On the eve of the new year, fortune telling is more than ever popular. People want to know what the coming year has prepared for them, and if you do not look into the future with one eye, then at least tune in for success in the new year. At this magical time, Chinese New Year cookies with predictions will come to the table just in time. This is a great opportunity to wish, cheer up and just cheer up your family and friends.
The recipe for Chinese fortune cookie is very simple and does not require any special skills or a large number of rare ingredients. The charm of such cookies lies in the message sealed inside.
How to predict cookies
Fortune cookies are one of the classic desserts for every self-respecting Chinese restaurant: small crunchy folded waffles containing a note with an aphorism or a phrase that in most cases makes no sense. Given these assumptions, anyone can assume that fortune cookies came from China, where they are consumed to celebrate certain holidays or anniversaries. But actually it is not. In China, it is practically not used, and if it is taken by individual restaurants, it is only to attract tourists.
In fact, this delicacy comes from Japan. In the 19th century, in Kyoto, several bakeries in the area of Omikuji Temple began to produce "crackers that bring good luck." Compared to the fortune cookie we were accustomed to, they were not only dark, but not even sweets: their filling was based on sesame and miso. A fortune-telling message was placed outside, as Japanese bakers feared that someone might swallow it by mistake. Fortune crackers are still produced in parts of Japan, especially near the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, where they are usually cooked on New Year's Eve. So how did Japanese crackers become dessert in Chinese restaurants?
The history of the origin of baking
At the beginning of the 20th century, some Japanese expats began releasing a sweet version of fortune crackers in San Francisco, in the United States. They quickly began to be in demand, but the presidential decree on the internment of the Japanese population of America in 1942 led to massive forced displacement of the Japanese from the west coast to the so-called military centers. California also fell into the settlement area.
The Chinese took the opportunity to start selling popular Japanese cookies in their stores, assigning a recipe. At that time, a legend appeared that in China in the 14th century the future emperor Zhu Yuan Zhang himself put a message for his supporters in the moon cake and thus imperceptibly warned the militia about the beginning of the revolution. As a result of this rebellion, Zhu Yuan became the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Most likely, it was just a way to give the history of cookies a romantic coloring in order to increase sales. And he paid off. With the advent of automation in the industry, cookies have spread throughout the United States and beyond, gaining the popularity that they have maintained to this day.
Ingredients
How to make Chinese fortune cookies? First of all, you need to prepare all the necessary ingredients. For the classic predictive Chinese cookie recipe, you'll need:
- Egg whites - 3 pcs.
- Powdered Sugar - 125 g
- Flour - 100 g.
- Butter - 60 g.
Taste sensations will help improve:
- Cinnamon - 1 tbsp. the spoon
- Vanillin - 10 g.
- Zest or lemon juice - a few drops
- Almond essence - a few drops
Also, some predictive Chinese cookie recipes use starch diluted with water. This makes the treat more crunchy, but complicates the process of wrapping the message, as the dough becomes more brittle. If your hand is not full, you risk breaking a good half of the products.
Required Inventory
To prepare the cookies themselves you need:
- Baking tray.
- Pan.
- Corolla.
- Parchment.
- Sieve.
- Bowl.
- Shovel.
- The spoon.
- Serving Dish.
- Love.
- Patience.
To make predictions, you also need to get a pen and paper.
Prediction Preparation
Traditionally, Chinese cookies are prepared on the eve of Chinese New Year - on the night of February 19. It is believed that if you follow the parting words that got into the cookie, in the new year everything will turn out perfectly. But this type of dessert has become so popular that it is often used for another reason. Cookies are prepared for all kinds of entertainment events: for a children's holiday, a bachelorette party or a birthday.
Depending on the occasion, you should choose the appropriate predictions. You can find ready-made prophecies on the Internet or come up with it yourself. It can be rhymes, riddles, sayings, jokes, wise sayings or magic numbers that will bring good luck. The text can be printed on the printer or written by hand. You can also use colored paper instead of regular paper so that the cookies carry a festive mood. The paper must be cut into thin small strips and write a prediction on them.
Cooking Chinese fortune cookies: recipe with photo
- First melt the butter. It is best not to heat it completely, but only slightly heat it, then remove from heat and leave it in a hot pan, allowing it to melt on its own.
- Next, take the flour and sift it through a sieve into a bowl.
- In sifted flour, add proteins and cooled butter.
- Mix everything thoroughly and bring to a homogeneous mass with a whisk or spatula.
- When the dough is ready, add cinnamon, vanilla, almond essence or a couple of drops of lemon juice for taste. You can experiment with different combinations of spices.
How to Bake Chinese Fortune Cookies
You can bake products both in the oven and in the microwave. If you are a fan of the oven, then it should be preheated to 180 ° C. Predict Chinese baking should be about ten minutes. If you prefer to save time, use a microwave. The baking time will take less than a minute. In both cases, you do not need to cook more than two cookies at a time, as they quickly cool and become brittle. In the end, wrapping them in a prediction will be simply impossible. Spread the dough on parchment or silicone molds, forming thin pancakes with a diameter of 7-10 cm with a spatula.
Catering and serving
The most difficult part of a Chinese fortune cookie recipe is sealing messages. This must be done very quickly, since the cooled dough becomes unsuitable for maneuvers. Pulling the cookies out of the oven with a spatula, you need to put the message in the center, then roll the piece in half and use the glass or the edge of the bowl to give it the shape of the moon. In this case, you must be careful not to get burned. It is best to use a pencil to fold in half. This will not disturb the shape and not burn yourself. Next, the liver must be allowed to cool so that it becomes crispy. The finished dish can be decorated with chocolate or other pastry decor. After that, it can be laid out in a small saucer and served to guests.
How to decorate pastries
Depending on the reason for cooking, you can give the liver various shapes and colors. So, for example, if you want to make a proposal beloved, a cookie in the form of a red heart with a ring inside is best. On New Year's Eve, you can make a treat multicolored, pour with icing or chocolate and sprinkle with confectionery powder. For children's parties, it is worth decorating cookies in various animals: mice, bunnies, chanterelles.
On Valentine's Day, products can be shaped like hearts. For a wedding, hearts in white colors sprinkled with coconut are also suitable. Inside, you can seal the wishes and parting words to the young. In the photo of the Chinese fortune cookie, some ideas for decorating the finished products are visible.
Prophecies and wishes
If you have ever eaten Chinese cookies with predictions, and you come across something like “be attentive to the signs of fate,” then you understand that you haven’t learned anything new. The Chinese like to put in the message meaningless phrases or folk wisdom, which is already known to all. A Russian person likes more specific predictions like "a romantic surprise awaits you on the weekend." All sorts of jokes and game elements, such as “your message in another cookie” or “eat me,” are perfect for raising the mood.
Here are a few phrases that are the best suited for a festive feast:
- Start every day with a smile. Then you will have a good start.
- Anyone who wants to sing will always find a suitable song.
- Kiss standing on the left, he waited for this all year.
- Only dead fish adrift.
- Don’t worry, be happy :)
- Have a snack!
- Do not borrow, take forever.
- If you put a mirror in the refrigerator, there will be twice as many products.
- Truth in the eye is better to talk on the phone.
- Smile more.
- Hello from Mars. We are making contact. Remember, this is a secret message. Do not show anyone. Eat it.
- It rings in the ear - wait for the good. Itchy nose - wait for the good. Nothing happens - wait for the good.