Sweetheart Cakes (Lo Po Beng)

Ingredients

• 200g candied winter melon strips
• 60g glutinous rice flour
• 30g caster sugar, for the filling
• 25g lard or unsalted butter, softened
• 20g toasted white sesame seeds, plus more for topping
• 60ml water
• 180g plain flour, for the water dough
• 30g caster sugar, for the water dough
• 45g lard, for the water dough
• 80ml water, for the water dough
• Pinch of fine salt
• 120g plain flour, for the oil dough
• 60g lard, for the oil dough
• 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water, to glaze

Before you cook

• Chop the candied winter melon as finely as you can manage.
• Rub the 45g of lard into the 180g of plain flour with the sugar and salt, add the 80ml water, and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.
• Cover the water dough and rest it for 30 minutes.
• Rub the 60g of lard into the 120g of plain flour to a smooth paste, then chill this oil dough for 30 minutes.

Steps

1. Toast the glutinous rice flour in a dry pan over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until it smells faintly nutty.
2. Tip the toasted flour into a bowl and let it cool completely.
3. Mix in the chopped winter melon, sugar, sesame seeds and softened lard.
4. Add the water a spoonful at a time until the filling holds together like soft marzipan.
5. Roll the filling into 12 balls and chill them while you work on the pastry.
6. Divide the water dough into 12 pieces and the oil dough into 12 smaller pieces.
7. Flatten a piece of water dough, set a piece of oil dough in the centre, and pinch it closed.
8. Roll the parcel into an oval, roll it up like a small carpet, turn it 90 degrees, then roll and coil it again.
9. Repeat with the remaining pieces and rest them all for 15 minutes.
10. Heat the oven to 190C and line two baking trays.
11. Flatten one coil into a disc about 9cm across, thinner at the edges than the middle.
12. Set a ball of filling in the centre and gather the pastry over it, pinching to seal.
13. Turn the parcel seam side down and press it into a flat round about 7cm across.
14. Shape the rest the same way and space them out on the trays.
15. Brush the tops with the egg yolk glaze and sprinkle over sesame seeds.
16. Cut two short slashes in each top so steam can escape.
17. Bake for 22 minutes, until the pastry is puffed, flaky and pale gold.
18. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes, because the filling holds its heat far longer than the pastry.