Kidney Bean Goldfish
A figuratively-shaped dish from the Manchu Han Imperial Feast. Kidney bean rolls are molded into goldfish shapes and garnished with almond jelly and hawthorn cake.
Ingredients
Red bean paste kidney bean rolls (cut and set aside)
250 g
Hawthorn cake (cut into cross shape)
150 g
White sugar (used in portions)
100 g
Agar powder (used in portions: 20 g + 5 g)
25 g
Almonds (peeled, ground into almond paste)
200 g
Green food coloring
a pinch
Water (used in portions: 250 + 150 + 150)
550 g
Instructions
1
Make the green agar base
Put 20 g of agar into a pot, add 250 g of water, heat until dissolved, add 50 g of white sugar and a pinch of green food coloring, simmer for about 10 minutes, then pour into a large plate (about 40 cm across) and let cool.
2
Make the almond jelly
Place the peeled almonds into a blender, add 150 g of water, and grind into almond milk. Put 15 g of agar into a pot, add 150 g of water, heat until dissolved, add 50 g of white sugar, bring back to a boil, let cool until warm, then pour in the almond milk and stir well. Pour the mixture into a flat tray and spread it into a 2 cm-thick almond jelly layer; reserve.
3
Assemble the goldfish
Arrange the prepared kidney bean rolls on the large plate of green agar jelly to build up the shape of a fish head and a fish belly. Cut the hawthorn cake into cross-shaped strips with the top shorter than the bottom and lay them over the fish head and fish belly. On the hawthorn strip near the end of the fish belly, score a small triangular opening with a knife, lift the triangular flap, and tuck a triangular piece of almond jelly underneath to form the pectoral fin. Cut a piece of almond jelly into a four-lobed fish-tail shape and set it at the lower end of the fish belly. Lay a few hawthorn strips across the top of the fish tail. Place two cherries on the fish head as the eyes to finish.
