Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Cantonese Crispy Taro Puffs
蜂巢芋角
Recipe overview
Steamed taro, scalded wheat starch and lard form a shell around cooked pork mushroom filling; controlled oil heat creates the lacy crust.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 400 g peeled taro
- 150 g wheat starch
- 100 g pork lard
- 200 g ground pork
- 100 g fresh shiitake
- 2 stalks spring onions
- 180 ml boiling water
Filling seasoning and fry oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp mixed with 1 tbsp cool water cornstarch
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
- about 1 litre for frying plus 1 tbsp for filling neutral cooking oil
02
Tools
- knife and board
- steamer
- masher
- heatproof bowl
- wok and spatula
- deep heavy pot
- fry thermometer
- food thermometer
- spider strainer
- draining rack
03
Steps
Step 1
Cube taro
Peel taro and cut into about 2 cm cubes; wash hands after handling and keep raw pork separate.
Step 2
Steam taro
Steam taro over boiling water about 20–25 minutes until easily pierced by a fork.
Step 3
Mash taro
Mash steamed taro while hot until smooth.
Step 4
Scald wheat starch
Pour 180 ml boiling water over wheat starch and stir immediately into a translucent paste; beware burns.
Step 5
Mix taro dough
Knead mashed taro with scalded starch paste, lard, salt and white pepper until uniform; cover and chill at least 60 minutes.
Step 6
Chop mushrooms and onion
Finely dice fresh shiitake and slice spring onions.
Step 7
Cook ground pork
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over medium heat and stir-fry ground pork about 5 minutes. Check the thickest portion centre reaches 75°C for 30 seconds; continue if short.
Step 8
Thicken filling
Add shiitake, spring onion, oyster sauce, soy, sugar and cornstarch slurry; stir-fry about 3 minutes until mushrooms are cooked and filling is fairly dry.
Step 9
Cool filling
Spread cooked filling on a shallow plate, cool, cover and refrigerate at least 60 minutes; do not leave at room temperature over 2 hours.
Step 10
Portion dough
Divide chilled taro dough into about 12 balls and flatten into thick discs.
Step 11
Fill and seal
Put about 1 tbsp cold filling in each disc, pinch closed tightly and shape an oval puff.
Step 12
Fry in batches
Fill a deep heavy pot no more than one-third with oil and heat to 160–170°C. Fry 3–4 puffs per batch about 4–5 minutes until golden and lacy; drain. Check thickest filling centre reaches 75°C for 30 seconds; fry longer if needed. Keep children away.
Common mistakes
- Cool oil makes greasy puffs, overheated oil browns before the centre warms, wet filling or loose seams burst, and crowding drops oil temperature.
Tips
Scald wheat starch with boiling water. Chilled dough and filling are easier to shape. Keep oil at 160–170°C and pot no more than one-third full. Contains pork, soy, shellfish and wheat.
