< Previous184 Jia!Or Nee Hand PieOr nee (芋泥) is perhaps the most iconic of all Teoswa desserts. Its usual translation, “yam paste,” fails to capture the unique combination of flavors and ingredients that makes up the most traditional variation: taro pureed with lard and sugar, steamed pumpkin cubes, fragrant shallot oil, and candied gingko nuts. While I’ve sampled and enjoyed many “authentic” iterations of or nee, my blasphemous secret is that none have brought me as much joy or delight as the or nee-inspired deep-fried taro-gingko pie that scalded my tongue under the Golden Arches in a Bangkok mall. (Yes, they’re still deep-fried there!)Sure, fried dough always has an unfair advantage, but what really tickled me was the thought that one of the most traditional of all Teoswa foods had been reincarnated in Bangkok as a bastardized version of the most American of all American desserts, apple pie. What a time to be alive! I began experimenting with an adapted recipe for baked hand pies as soon as I got home, using my favorite flaky all-butter pie crust recipe, mixing in coconut milk to lighten the starchy filling (a technique used in some otherwise traditional or nee recipes), swapping in kabocha squash for the gingko nuts, reducing the overall sweetness, and adding a bit of salt to bring the flavors into focus. The best taro for this dessert is one that is mature and light for its size, indicating low water content. Don’t use those cute little baby taros, which are denser and too watery for this. You’ll be rewarded with a cloud of taro in each bite.You can use your favorite recipe for two 12” pie crusts, or even use storebought in a pinch. My favorite recipe, which has yet to fail me after many years of use, is by J. Kenji López-Alt. I’ve retained his techniques and adapted the steps just slightly here for hand pies.Drinks & Sweets 185Or Nee Hand PieOr nee (芋泥) is perhaps the most iconic of all Teoswa desserts. Its usual translation, “yam paste,” fails to capture the unique combination of flavors and ingredients that makes up the most traditional variation: taro pureed with lard and sugar, steamed pumpkin cubes, fragrant shallot oil, and candied gingko nuts. While I’ve sampled and enjoyed many “authentic” iterations of or nee, my blasphemous secret is that none have brought me as much joy or delight as the or nee-inspired deep-fried taro-gingko pie that scalded my tongue under the Golden Arches in a Bangkok mall. (Yes, they’re still deep-fried there!)Sure, fried dough always has an unfair advantage, but what really tickled me was the thought that one of the most traditional of all Teoswa foods had been reincarnated in Bangkok as a bastardized version of the most American of all American desserts, apple pie. What a time to be alive! I began experimenting with an adapted recipe for baked hand pies as soon as I got home, using my favorite flaky all-butter pie crust recipe, mixing in coconut milk to lighten the starchy filling (a technique used in some otherwise traditional or nee recipes), swapping in kabocha squash for the gingko nuts, reducing the overall sweetness, and adding a bit of salt to bring the flavors into focus. The best taro for this dessert is one that is mature and light for its size, indicating low water content. Don’t use those cute little baby taros, which are denser and too watery for this. You’ll be rewarded with a cloud of taro in each bite.You can use your favorite recipe for two 12” pie crusts, or even use storebought in a pinch. My favorite recipe, which has yet to fail me after many years of use, is by J. Kenji López-Alt. I’ve retained his techniques and adapted the steps just slightly here for hand pies.186 Jia!Makes 8 hand piesPie crusts2 tbspsugar1 tspsalt12.5 ozall-purpose flour2.5 sticks (10 oz) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4” slices6 tbspcold waterFilling1 lbtaro, peeled and cubed1/2 cupsugar1/2 tspsalt1.5 cupfull-fat coconut milk, preferably Aroy-D brand 1/2 lbkabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into scant 1/2” cubesFinal touches1eggsprinklingturbinado or other coarse sugar1 Put 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, and two-thirds of the all-purpose flour in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Add butter slices evenly over the flour and pulse until the dough begins to clump together. Distribute the dough clumps around the bowl with a spatula and add remaining third of flour. Pulse a few times until the dough loosens and crumbles again. 2 Place the dough in a large bowl. Add the cold water and use spatula to mix and fold into a ball. Divide into 8 equal portions. You can either eyeball it and halve the dough pieces three times (1 to 2 pieces, 2 to 4 pieces, 4 to 8 pieces), or weigh the pieces on a kitchen scale. Roll each piece into Drinks & Sweets 187a ball and flatten slightly with your palm. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. You can prepare the dough up to 3 days in advance.3 Steam cubed taro for about 20 minutes until all pieces are thoroughly tender. Turn off heat and place taro in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and coconut milk. Mash and mix together until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Stir in kabocha squash cubes. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until chilled and thickened. You can prepare the filling up to 3 days in advance.4 Preheat oven to 450° F. Roll out each of the 8 hand pie crusts into rounds of 1/4” thickness. (You can roll them out between sheets of parchment paper.) Fill each crust with about 1/3 cup of the chilled filling. Fold into a half-moon or rectangle, seal, and crimp the edges. Freeze the hand pies for 10 minutes to set and chill.5 Beat an egg and brush the top of each hand pie with a swipe of egg wash. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits in the top of each pie. Sprinkle with turbinado.6 Bake at 450° F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425° F and continue baking about 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.We hope youenjoyed this EYB Book PreviewThe complete book is available from all major booksellers. Or use the "Buy Book" button and help support EYB.Next >