Kai Chai Paeng

The very mention of 'Kai Chai Paeng' gives me nostalgic feeling, remembering the pink package which is very fragrant of 'nam yue' but has a sweet gooey filling which contains some chunks of fat. I will take a long time to finish a piece of biscuit, nibbling a tiny bite at a time, savoring the taste slowly. Somehow, i cannot eat this biscuit in big bites, i think the filling is not my taste but this recipe that i made, is nothing like 'Kai Chai Paeng' of yesteryears. This is crispy, fragrant and you don't have one piece, you must have another. 'Satu makan, Dua mahu'

The name given to this paeng is a mystery to me, as i do not see any relationship to the chicken and i hope my readers can reveal why it is so called. In cantonese 'Kai Chai' which is 'Little Chicks' in english but there is no 'chicken' in the ingredients. So, i added 1/2 tsp of chicken seasoning powder to the recipe to make it more meaningful.

Ingredients:

A

10 1/2 oz self rising flour

4 oz powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp five spice powder

1/2 tsp chicken seasoning powder

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

80 gm sesame seeds

4 ozs candied winter melon strips (tong tung kwah)

1/4 tsp ammonia

B

1 large egg

1 tbsp maltose(mak ngah tong)

2 pieces nam yee-mashed (red fermented beancurd)

2 drops dark soy sauce

100 ml oil

Method:

Mix ingredient B in a large bowl.

Chop finely candied winter melon strips, add into ingredient A .

Add in ingredient B and mix into a dough.

Rest it for 10 minutes

Pinch small rounds of dough (about 1 1/2 tsp full).

Shape them into balls and place them in between plastic wrap.

Flatten it with your palm to prefered thickness. The thinner the more crunchy.

Unwrap and place them on a lined baking tray allowing for space to rise.

Bake in preheated oven 350 f for 15-20 minutes

Cool then gently remove.


Serves