Lau Po Bing - Cantonese Wife Cake / Sweet Heart Pastry (老婆饼)

Step 1

If you can get gao fen (fried glutinous rice flour) from the store, then you can skip this step. I can't, so put the glutinous rice flour on a pan and dry fry it over low heat for 15 minutes. Let it cools down completely while you prepare other things

Step 2

Toast the white sesame seeds on a dry pan until nutty over low heat, about 10 minutes. Set aside

Step 3

Put the candied winter melon in a food processor and grind into fine pieces. Mix the stir-fried glutinous rice flour (gao fen), sugar, salt, and warm water in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add oil and knead until the oil half absorbed, you still see some oil around. Add candied winter melon, toasted sesame seeds, grated coconut and continue to mix into a sticky paste. Cover and chill the filling for 2 hours

Step 4

Oiled your palms or use a cooking spray, portion the filling into about 45 grams each or 15 equal portions. Keep them covered and chilled in the fridge while you prepare the dough

Step 5

Mix all-purpose flour, sugar, lard, and water in a mixing bowl. Knead into a smooth dough. Cover and set aside

Step 6

Mix flour and lard. The flour will be crumbly at first but continue to knead until you can form a smooth shiny dough

Step 7

Divide water dough into 15 pieces and oil dough into 15 pieces. Keep them covered and work with one dough at a time. Flatten the water dough, place one oil dough on the water dough and wrap it around the oil dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough pieces. Keep them covered

Step 8

Take one dough, roll it into a rectangle using a rolling pin. Then roll it up like a Swiss roll. Turn 45 degrees, so it's vertical now. Roll it out using a rolling pin into a rectangle again and then roll it up like a Swiss roll again. Bring both ends together and flatten. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a round circle, about 4 inches in diameter

Step 9

Take one portion of the filling and put it on the dough. Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch to seal. Place the seam side down and flatten with your palm slightly and use a rolling pin to roll it out again into a round circle, about 3 inches in diameter

Step 10

Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They don't expand much during baking, so you can put them about 1/2-inch apart. Continue working on the rest. Once you are done shaping and filling. Use a sharp knife to make two cuts on the surface

Step 11

Combine an egg with a small pinch of salt for an egg wash. Lightly beaten and set aside

Step 12

My oven is conventional with bottom heat. If yours is a convection oven with a fan, you may want to lower the temperature to 350 F (180 C). Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F (190 C) for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven. The pastries are still pale in color. Brush the top with some egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until they are nicely golden brown

Step 13

Let them cool down on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool down completely. I feel like they taste better the next day as the flavor has developed and the oil and lard have been distributed evenly and not as dry when you just freshly baked them