Tambun Biscuits (Tau Sah Piah/ 淡汶饼）

 

Tambun biscuits or Tau Sah Piah ( 淡汶饼) are Malaysia delicacies. It one of Penang popular style pastry with sweet savory mung bean filling which also name as Tambun biscuit due to the fact that its origin comes from Bukit Tambun, Penang.

This is not something that I am unfamiliar with even though I am not from Penang. It is a very popular gift for friends who visit Penang. In fact, it can be easily got it in other parts of Malaysia nowadays. It is famous for its savory sweet with aromatic shallot oil. Thin crispy crust from the outside and soft dense inner filling.

I am using Chinese crispy pastry to make the crispy crust. Traditionally lard is used for Chinese Pastry, you can now substitute with shortening, pure ghee or butter.

Chinese pastry always come with two types of dough which are water dough and oil dough. These two types of dough come together to create the lamination or layers and flaky crust after baked.

During the shaping process, it is crucial to let the dough rest. This will let the oil spread evenly and maintain the dough moisture. So, when you are shaping the dough, it always starts with the first wrapped dough.

I am making my own savory mung bean filling with aromatic shallot oil. I used to soak the mung bean overnight to reduce the cooking time. I cook it in the rice cooker instead, also able to achieve a soft puree. The filling can be made one day ahead and kept in the fridge.

It is best eaten on that day. You may store in an airtight container or jar at room temperature for three to five days after it’s cooling completely.

 

INGREDIENTS

(Mung Bean Filling) (Yield for 20 pcs)

90g Split Mung Bean (skin removed)

155ml Water

60ml Cooking Oil

30g minced Shallots

60g Sugar

¼ tsp Salt

Dash of Pepper

1 tsp White Sesame Seeds

 

INGREDIENTS

(Biscuit crust)

Water Dough (10g/pc)

100g Flour

25g Icing Sugar

1/4tsp Salt

35g soften butter

35ml Water

 

Oil Dough (6g/pc)

80g All Purpose Flour

44g Soften butter

 

Egg wash

1 Egg

 

METHODS (Mung Bean Filling)

1. Wash and clean the mung beans until water is clear. Put the beans in a bowl together with the water.

2. Pour a little water (about 1 inch) into the rice cooker, put in the steam rack. Place the mung bean on the rack, press the cook button. Let it cook for 35 minutes. Check if the bean can be easily pressed. Press into puree while it’s hot.

3. Minced the shallots and fry the shallots in vegetable oil over medium heat until nicely browned. Remove the fried shallots and set aside the shallots oil for later use.

4. In a pan, add the mung bean puree, stir fry until dry a bit then add in the shallots oil earlier. Continue stirring until the puree absorbs all the oil.

5. Add the sugar, salt and pepper. Continue stirring until the filling dries up a bit. Add the fried shallots earlier and white sesame. Stir and mix until it forms a dough. Remove and let it cool.

6. Divide the filling into 20 potions and roll it into a small ball shape.

 

METHODS (Biscuit crust)

Water dough

1.Sieve the icing sugar to the flour, mix well.  Blend the soften butter into the flour with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs

2. Pour in the water and knead for 5 to 6 minutes to form a SOFT dough. The dough still not smooth enough and not much gluten yet. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

3. After 20 minutes resting, fold and knead the dough until it becomes smooth. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

NOTE: Holding back a little of the water from the recipe, adding it incrementally, and going by feel rather than measurement, is the preferred way to get a perfect dough.

 

Oil dough

Add the soften butter to the flour and blend the butter into the flour with your fingertips. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs, slowly knead until you have a smooth dough. Do not over-knead. Cover with plastic wrap, leave it to rest while working on the water dough.

 

Assembly for Tambun Biscuits

1.Divide the oil dough and water dough into 20 potions and roll it into a small ball.

2. Slightly flatten the water dough with your palm, seam side up, wrap in a potion of the oil dough, fold up, pinch it tightly and roll it into a ball shape.  Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from turning dry. Repeat until the rest is completed.

3. Take the first wrapped dough with seam side up. Flatten the wrapped dough slightly, roll from middle out, roll it into an oval-shaped about 5” long. Roll it up from the short side.

4. Rotate to 90°, seam side up, flatten it, roll from middle out, roll into an oval-shaped again. Roll it up from the short side. Repeat the rest and let it rest for 30 minutes.

5. Take the first chronological dough, seam side up, flatten it with your palm, pinch in left right, flatten with your palm again. Roll from middle out, roll it into thick middle with thin edge disc. Place the filling in the middle, seal it with your thumb and index finger while rotating. Shape it a little taller. Repeat until the rest is complete.

6. Place them on the baking sheet cover with parchment paper or baking paper. Bake at preheated oven 200°C for 10 minutes.

7. Beat an egg in a bowl. Brush the wash onto the surface of each dough. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes at 200°C or until it’s golden brown in color.