Recipe: Crunchy Homemade Horse Hoof 自制松脆马脚 MaKiok

This MaKiok is crunchy, and also carries the sweetness that can always make me happy! Yummy

This is exactly the texture that I wanted to replicate... the one that I used to buy near Ramada, Melaka (the only place I can get crunchy sweet MaKiok).  I like the amount of crunch and sweetness in this. However do add slightly more sugar to replicate closer.

Just like the You Char Kuey, this MaKiok tastes as good even when it is completely cool.  Part of the crunch remained and it won't collapse when biting into it.

As I have mentioned in my post for You Char Kuey,  "In my first attempt of making Ma Kiok, I realised that sugar is the magic for large air pockets! Trying to get some crunch, I added a little tapioca starch to the sweet filling in my second attempt. Yup, that's the perfect texture of Ma Kiok I have been craving for. Thanks Jo for the tips and reference for Ma Kiok!"

The main dough share almost the same ingredients as You Char Kuey. Missing my Makiok children? Let's do it again,

Dry ingredients

• 175g flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 30g sugar *preferably caster sugar

Wet ingredients

• 85g water *adjust water accordingly. Dough should't be sticky, add a little flour if it is.
• 6g (1/2 tbsp) vegetable oil

Sweet filling

• Combine 20g caster sugar + 2 tsp hot water, mix in  1 tsp tapioca starch + 1 tsp flour

Garnishing

• 15g raw white sesame seeds

Horse Hoof 马脚 MaKiok

1. Combine and mix all dry ingredients.
2. Add wet ingredients, mix and knead for 10 minutes for even distribution of all ingredients *dough is quite dry for the first few minutes.
3. Cover and rest for 2.5 hours (or for best results, cover and place it in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature around 2 hours *can be stored up to 3 days).
4. Dust the work surface. *I used silicon sheet as work surface to ease folding. 
5. Gently shape dough to long log. Roll and flatten to rectangle 6" x 10" x 5mm thickness.
6. Brush sweet filling on dough, then evenly sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
7. Fold into half making a rectangle of 3" x 10".
8. Cut dough into 1" strips. Flip both sesame sides out *place them on dusted surface and stay resting till oil reach 180C.
9. Heat 1-2" depth of oil to 180-200C. 
10. Press firm on both ends, gently stretch a little to 5" length, drop it into the hot oil.
11. Fry till both sides are evenly browned.

Notes: Here, sugar reduces both the resting time and the amount of baking powder required in achieving large air pockets. Apparently ingredients such as whipped egg whites and sugar can slow air bubbles from escaping, hence retaining more air bubbles in the dough.

From https://www.finecooking.com/article/taking-control-of-gluten, it states that sugar hinders gluten. Sugar molecules encourage tenderness by attaching to water molecules before they can bind with glutenin and gliadin. It also states that fats weaken gluten too.

Learning from failures:

• Step 3: Dough rest between 2-3 hours depending on ambient temperature. On cooler days, I'll rest the dough in the oven *preheated to 30C then Off. When the dough is ready, it is soft and less elastic. It is easy to stretch and shape.  For best results, do rest the dough overnight in the fridge.
• Step 5: Shaping and flattening of dough need to be gentle yet fast, retaining as many air bubbles as possible.
• If MaKiok doesn't turn out with big air pockets after frying, cover and let the balance dough set rest for another 15 minutes. Then try again. 

Dough adapted from https://kenwee-kee.blogspot.com/2017/11/recipe-homemade-chinese-crullers-you.html

Sweet filling and steps adapted from https://mykitchen101en.com/traditional-horseshoe-fritters-ox-tongue-pastry-recipe/

Combine and mix all dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients and mix.

Knead for 10 minutes for even distribution of all ingredients *dough is quite dry for the first few minutes. Cover and rest for 2.5 hours.

Flattened dough, 6" x 10" x 5mm thickness. Brush sweet filling and sprinkle sesame seeds. Fold into half making 3" x 10".

In my second attempt, I used silicon sheet as work surface to ease folding.

Cut dough into 1" strips. Flip both sesame sides out.

Place them on dusted surface and stay resting till oil reach 180C.

Press firm on both ends, gently stretch a little to 5" length, drop it into the hot oil.

Fry till both sides are evenly browned.

Yum! Crunchy sweet MaKiok.