芋頭酥 Taiwanese Taro Pastry

This weekend baking project - taro pastry. I never had taro pastry until my Taiwanese college friends introduced it to me. It becomes one of my favorite Chinese style pastry. Since then, I asked my Taiwanese friends to bring me some every time they go home. First, I couldn't find this pastry everywhere here in Salt Lake. Second, making this pastry involved a long process. In Macau, we had something similar to the taro pastry but it is filled with lotus seed paste (蓮蓉) and dried egg yolk. It is called Chaozhou Mooncake (潮州月餅).

A friend just brought me some taro pastries couple weeks ago from Taiwan but I didn't have enough. Even the process is long, I decided to make it this weekend. I started on Saturday evening, it was 1 a.m. when I was done! Yea, the process is long but I think it totally worth it (at least for myself).

Taro is a root vegetable originated from southeast Asia. It has a texture similar to other root vegetables such as potato but has its' own special favor. It is commonly used in Chinese cuisine either in main dish or dessert. I personally love everything that is made with taro. In U.S., I only see taro used in vegetable chips so far. Below is the recipe of the taro pastry, but be ware, the process is LONG! The filling and two pastry doughs all needed to be made separately. There are also 50 minutes flour rising time involved. So, if you think you can handle the long process, enjoy making the taro pastry! :)

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 500 g taro
• 80 g sugar
• 30 g unsalted butter at room temperature (about 2 table spoons)
• 20 g dry milk

For the pastry dough A:

• 114 g gluten flour
• 61 g low gluten flour
• 25 g powder sugar
• 32 g unsalted butter at room temperature (about 2 table spoons)
• 30 g shortening (about 2 table spoons)
• 1 g salt
• 87 g room temperature water

For the pastry dough B:

• 200 g low gluten flour
• 100 g unsalted butter (about 7 table spoons)
• blue and red liquid food color

Cooking Direction:

Taro Fillings

Make the filling:

1. Cut the taro in cubes. Steam until a fork can be easily insert into the taro.
2. While the taro is still hot, mash it with a fork or potato masher.
3. Mix in the sugar and dry milk. Let cool. 
4. Row the mashed taro paste into eighteen 25 g balls. Set aside. This is the filling for the taro pastry. The leftover mashed taro paste can be used as filling for the Chinese Sweet Dumplings.

Make the pastry dough A:

1. Stiff the gluten flour, low gluten flour and powder sugar into a medium bowl.
2. Add the unsalted butter and shortening. Gradually add the room temperature water and mix. The dough might appear moist in the beginning. Keep mixing until the the dough does not still to the hand and smooth.
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise for 30 minutes. 
4. Separate the dough into 9 pieces, approximately 40 g each. Set aside.

Make the pastry dough B:

1. Stiff the low gluten flour into a medium bowl. 
2. Add the unsalted butter and mix until it form a dough. This process will take a while but keep mixing and it will form a dough. 
3. Add the blue and red liquid food color until the dough is in deep purple color. 
4. Separate the dough into 9 pieces, approximately 35 g each. Set aside.

Pastry Dough A & B

Assemble the taro pastry:

1. Take one dough B (purple) and wrap with one dough A. 
2. Roll into a flat sheet. Roll up the sheet. Repeat one more time.
3. Prepare the remaining 8 pieces of dough A and dough B as above. 
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let the doughs rise for 20 minutes. 
5. Pre-heat oven to 325 F.
6. After rising, cut each dough into half and roll into round flat sheet. Total 18 sheets.
7. Wrap each taro filling with one flat round sheet. Place the taro pastry on a baking sheet with the closing end face down.
8. Bake the taro pastries in the pre-heat oven for 20 to 25 minutes. 
9. Let cool and store the taro pastry in an airtight container. The taro pastry is best to eat within a week. 

Step 1 & 2 of assembling the pastries

Pastries are ready to fill

Taro Pastries are done!