Begonia Blossom Shaped Shrimp Puff Pastry 鲜香海棠酥

【Begonia Blossom Shaped Shrimp Puff Pastry】
by MaomaoMom

This puff pastry appetizer is made with shrimp filling and it shapes like pretty begonia blossoms. The recipe is inspired by Begonia blossoms, which is a traditional Chinese dessert with sweet filling such as red bean paste.

Meal type: Appetizer
Prepare time: 90 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Level: Medium
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:

Puff pastry:
1) 3/4 cup unsifted all purpose flour (120g), 3 tbsp lard (45g) diced;
2) 3 tbsp water (45 g);
3) 1/3 cup unsifted cake & pastry flour (55g), 3 tbsp lard (45g) diced.

Filling:
4) 120g frozen, peeled and deveined white shrimp;
5) 1 tsp corn starch, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/6 tsp chicken broth mix, 1/8 tsp white pepper powder, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp finely chopped green onion, 1/2 tsp freshly minced ginger;

Others:
6) 1/2 egg white beaten with 2 tsp water;
7) 3 cups vegetable oil;
8) 3 tsp ketchup.

Directions:

Dough:
1: Place all ingredients of Ingredient 1) in a bowl (Picture 1), work lard into flour using your fingers or a pastry blender until the mixture becomes crumbly (Picture 2). Add 3 tbsp water and combine them with a fork. Transfer to a lightly floured surface (Picture 3) and knead a few times until form smooth dough (Picture 4). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Oil paste:
2: Combine all ingredients of Ingredient 3) in a small container. Work lard into flour using your fingers or a pastry blender until fully combined to form dough. Divide into 12 equal portions (Picture 5), then cover and set aside.

3: Shrimp filling: Rinse shrimps with cold water, drain and dice. Combine diced shrimps and all ingredients of Ingredient 5) in a bowl (Picture 6), and mix with a spoon (Picture 7), set aside.

Puff pastry:
4: Knead the dough a few times and then divide into 12 equal portions. Flatten dough into a circle and place one portion of oil paste on top (Picture 8). Carefully work the dough up to cover the oil paste and seal it (Picture 9). Roll with your palms to form a ball (Picture 10). Repeat for the remaining dough.

5: Press down to flatten each dough ball and roll out into an oval about 15 cm long (Picture 11). Roll from bottom to top to form a slender roll (Picture 12-13). Repeat to finish the remaining 11 portions. Cover with plastic wrap and let them stand for 10 minutes.

Assemble:
6: Press down to flatten each roll and roll out into an oval about 12 cm long. Roll from bottom to top to form a slender roll. Tug both ends towards the center to form a ball (Picture 14). Press down and roll out into 10 cm circle. Place 1.5 tsp shrimp filling in the center (Picture 15). Brush lightly with beaten egg white along the edge. Fold the wrap to form 5 ridges and seal (Picture 16). Repeat for the remaining 11 portions.

7: With a pair of scissors, make two horizontal cuts at each ridge (Picture 17) and trim off the corner at its base (Picture 18). Brush the top of each ridge with egg white and fold it towards the center with aid of a chopstick (Picture 19).

8: Heat 3 cups of oil over medium-low heat in a medium sauce pot. When oil reaches 130C, fry 2 to 3 pieces at a time until flower petals open up. Finish all shrimp puffs, and then turn heat to medium-high. Re-fry puffs for 2-3 minutes until turn light golden. Drain on paper towel before serving.

Tips: Leftover shrimp puffs can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to serving, bake at 350F for 5-6 minutes.

You might also like: