The Chinese Dessert Topic

[Dejah]

How were you able to keep the popsicles from melting?

The last time hubby and I bought 6, we "had" to eat them before they melted!

It was -30C outside, but we couldn't take the chance.

[Yuki]

How were you able to keep the popsicles from melting?

The last time hubby and I bought 6, we "had" to eat them before they melted!

It was -30C outside, but we couldn't take the chance.   

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Actually, the store would wrap the popsicles for you if you buy over 30 of them. It is just some ice pack and those cool silver bags. We took the taxi from the store to the Macau Harbour, then from the Hong Kong harbour, we got a ride from my counsin. So overall, the trip took around 2 hours.

[Hest88]

This reminds of of the time I tried to eat ice cream in a HK summer. As soon as I stepped out the shop door the top layer of my ice cream instantly melted!

[Laksa]

I think there tends to be a misunderstanding of the Chinese eating culture.  In the western world (European, American/Canadian/Australian), dessert is an integral part of a meal.  If you eat a meal (especially dinner) without dessert, there seems to be something missing.  But in the Chinese culture, dessert is much less significant.  No dessert, nothing is missed.  In fact, many Hong Kongers, me included, don't like dessert that much -- especially those that are overly sweet.   However, it is popular for restaurants to provide complimentary dessert soup, such as the one made with red bean, sweet potatoes, or from honey dew and tapioca, or almond jello.

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How about dessert ingredients as part of the meal? To this day, I still cannot get used to the idea -- and the habit of my parents -- of cooking rice congee with sweet potatoes, congee with green mung beans, or congee with anything that I normally would only eat in a sweet soup or dessert, and eat them with savory dishes.

I wonder if anyone else out there does that.

Edited December 17, 2004 by Laksa (log)

[Dim Sim]

How about dessert ingredients as part of the meal? To this day, I still cannot get used to the idea -- and the habit of my parents -- of cooking rice congee with sweet potatoes, congee with green mung beans, or congee with anything that I normally would only eat in a sweet soup or dessert, and eat them with savory dishes.

I wonder if anyone else out there does that.

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[Transparent]

All the congee I've eaten consisted of only savory ingredients. Red bean pancakes are definately a popular savory-sweet food that I love.

[yimay]

I think there tends to be a misunderstanding of the Chinese eating culture.  In the western world (European, American/Canadian/Australian), dessert is an integral part of a meal.  If you eat a meal (especially dinner) without dessert, there seems to be something missing.  But in the Chinese culture, dessert is much less significant.  No dessert, nothing is missed.  In fact, many Hong Kongers, me included, don't like dessert that much -- especially those that are overly sweet.   However, it is popular for restaurants to provide complimentary dessert soup, such as the one made with red bean, sweet potatoes, or from honey dew and tapioca, or almond jello.

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How about dessert ingredients as part of the meal? To this day, I still cannot get used to the idea -- and the habit of my parents -- of cooking rice congee with sweet potatoes, congee with green mung beans, or congee with anything that I normally would only eat in a sweet soup or dessert, and eat them with savory dishes.

I wonder if anyone else out there does that.

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is sweet potato considered a dessert item? i think most people eat them with savory foods don't they? (think thanksgiving!)

there is a chinese dish of steamed pork ribs in rice powder that are usually steamed with sweet potatoes for a savory/sweet combination called Fen Zheng Pai Gu. i've yet to see any mention of this while searching online. so last month i posted my own recipe <a href="http://www.holyshitake.com/archives/2004/11/steamed_ribs_in_rice_powder_with_sweet_potato.html">here</a>

[Yuki]

I think there tends to be a misunderstanding of the Chinese eating culture.  In the western world (European, American/Canadian/Australian), dessert is an integral part of a meal.  If you eat a meal (especially dinner) without dessert, there seems to be something missing.  But in the Chinese culture, dessert is much less significant.  No dessert, nothing is missed.  In fact, many Hong Kongers, me included, don't like dessert that much -- especially those that are overly sweet.   However, it is popular for restaurants to provide complimentary dessert soup, such as the one made with red bean, sweet potatoes, or from honey dew and tapioca, or almond jello.

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How about dessert ingredients as part of the meal? To this day, I still cannot get used to the idea -- and the habit of my parents -- of cooking rice congee with sweet potatoes, congee with green mung beans, or congee with anything that I normally would only eat in a sweet soup or dessert, and eat them with savory dishes.

I wonder if anyone else out there does that.

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is sweet potato considered a dessert item? i think most people eat them with savory foods don't they? (think thanksgiving!)

there is a chinese dish of steamed pork ribs in rice powder that are usually steamed with sweet potatoes for a savory/sweet combination called Fen Zheng Pai Gu. i've yet to see any mention of this while searching online. so last month i posted my own recipe <a href="http://www.holyshitake.com/archives/2004/11/steamed_ribs_in_rice_powder_with_sweet_potato.html">here</a>

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Sweet Potato is a dessert food in my house, we make dessert soup with ginger, sweet potato, and sugar. It is also good just roasted.....

[spaghetttti]

I like to think of these as desserts after a lunch of dim sum (yam cha)

[yimay]

I like to think of these as desserts after a lunch of dim sum (yam cha)

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mmmmmmmmmmmmm!! dou hua is my favorite!

[stephenc]

Seems that most meals end with this.

[Yuki]

People usually go out to a specialty dessert restaurant after a meal to get dessert in Hong Kong(if they are looking for something special). Most of the time we only get sweet soup, fruit, or nothing in the restaurant. Dessert is usually served as snack or in tea time....

[origamicrane]

hmm.... yeah i guess its true oranges at the end of a chinese meal or if you lucky a little mixed fruit platter.

But you know what about dim sum dessert you got teh sesame paste in glutinous rice balls rolled in cocnut and peanuts etc they nice too:)

Or you got the coconut paaste with yellow beans in haven;t had that in ages.

[tissue]

In Taiwan, I go to a place for Chinese desserts. They use recipes from the Ching dynasty that was supposedly a favorite of the dowager empress. I eat ai wuo wuo, which is a mochi like ball stuffed with date paste. And liu da guen (rolling donkey), which is sort of mochi like as well.

[Pan]

Does liu da guen have a filling, too?

[Kiem Hwa]

Does anyone know how to make the baked sweet chinese buns with the milk-cream (like baked custard) inside? ...yum...yum.....

[SuzySushi]

Does anyone know how to make the baked sweet chinese buns with the milk-cream  (like baked custard) inside?  ...yum...yum.....

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You mean Pineapple Buns? I have several recipes but have never tried baking them...

[herbacidal]

Does anyone know how to make the baked sweet chinese buns with the milk-cream  (like baked custard) inside?  ...yum...yum.....

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You mean Pineapple Buns? I have several recipes but have never tried baking them...

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Hmm, I don't she means pineapple buns.

I'm thinking she means gai mei bao (Cantonese).

But I have no clue how to make them.

[Tepee]

Errr....don't think it's gai mei bao either. I think it's nai wong bao. No success in googling for recipe, but I found 2 recipes for the custard; one for steamed buns and one for deep-fried...none for baked buns. I'm sure the fillings can be used in baked bread. Will have a go at making them (don't hold your breath) because my girls love them.

Very convoluted custard recipe...sounds good, though.

Simpler custard...just use your own bread recipe

[herbacidal]

Errr....don't think it's gai mei bao either. I think it's nai wong bao. No success in googling for recipe, but I found 2 recipes for the custard; one for steamed buns and one for deep-fried...none for baked buns. I'm sure the fillings can be used in baked bread. Will have a go at making them (don't hold your breath)  because my girls love them.

I was wondering about nai wong, but I was assuming it's not available baked.

But I guess just because I haven't seen it...

[Kiem Hwa]

No, these are not typical pineapple buns, though they have a topping like the pineapple bun. They are not custard buns either. The inside is called "milk cream" but it is not not creamy like custard, but more of a pasty consistency.

I dont bake custard much, but it may be a drier, baked custard, which becomes kind of solid (like dried toothpaste), but it is not egg custard or the same custard I see commonly in baked or steamed custard buns at dimsum restaurants.

I dont think it it gai mei bao, there is no apparent coconut flavor (cock's tail buns- in the shape of a cock's tail, filled with a sweet coconut paste).

Perhaps it could be a version of nai wong bao 奶皇包 - are these steamed buns with milk cream or custard buns?

Maybe there is a recipe on this page? (I cant read Chinese).

http://www.chefsrecipe.net/ChineseFood6.htm

this recipe sounds maybe promising, since it is a little different from the egg custard recipes i have already tried.

Very convoluted custard recipe...sounds good, though.

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Thanks for everyones help! Too bad I only get to have these buns on my occasional visits to LA.

I have had these fabulous buns also made into a bread-loaf roll.....the same custard rolled up into a bread, with a nice, thick pineapple topping ...my favorite!

The fabulous bakery:

Jade's Bakery

1354 W Artesia Bl

Gardena, CA 90248

(310) 719 8889

[Apicio]

There is a Filipino word for whatever food you bring to present to people who meet you on your arrival. It covers a lot of territory just like “kueh” in the rest of South East Asia but also more because it also includes seasonal fruits and other savoury treats. You usually bring this on your return from a trip to the city. Fifty years ago this meant to us two kinds of hopia, the mung beans and the winter mellon and a chinese confection shaped like tiny sacks (around 1-1/2”x3”), hollow with crisp walls made up of bubbles and look like kropek (and therefore, fried) coated with candy and rolled in either popped rice, sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts. The ethnic Chinese sellers call them “lo hwa.” Does anyone in this marvellous forum know what it is?

[browniebaker]

Does anyone know how to make the baked sweet chinese buns with the milk-cream  (like baked custard) inside?  ...yum...yum.....

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I think I might have had one of these last month, at the De Fresh bakery in Richmond, B.C., just outside Vancouver. The bakery calls them milk buns, I think, and I asked what was inside, as I wondered how they differed from my favorite, the custard-filled baked buns. The salesperson said the filling was made from dry milk powder. So I bought one. The filling was like a grainy paste, not a custard. And I would guess the ingredients are dry milk powder, sugar, cream, perhaps some butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, all rubbed together into a firm paste.

I have not seen a recipe for these baked milk buns in any of my Chinese cookbooks. I would just try mixing together the above ingredients and baking it in a sweet-roll dough. Who knows --the quest to develop the recipe on your own could be fun!

Edited May 12, 2005 by browniebaker (log)

[Mooshmouse]

I know exactly what you're talking about as the milk buns are very popular here in Vancouver and suburbs (including Richmond, of course). Same filling as the pineapple buns with the filling that browniebaker just described. Many Chinese bakeries sell them as does T&T Supermarket, which is usually where I get mine for convenience sake. I'll ask around and see if there's a specific Chinese name for them.

[Kiem Hwa]

I think I might have had one of these last month, at the De Fresh bakery in Richmond, B.C., just outside Vancouver. The bakery calls them milk buns, I think, and I asked what was inside, as I wondered how they differed from my favorite, the custard-filled baked buns. The salesperson said the filling was made from dry milk powder. So I bought one. The filling was like a grainy paste, not a custard. And I would guess the ingredients are dry milk powder, sugar, cream, perhaps some butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, all rubbed together into a firm paste. 

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Yes! Thats exactly what Im talking about! YUM!!!

They called them "milk-cream" buns.....so it is using a dried milk powder?

Mooshmouse, if you can find the name for them, that would be great!