“Heart Cake” Signature Chinese Dish which look like Chinese chive dumpling

Does anybody knows the Heart Cake (红桃粿)? It is a dish that has a similar look as Chinese Chive Dumpling. Today, ACU PAY would take you to know the origin of this dessert and how to make it.

The origin of “Heart Cake”

The origin of the Heart Cake comes from Chinese beliefs. Originally believed that the Peach Tree was a tree in heaven and that the magic peach would be born once every 3000 years. If anyone eats it, they will live a long life. Legend has it that the god “Xi Wangmu” gave Han Boo Di a magic peach and said that Dong Yuan Land should not waste time growing this peach tree. Let the people make desserts to imitate the peach fruit and use it to worship ancestors or gods instead of using peaches. The offering makes “Heart Cake” a symbol of auspiciousness. Those who worship with it will live long, happy, and healthy.

The aforementioned peach is the same tree as in the story of The Journey to the West. Its full name is Xiu Peach and has a qualification for longevity. When Sun Wukong invaded heaven and stole those peaches to eat until it was a big problem. According to legend, the name Ang Tau Guay, therefore, comes from the appearance of a dessert that mimics red ripe peaches.

The origin of the dessert that full of good fortune

Ang Tou Guay” is Teochew Chinese. It comes from the combination of 3 words: Ang + Tou + Kuy.

Ang means red (As well as other red families such as pink, magenta, orange because in the old days there were not many shades of color like today.) It is a lucky color that represents the power and prosperity of the Chinese people.

Tou means peaches. It’s a fruit that the Chinese believe is a tree from heaven, believed to make people live long.

Guay means food made from rice flour. It is the main ingredient used in Chinese food and desserts.

Therefore, Ang Tou Guay (Heart Cake) refers to desserts made from rice flour, which looks like a red peach. On top of the desserts, there is often an auspicious letter in Chinese that has good meaning. Originally, the Chinese usually did it on their own. There is a recipe that is easy to follow. The cooking method is similar to the method of making Chinese Chive Dumplings.

Heart Cake is not Chinese chive dumpling

Heart Cake is a dessert, an appetizer, or main dish. The appearance of the Heart Cake is pink dough, a triangular shape that many people often misunderstand as Chinese Chive Dumplings because these two desserts are always sold together. There are a variety of fillings of Heart Cake such as chives, sticky rice, shoots, or vegetables. You can eat it steamed or steamed and fried again depending on your individual preferences.

Ingredients in cooking Heart Cake

320 gram of rice flour
10 gram of glutinous rice flour
70 gram of tapioca flour
520 milliliters of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
3 drops of pink food coloring

Ingredients in cooking the filling (Chinese Chive Filling)

1 kilogram of Chive
3 tablespoon of cooking oil
1 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoon of baking soda

Steps

Pour water into the pot, followed by salt, oil, and 3 drops of food coloring, then boil it.
After that, pour boiled water into rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and tapioca flour.
Wait for it to cool down a little warm, massage it, and then rest for half an hour. Anyone who has a kneading machine can pour flour and boiling water together and then knead.
While resting the dough, let’s cut a centimeter of chives.
Then add salt, sugar, baking soda, and vegetable oil, mixing them (gently mixed).
After half an hour of resting the dough, about 20 doughs can be cut.
Roll the dough into a sheet. It doesn’t have to be too thin or thick. Then you can put the prepared chive, then fold it in a triangular shape, and put it in a mold. This step needs to be pressed lightly or vegetables will come out of the dough.
Then, remove the Heart Cake from the mold and use a stick to stab the bottom to let it cool for 10 minutes. When the heart cake is cooked, it can be coated with cooking oil, depending on each person’s preference.

Ingredients in cooking dipping sauce

150 milliliters of water
9 tablespoons of cane sugar
4 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
10 blended red peppers
salt
5 tablespoons of vinegar

How to make dipping sauce

Mix every ingredient except blended red peppers
Turn on the gas, use a medium heat, stir the mixture to mix, keep boiling until the mixture is completely dissolved and wait until it boils.
Turn off the gas, wait for the dipping sauce to cool down completely, then add the red pepper and stir it. This is all done.

What is your opinion on the Heart Cake, a menu that is not only colorful but delicious? The Heart Cake that ACU PAY introduced to you today is a Heart Cake stuffed with Chive fillings. If you do not like chive, there are sticky rice filling for you to try as well. Anyone who has never had it must try once.

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