These Chinese chive pockets are everything! They taste like the flavors of my childhood, filled with delicious aromas of Chinese dishes. And of course, they feature The Little Chive’s signature: chives! This recipe is especially fun to make with friends or family because it’s super hands on and involves some creativity!
Chinese Chive Pastry Pockets (韭菜盒子)
Yield: 5-6 pockets
Prep Time: 1.5 hours
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 1 hr 50 min
Dough -
Ingredients:
¼ cup boiling water
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon regular baker’s yeast (or nutritional yeast)
⅓ cup room temperature water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
⅛ teaspoon salt
Directions:
Fill ½ of a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Combine the flour with ¼ cup of the boiling water, in a large bowl, and mix with a spatula. (Don’t get rid of the rest or the water because you will need it to cook the vermicelli noodles.)
In a separate bowl, stir the yeast with ⅓ cup room temperature water and add the mixture to the large bowl to combine with the flour.
Stir in the sesame oil and salt at this time, and use your hands to knead the mixture. Once the mixture forms into dough and all the flour is absorbed into the dough, you can stop kneading.
Cover the bowl with a large plate and rest the dough for 20 minutes. Then, knead the dough for another minute before covering it once more to rest for another 1 hour.
While the dough is resting, prepare the filling.
Filling -
Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped chives
¾ cup finely chopped black fungus*
½ cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
2-3 eggs, scrambled w/ ¼ tsp salt (or tofu scramble as a vegan alternative)
1 bunch vermicelli noodles
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetarian mushroom stir-fry sauce
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ -½ teaspoon salt
Directions:
Finely chop the chives, black fungus and shiitake mushrooms, and whisk and scramble the eggs (or tofu).
Use the same water that you boiled earlier to cook the vermicelli noodles. If it’s not still boiling, bring it back to boiling over medium heat and cook the noodles for just 1 minute. Take the noodles out immediately so that they don’t get too soft. Let cool in a bowl of cool water and bring to the cutting board to chop into small pieces.
Combine all the filling ingredients, including the sauce and seasonings, in a large bowl and mix until well-combined.
Notes:
*Black fungus, or “Chinese Wood-Ears” are a very popular food used in Chinese cooking. Black fungus is high in fiber, as well as essential minerals and vitamins such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, folate, and magnesium, which are all vital to heart, brain, and bone health. You can find black fungus at your local Asian supermarket. They are sold dry, so be sure to soak them in water for at least 10 minutes before using.
Put It All Together -
Puncture a hole into the rested dough to form a donut. Pull apart the donut shape to create a long strip of dough. Cut the strip of dough into 5 or 6 pieces.
Using a rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a thin, flat circular shape. Place 4-5 tablespoons of the filling onto one side of the dough and fold the untouched side over it. Seal the pocket by pressing together the edges of the newly-formed pastry pocket with your thumb and index finger. You can also make an aesthetic pattern along the edges, like the one shown in the images below to add some extra creativity and fun into these pockets!
Repeat the step above until all the dough is used up.
Add some vegetable oil to a large non-stick frying pan, and preheat over medium to low heat. Place the pockets, two at a time, onto the frying pan to cook. After about 3-4 minutes, flip the pockets to cook the other sides for another few minutes. If you need to, feel free to flip the pockets again, until both sides are golden and slightly browned.
Place a paper towel onto a large plate and place the fried pockets onto it. Let cool for a couple minutes.
Enjoy!
Did You Try This Recipe?
Let me know how it went! Comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thelittlechive
With love,
Merry
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