Chicks Foraging for Food

Last updated 2026-11-15 — Ingredients: 500g flour, 160g cooked lard. Seasonings: 250g lotus seed paste. Method: Bake. Mix the flour and cooked lard in a 2:1 ratio to make a dry oil pastry; then mix the flour, cooked lard, and water to make a water-oil dough. Combine the dry oil pastry and water-oil dough in a 3:7 ratio using the small laminating method to form a dark laminated dough. Wrap in fried lotus seed paste, shape into chicks, use pliers to form wings, and embed black sesame seeds for eyes. Bake in an oven at 200°C–230°C until cooked. Then take a bit of flour, mix with water to form a dough, roll it into a long strip resembling bamboo strips, and weave it into the shape of a chicken coop. Place this over the bottom of a bowl and bake until slightly yellow. Remove the bowl to reveal the “chicken coop.” Arrange the chicks and the chicken coop together on a large plate covered with vegetable flakes, and top with “mountains” made from deep-fried steamed buns to complete the dish. Flavor characteristics: Resembling chicks, the crust has clearly defined flaky layers, and the filling is delicate, sweet, and fragrant. Technical tips: Shape the chicks with various expressions, use the dark lamination method, and prepare the vegetable flakes from finely shredded and deep-fried green cabbage leaves. (Guiyang)