INTRODUCTION

This is the last among the three Chinese flaky skin biscuits besides Chinese sugar puff (pong pia， 太阳饼，碰饼) and Sweetheart cake (老婆饼）..

Preparation is almost the same except the fillings and slight modification in the crust to make it more crispy.

In Chinese, it was called ma ti su or beh teh soh or 马蹄酥 literally translated as “horseshoe biscuits”. It is also called heong Paeng (香饼）by the Cantonese or retranslated into “fragrant puffs” “aromatic puffs” etc..

In my humble opinion, though the Chinese name of the biscuits have the word “water chestnut’, the biscuits should not have anything to do with water chestnut, instead it means that the shape resemble the horseshoe in the horse’s leg. It is brownish in colour and shape liked a horseshoe.. 

Frankly speaking, there are not many recipes in the internet and most recipes are “experimental” recipes and I am shocked that one recipe even called for the use of water chestnut or 马蹄 . ..

This is a recipe of my own adventure. After preparing the above two biscuits which were closely related, I have came out with the recipe of this biscuit for readers to try out. The outcome is satisfactory.

Wife concurred that the taste is rather close and gooey texture is almost there. If you think the biscuits look like the one you seen before, I hope that you can give it a chance too!

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Dough Recipe adapted from: 太阳饼

Servings: Prepare about 15 horseshoe biscuits

Water Dough

• 120 grams of plain flour （普通面粉）
• 15 grams of castor sugar （细砂糖）
• 40 grams of lard or cooking oil or vegetable shortening (猪油或食用油或白油）
• 50 grams of plain water （水）
• 1 tablespoon of maltose (麦芽糖）

Oil Dough

• 80 grams of plain flour （普通面粉）
• 40 grams of lard or cooking oil or vegetable shortening (猪油或食用油或白油）

Fillings ingredients

• 80 grams of cooked glutinous rice flour (糕粉）
• 80 grams of castor sugar or brown sugar （白糖或核糖）
• 65 grams of cold water （冷水） – not in picture
• 30 grams of deep fried shallots (油葱）
• 40 grams of maltose （麦芽糖）
• 20 grams of cooking oil or shallot oil （食用油或葱油）
• 20 grams of roasted black sesame seeds （黑芝麻）
• 1 tablespoon of dark sticky soya sauce (optional) （黑酱油）
• Pinches of salt (盐巴）
• Some white sesame seeds for sprinkling （白芝麻）

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree Celsius

• Put all the water dough ingredients in a bowl, stir and knead until it form a smooth pliable dough. Let it rest for 15 minutes.. Weigh the dough and divide into 15 equal portions. Set aside.

• Put all the oil dough ingredients in a bowl, stir until well combine and smooth. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Weigh the dough and divide into 15 equal portions. Set aside.

• In a big bowl, mix all the fillings ingredients together, mixed until it forms a pliable dough. If you are using the brown sugar, there is no need to add the dark soya sauce as the main purpose is purely for colouring purposes. If the dough is too dry, add teaspoon by teaspoon of cold water. If the dough is too wet, add tablespoon by tablespoon of cooked glutinous rice flour until it form a pliable dough. Weigh the dough and divide into 15 equal portions. Set aside for later use.

• Take one portion of water dough, shape round, flatten it , put a portion of oil  dough on top of the water dough, seal it and shape it round. Use a rolling pin to roll the ball into a rectangular shape as evenly and as thin as possible. Roll it up like you are preparing Swiss roll. Turn the “Swiss roll” direction with the shorter side pointing at you. Use a rolling pin to roll it again in a rectangular shape as evenly and as thin as possible. Roll it up again like you are preparing Swiss roll.  Use the rolling pin to flatten it.

• Put a brown filling on top of the rolled dough, seal the edges, shape it round and use the hand to lightly flatten it so that it looks like a disc shape. Sprinkle with some white sesame seeds. Bake in the pre-heated oven of 180 degree Celsius for 15-20 minutes.  (not that the illustration is for other biscuits, the filling should be brown in colour as in the earlier filling’s picture).

CONCLUSION

I cannot say that this is exactly the same as what is sold outside. However, it is aromatic and full of gooey, sticky dark colour fillings. The crust is much harder than its sister biscuits due to the use of the maltose..If after a few days, the fillings of the biscuits become slightly hard, microwave for 30 seconds and you will have a soft gooey fillings again. Do try to prepare some and let me know if this is the biscuit that you are fond of?

Hope you like the post today. cheers and have a nice day.

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