Chinese Chives Pockets

This Chinese chive pocket recipe is one of my favourite Chinese foods recipes. I like to serve them with congee. They are light and healthy. Great brunch idea for the weekends too.

中文食譜按這裏

Serves : 8 pockets

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients

Pastry

• 300g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp of rock salt
• 60ml of boiling hot water
• 120ml of room temperature water
• 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp of black sesame seeds (optional)

Stuffing

• 220g of Chinese chives
• 2 large eggs
• 20g of black fungus (dry)
• 50g of vermicelli (dry)
• 1/2 cup of dried sakura shrimps
• 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 2 tsp of black sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp of rock salt

Cooking Oil

• 1 tbsp of rice bran oil

Instructions

Put 300g of plain flour in a big bowl and add 1/2 tea spoon of rock salt. Then mix up with a fork.

Pour 60ml of boiling hot water into one side of the bowl and and stir with a fork.

Then pour 120ml of room temperature water into the bowl gradually and keep stirring with a fork until most of the flour stick together.

Add 1 table spoon of extra virgin olive oil in the bowl and mix it with a fork.

Once the oil is blend into the dough, start to knead the dough with your hands. The dough is ready when there is no more dry flour left in the bowl and the dough is consistent and smooth.

Cover the dough with a piece of cling film and a kitchen towel. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Soak 50g of vermicelli in hot water until it is soft. It takes about 20 minutes.

Chop the soaked vermicelli into 1 cm long pieces and set aside.

Soak 20g of black fungus with hot water for about 30 minutes. The black fungus would expand and soften. Cut off the ends of the fungus or it would taste like rotten wood. Then chop the fungus into small pieces.

In a pan, add 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil and pour the beaten eggs inside.

Use chopsticks or a spatula to stir the eggs until it forms many small pieces and lumps.

Wash, dry and chop the Chinese chives and put in a big bowl.

Pour 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil on the chopped Chinese chives and mix well. This is to stop the chopped chives from getting watery.

Then add the eggs, vermicelli, black fungus, ground white pepper, black sesame oil, salt and oyster sauce in the bowl and mix all together.

At last, add the dried sakura shrimps and mix it again. 

Get the dough out and divide it into 8 equal pieces.

Dust the working station with flour and use a rolling pin to flatten the small dough.

You could add a little bit of black sesame seeds on the dough. This is optional.

The black sesame seeds facing down and keep flattening the dough until it is about 1.5 mm thick.

Put about 3 heap table spoons of stuffings in the middle of the pastry.

Then fold it up carefully to cover all the stuffings. Use your hands to push the air out and seal the edge.

Then use the edge of a bowl to trim the edge of the chives pocket.

Now the edge of the pocket is neat and round.

Heat up a pan and brush some rice bran oil around the pan. Do not use too much oil.

Put the pockets in and turn to low heat.

Brown all the sides of the pockets and be patient.

The pockets are cooked, when they puff up and the pastry is light brown. Enjoy these lovely chives pockets with congee.

Cooking Tips

• Use rice bran oil or other high smoking point oil to pan fry the chives pockets.
• I prefer brushing a little bit of oil in the pan, so the pockets won’t be too greasy, but if you prefer crispy chives pockets, you can add more oil.
• Adding black sesame is optional. They are for the eyes not for the taste.