Related:

tried in 2022

Oh! I think Aunty Elsa gave me tips the year I made the cha guo! (N.B. sweet cha guo with red bean seems to be a Hakka recipe https://bymargk.blogspot.com/2018/04/sweet-hakka-cha-guo-with-red-bean.html)

Here’s what she wrote to me…

Hi Julia I never made those but it’s same dough as Jin doys. Just have to use pink colouring roll into balls and fill with Do SAR (red bean sweet paste from a tin) or. Peanuts roasted in oven crushed and sugar added flattened onto banana leaf and steamed over hot water. Ingredients are 1 packet rice flour - the one with green writing - two thirds cup caster sugar 2 cups hot water and pink colour

Dissolve sugar in water Add colour first then add to flour. Keep 1 and half tablespoons flour reserved to work the dough as you roll and fill. Add colouring carefully as too much would be too bright

Jin doys are rolled in sesame seeds and deep fried turning and pressing until pale golden colour Have to be very careful with young child around. Needs 2 bottles peanut oil. Then after have to strain oil into bottles when cool and use for normal stir fry. I picked up Ella from second day school today and she has just fallen asleep after reading Enid Blyton to her. Nicole picking Luca up from kindy and should be home soon. Goong he fut Choy. For tomorrow. Xxx

1 Feb notes:

  • oil needs to be SUPER low
  • move the balls constantly - burns on bottom of pot

from the cookbook

“Mum used to take a ball of dough about 4cm, then with her thumb, make a hole, continuing until she had a bag shape and the dough thinnish. Fill the hole with a small amount of Do Sar (red bean paste) then bring edges together and press bottom to seal. Its important that the seal isnt too bulky/thick, or it wall be a blob of uncooked dough after youve fried. We didnt have sesame seeds in the old days)

I couldnt make that shape. so I just flatten a small amount of dough into a circle and gradually thin out the edges, then in a saucer with sesame seeds, flatten and press the centre of that dough into the seeds. at the same time making the dough thinner. Put some filling into the centre of the circle and pleat the circle so that you can close the gap! First one done!!

When I started making them, I always made small balls of just dough to test the temperature of the oil and the children used to love those best. as they werent used to the taste of the red bean

Put prepared balls on large plate and cover with tea towel or wrap and when finished, heat oil to medium temp.

You will find that the balls of dough sink to the bottom so use chopsticks or your tool to move them or it will anchor to the bottom and burn. One has to keep balls moving as they cook so all sides get brown.

When light brown take out and its a good idea to have a large sieve that can balance on the edge of the saucepan so it can drain oil - then put on cooking paper to cool. It takes just over two and a quarter hours to finish the jin doys. Yum Yum.

When the oil has cooled, it has to be strained so use the sieve and one layer of kleenex tissue over sieve, and strain into another saucepan so bits of sesame and residue are left behind.

I have a funnel that can be used (with care) and have wide mouth bottles that I put into the empty sink and make sure they dont tip over, then put sieve on top of the funnel and transfer the oil from the saucepan directly. " - Michaela’s great aunt Elsa

  • 1 packet rice flour - the one with green writing
  • 2/3 cup caster sugar
  • 2 cups hot water

METHOD:

  • Dissolve sugar in water.
  • Add slowly to the flour.
  • Keep 1 and half tablespoons flour reserved to work the dough as you roll and fill.

Jin doy are the same with no pink food colouring, but rolled in sesame seeds and deep fried turning and pressing until pale golden colour. Have to be very careful with young child around. Needs 2 bottles of peanut oil. Then after, have to strain oil into bottles when cool and use for normal stir fry.

To make char gor (cha guo), add pink food colouring to the water before mixing the water into the flour, and steam for 12 min.

Tip: Add colouring carefully as too much would be too bright

There is also a Vietnamese sort of thing https://www.hungryhuy.com/banh-cam-banh-ran-recipe-vietnamese-fried-sesame-balls/