Woo Gok
Recipe by Chef Rainer Zinngrebe
An idea that came over a dim sum lunch one day, woo gok is a traditional fried dim sum with and outside crust resembling almost a hairy surface. It is a multitude of textures and that’s why I love it. Traditionally it is always served as a savoury dim sum, but I thought that by reducing the salt content a little and filling it with fruit it would make a fantastic dessert and it does. You can fill these with anything you like, adding a bit more salt if it for savoury filling. We have tried it with a custard and with fruit and loved them.
Cut the taro into large pieces and steam for about 20-30 minutes. Make sure your pieces are not too small as this will add too much liquid to the dough.
Remove from the steamer and leave to dry off a bit.
Place in a mixer using a pedal and mix well until you have a smooth mash. Add boiling water to the wheat starch and combine well.
Add sugar, bicarbonate and the wheat starch dough to the taro and blend it to a smooth dough, adding the vegetable shortening at the end.
Remove dough form the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.Divide the dough into 40 gram pieces. Fill the dough with the compote and shape like an triangular egg. Deep fry these dumplings in a large wok or pot, only a few at a time, over medium heat until they are golden brown and fluffy looking. The outside should look like a million little hairs standing up, Serve hot.
