Extra-Flaky Mung Bean Pastries (Corn Oil/Lard, Oven Version)

Water-oil dough: Mix the water, oil, and flour together and stir until shaggy, or put into a stand mixer. Knead until the dough becomes smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap to prevent drying out. After 30 minutes, knead once more. Repeat one more time and it’s ready.

Oil dough: Heat the corn oil until cooked to remove its raw smell, or just use lard, and mix with the flour to form a dough (there must be enough oil so the dough is moist and soft; if it’s too dry it won’t work). Likewise, wrap in plastic wrap.

Soak the dry mung beans overnight. If you want to remove the skins, rub them repeatedly with your hands in water to peel them off. (With skins, there’s more of a “green” beany taste; without skins, the flavor is more mellow. Just personal preference (*^_^*).) 1) Put into a rice cooker, add water, and cook on the regular rice setting until it switches to keep warm; at that point the beans are cooked through. (You don’t need much water—just level with the surface of the beans. This is the lazy method.) 2) While still hot, add sugar and stir until dissolved to form mung bean paste (you can also use a blender to make it smoother—again, just personal preference (*^_^*)).

Divide the mung bean paste into equal portions. Divide the water-oil dough and oil dough into equal portions and roll each into balls.

Wrap each ball of oil dough inside a ball of water-oil dough.

Use the crook of your hand (between thumb and index finger) to pinch and seal the opening and round it off.

Press it down slightly with your hand, then gently roll it out with a rolling pin into an oval “ox-tongue” shape (keep some thickness, don’t roll it too thin).

Roll it up tightly from one end.

Repeat the above rolling for all the dough balls, then cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Next, flatten each roll and roll it out again (by the time you finish rolling all of them, the first ones will already be rested enough to proceed).

Like this, then roll it up again. Let rest another 15 minutes. (I only roll twice and already get lots of layers. The more times you roll, the more layers you’ll get and the flakier it becomes.)

Take one rested roll and pinch both ends toward the center together.

Press it down, then roll it out with a rolling pin into a round wrapper big enough to encase the mung bean filling (keep some thickness; don’t roll it paper-thin).

Gather and pinch the wrapper closed with the crook of your hand, roll into a ball, then gently press into a disc.

Brush a relatively thick layer of egg yolk on top so it bakes to a nice golden color, sprinkle some black sesame seeds for garnish, and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C on the middle rack for about 20–25 minutes.

The crust is so flaky it falls apart. The method is actually quite simple; it just has more kneading steps when making the flaky pastry. Once you’re used to it, it doesn’t feel like much work. With this size I made 12 pastries, but you can adjust the size and quantity as you like (*^_^*).