I was fascinated with Luk Chup since a few years ago but didn't have the motivation to try it out as I didn't manage to find a subject or purpose for it. With my dad's birthday coming up, I decided to give it a try because there were very good and cheap Turkish cherries on sale.
Can you tell which two cherries in the picture below are the real ones?
A close up view of the cut cross-section!
I happened to have some homemade frozen lotus seed puree at home, in preparation for my Mooncaron class. Luk Chup is traditionally made from mung beans but other substitutes are possible too, such as lotus seeds which I had on hand. My recipe is adapted from Catherine Zhang's Luk Chup recipe. Feel free to upsize it as it's a small batch.
Ingredients:
(makes about 12-14)
Dough:
100g lotus seed puree*
50g cherry juice*
40g heavy cream/ coconut cream*
1/16 tsp salt
35g sugar*
1 tsp tapioca starch
Coating:
125g water (room temperature)
1/2 tsp agar (1.6g)
1 tsp sugar (6g)
1/32 tsp salt (pinch)
Finishing:
Red, blue & dark brown colouring + some water
Fresh cherry stems
* NOTES ON INGREDIENTS
🔸Lotus seed puree: I prepared this by first washing & soaking dried lotus seeds. The green shoots are removed. Rinse & boil soaked seeds until soft & easily mashed between fingers. Press boiled lotus seeds through fine mesh strainer. You may store the puree in the freezer double wrapped until it's needed. You may use the traditional mung beans instead of lotus seeds. I happen to have lotus seed puree in my freezer so I used it. You may use red beans (azuki beans), cannellini beans, or possibly chestnuts, sweet potato/taro as well. Basically anything that can form a smooth paste that's used in pastries all over the world. Just take note that you may need to tweak the sugar content &/or liquid used to form a final dough that tastes good & works well but the technique should work
🔸Cherry juice: I used freshly squeezed cherry juice but you may substitute with other juices or use coconut milk instead
🔸Heavy cream/coconut cream: I used coconut cream for this one and heavy cream for my first attempt. Both are great! If you are omitting the use of juice, replace this with coconut milk which has a lower fat content
🔸 Sugar: It's not only a sweetener but also a binder. Too little & your shaped dough will crack easily. I already reduced sugar from the traditional/original recipe by about half
Watch the reel for the video tutorial of the process:
Steps:
1. Blend all ingredients except tapioca starch
2. Pour into non-stick saucepan. Add tapioca starch
3. Cook on med-low heat until a soft pliable dough forms. Make sure it's able to hold its shape when you try to mold it. If not cooked till firm enough, the shaped fruit will slide down the skewer & not hold its shape well. Cool completely
4. Portion out 10-11g of dough for each cherry. Shape using lightly oiled clean hands & ball tool. You may use gloves but I find it causes creases in my shaped cherries😅, much like how bakers who work with fondant prefer to work with bare hands for intricate shaping
8. Dip cherries in agar as shown in reel, waiting for about a few minutes between 1st & 2nd coating. Reheat & stir agar if it starts to thicken/set
9. Attach cherry stem after applying the 2nd coating. Let the coating set fully, about 10 min
10. Remove Luk Chup from skewers. Cut off excess agar at the base & reshape to round out. Store airtight in fridge for up to 5 days
Looks so real you can't tell that they aren't!
Stay tuned for the cake that these cherry wannabes were used to decorate!
with lots of love,
Phay Shing