A Worthy Treat!

Honghongese Chicken Tartlets 
by Madame Olivia Tai

Thinking to host a tea time occasion for your relatives and friends coming in town throughout the year? There is nothing more appropriate than to treat them with the authentic hongkongese chicken tartlets. We have tasted this recipe from our godson’s mother. It was so much lighter, fluffier and yet just as fantastically satisfactory!

Pastry Crust

230g plain flour

130g butter, diced

25g beaten eggs

15g sugar                        

½ tsp baking powder (optional)

1 egg yolk (for brushing)

a few small pastry moulds for baking

• Rub butter together with the plain flour and baking powder to become fine crumbs
• Blend in sugar and eggs into flour mixture
• Refrigerate and chill the pastry for 30 mins

The Filling
225 chicken fillet, diced
 ½ onion, diced
6-8 button mushrooms, diced
olive oil for cooking

Seasoning

1 egg white             

1tbsp water            

1tsp cornstarch

1tsp sesame oil

1tsp light soya sauce

1tsp sugar

½tsp salt

a pinch of pepper

Thickening Agents

1tsp cornstarch

1tsp oyster sauce

¼ cup water

• Marinate chicken fillet with seasonings and refrigerate for 30 mins
• Stir-fry chicken fillet in medium heat with olive oil until cooked and tender, set aside. Stir-fry onion in medium heat with olive oil to get the aroma out but not browned.
• Stir in mushrooms, season and sauté till slightly softened.
• Incorporate chicken fillet and continue to stir-fry briefly until all ingredients are well blended.
• Stir in the thickening agents for sauce till the fillings become a little starchy and moist.
• Set aside to cool down.

The Tartlets

• Preheat oven to 180C
• The pastry crust - Pat together to form small balls of dough. Gently thinner the dough by pressing onto each individual baking moulds. Trim off any excess pastry from the sides.
• The pastry wrap - Roll out a portion of the pastry to 3mm thickness. Line pastry against the mould top to give you a wrap with exact measure of the tartlet top (You may do this by pressing a rolling pin on top or to press the mould onto the pastry up-side down to get the exact shape). Prepare the same amount of wraps as the crusts.
• Fill each pastry crust with the prepared filling, followed by a pastry wrap on top. Slightly press the sides of the wraps with fingertips.
• Brush egg yolk on tartlets top. Prick the surface with a toothpick to help letting out the steam while baking.
• Bake for 25-30 mins or until golden brown.
• Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

Tips from Madame O

• The flour could become quite soft and wet when kneading the dough. Use butter in solid diced form and fingertips only in order to arrive in crumbs.
• Chilling the crust will help get the crisp after baked.
• The baking powder is optional. Use it if you prefer more crunchy tartlets.