-Guo with Black-eyed pea filling . 眉豆餡咸茶果

I did not expect there are so many people who like eating Cha-Guo, so I did not take many photos on how I made the dough. In order to do it precisely, I had my helper redo the dough again this morning and I took the photos of how it looked like.... she could manage well in making the dough now. For wrapping the Cha-Guo, it is not difficult, it is similar to what you do for another glutinous rice dumplings(糯米糍).  I will tell you some tips in doing the wrapping easier, and make the whole thing go smoothly.

I do not really know what a good traditional Hakka Cha-Guo should be, but to my standard, I want the wrapper staying soft and chewy when I eat even I do not reheat it and the shape looks round and full, and to my taste.  Let's see the recipe....

我沒想到有這麼多人喜歡吃茶果，所以之前把造粉糰的步驟拍下。 為了做到外皮軟滑得來煙韌，即有嚼勁，我想給大家看看粉糰的做法，也就安排家傭小姐再造粉糰，讓我拍照……哈哈，其實她現在造這粉糰已經駕輕就熟了。至於包茶果手法，這並不難，就跟包糯米糍相像，我也會教大家一點小竅門，讓大家做起來更容易。

我其實不知道最地道、最正宗的客家茶果應該怎麼樣，我只照自己的標準：茶果要軟熟帶煙韌、即使不翻熱也可口，外形態要圓潤，味道要鮮明而合我口味，即"皮薄餡靚"啦！讓我們看看食譜....

                             Making the cooked dough . 全熟粉糰做法
                                                        

Savory Hakka Cha-Guo with Black-eyed pea filling

Ingredients:

Glutinous Rice Flour 150g
Maltose, melted 35g
Boiling Water 80g
Oil  30g
Salt  a pinch

Banana Leaves, big  1 pc (optional)

Filling:
Black-eyed pea 120g
Water 800g
Oil 2 tbsp
Preserved Radish, diced 80g(soaked in water to reduce the saltiness)
Pork, finely chopped 100g
Dried Shrimp, slightly chopped 15g
Shallot, chopped  4 pc
Turnip, diced 80g 
Salt 1/2 tsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Oyster Sauce 2 tsp
Light Sauce 1 tsp
Chicken Powder 1 tsp
White Pepper 1 tsp(or to your taste)


Method:
1. Prepare the filling: 
-Soak black-eyed pea in water for an hour, cook it in a pressure cooker with 800ml of water for 20 minutes or boil till soft 
-Take the peas out and keep 3 tbsp, either press the remaining peas with a presser till fine or blend it to puree using a blender
-Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a wok, fry shallot till fragrant, add in preserved radish, fry for 3 minutes, then add in dried shrimps and pork till cooked, and then add in pea puree, fry and toss with other ingredients, add in all the seasonings, then the 3 tbsp of peas and diced turnips, mix well, season to your taste, dish up and let cool; then divide the filling into approx. 30g each
2. Heat up a pot of hot water 

3. Sift glutinous rice flour into a big bowl, add in maltose, boiling water, salt and oil, mix in all the ingredients with a pair of long chopsticks, till flaky, then bring it into a dough, and knead briefly

4. Divide the dough into a few pieces and drop all into the hot water and keep boiling till the dough pieces floating up approx. 5 minutes, then transfer the dough pieces into a big bowl and let cool for 5 minutes,  and knead the dough pieces together into a soft dough, cover it and let rest till cool completely

5. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, approx 25g each

6. Cut a small zipper bag open from one side to make two pages, put one small dough piece on one side of a page, then cover with the page, press the dough down using your palm and slightly twist to make it round; then press the edge thin by moving the finger tips or palm around

7. Place one portion of the filling onto the circle (6) and seal the edges to the center and slightly round it, then put the Cha-Guo on a slightly greased banana leaf, do the same for the remaining; and then brush a little oil on top 

8. Steam the Cha-Guo in a steam oven or using a wok for 12 minutes. Serve hot

Cooking Tips:

1. Use complete-boiled dough, glutinous rice wrapper stays soft and chewy; since the dough is cooked, it can shorten the cooking time of Cha-Guo, so it can stand firm.
2. Maltose could keep glutinous rice flour dough from hardening

3. Adding diced turnip gives Cha-Guo a crispy touch
4. White pepper adds extra flavor to the black-eyed pea filling and bring out the flavor of white turnip

Filling in Making . 炒眉豆餡

                                   

眉豆餡咸茶粿

材料： 

糯米粉 150 g
麥芽糖，先溶 35 g
大熱水水 80 ml
油 30 g
鹽  少許

香蕉葉，大 1 塊（可免）

眉豆餡：
黑眼豆 120 g
水 800g
油 2 tbsp
菜脯，切幼粒 80 g（浸泡在水中以減少鹹味）
瘦豬肉，切碎 100  g
蝦米，略切碎 15g
乾蔥，切碎  4 顆
麵粉  1 tbsp
白蘿蔔，切粒 80g
鹽 1/2 tsp
糖 1-1/2 tbsp
蠔油 1 tbsp
生抽 1 tsp
雞粉 1 tsp
白胡椒 1 tsp（隨意）

做法：
1.準備眉豆餡：
- 眉豆洗淨浸泡一小時，用壓力鍋加入800ml 中煮20分鐘 或 用煮鍋煮豆至軟
- 先取起 3 tbsp眉豆，其餘用大匙壓泥或用攪拌器攪拌成泥狀
- 在鍋中預熱 2 tbsp油，炒香乾蔥，加入菜脯粒，炒 3分鐘，再加入蝦米和豬肉炒熟，然後加入眉豆泥，炒勻，再灑入麵粉拌勻，加入調味拌勻，再加入3 tbsp眉豆和白蘿蔔粒，快手炒勻炒，試味，盛起放涼; 然後分成約 30 g 一份，略整圓
2. 燒熱一鍋水
3. 將糯米粉過篩，倒入大碗中，加入麥芽糖、大熱開水、鹽和油，用一雙長筷子拌勻，直至絮片狀，再把粉略搓成糰
4.將粉糰隨意分成幾塊，全部放入熱水鍋中，煮糰塊至浮起，約 5分鐘，然後將粉糰塊轉到一個大碗中，待涼5分鐘，再將粉糰揉合成軟糰狀，蓋上布，待至全涼
5.將粉糰分成12 塊 ，每塊約25克g，揉圓
6.把小號保鮮膠袋從一側剪開如兩頁面，在下方的一頁，放上一粉糰，把另一頁蓋在上，用手掌隔頁面按住麵團，稍微轉動輾薄成圓片; 然後用指尖或手掌跟按壓圓邊，成中心略厚周邊略薄
7. 打開頁面，把一份餡料放在圓粉糰片（6）上，四周歸中心收口，蕉葉面和茶果面略掃油
8. 把茶果放葉面，用鑊隔水中大火蒸或用蒸爐蒸約 12 分鐘。趁熱食

提示：：
1. 用全熟粉糰，茶果外皮會更柔軟和耐嚼(煙韌);由於麵團已熟，更可縮短蒸茶果時間，茶果形狀可保持豐滿不塌
2. 麥芽糖可保持糯米粉糰煮後不易變硬
3. 加入蘿蔔粒，茶果口感更清新豐富，又有眉豆的軟綿及有菜脯和鮮蘿蔔的爽脆
4. 白胡椒粉去蘿蔔澀味，使眉豆餡味道更特出