Learn how to make soft and flaky Chinese pastry filled with sweet red bean paste (tau sar).
What is sweet red bean paste pastry (tau sar piah)?
Tau sar means bean paste and piah means pastry/biscuits in Hokkien dialect. Tau Sar Piah is a traditional pastry originating from the Peranakan culture, which is a fusion of Chinese and Malay influences found in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It is a popular snack known for its flaky crust and flavorful filling. The name “Tau Sar Piah” translates to “bean paste pastry” in Hokkien, a Chinese dialect widely spoken by the Hokkien community. The pastry typically consists of two main components: the crust and the filling.
Types of tau sar piah
1. Tau sar piah with sweet red bean paste
In Medan, a city where I grew up in Indonesia, tau sar piah filled with sweet red bean paste is more common and that’s the kind I grew up eating as well, as shown in this recipe.
2. Tau sar piah with sweet or sweet-savory mung bean paste
This tau sar piah is filled with sweet mung bean paste or sweet and savory mung bean paste (pua giam di/half savory half sweet). In Penang, it is called Tambun Biscuits. These are popular in Singapore and Malaysia.
3. Modern innovations
These days, you will also find variety of tau sar piah filled with other sweet fillings not made with beans such as durian paste, pineapple paste, black sesame paste, etc.
Sweet Red Bean Paste Pastry (Tau Sar Piah)
Ingredients
For water dough:
- 80 g cake flour
- 10 g powdered sugar
- 25 g water or more as needed
- 25 g oil any neutral oil
- Pinch of salt
For oil dough:
- 80 g cake flour
- 35 g oil any neutral oil
Filling:
- 240 g red bean paste
Egg wash:
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ tsp milk or water
Topping:
- White sesame seeds
Instructions
Prepare the filling:
- Prepare the filling the day before or few days before and keep it in the fridge for up to one week or keep it frozen for up to one month
Prepare the water dough:
- Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the oil and rub the flour mixture with the oil to form a coarse-crumb texture. Add water. I like to reserve some in case the dough might get too wet because different flour has different water absorption. Knead into a smooth dough. Cover and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. It is important to let the water dough rest so the dough can be smooth and stretchy later
Prepare the oil dough:
- Combine the flour with oil. Knead into a soft dough. Round it up into a dough ball. Let it rest together with the water dough
Combine both doughs:
- Give the water dough a few kneading just to smooth it out
- Divide the water dough and oil dough into 12 pieces each. So you have a total of 24 pieces. Round them up into balls and cover tightly with a plastic wrap to prevent them from drying. Put them in an air-tight container is the best
- Take one water dough and one oil dough. Flatten the water dough and then put the oil dough inside and wrap the water dough around it. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Remember to always keep them covered the whole time
Prepare the filling:
- Portion the filling into 20-gram round balls. It's easier to wrap
- Take one dough and keep the rest covered tightly. Roll it out into an oval shape, about 2 inches wide and about 4 inches long. Then roll it up like a Swiss roll. Do this to the rest of the dough
- Then go back to the first one you roll and put it vertically and roll it out again into an oval and then roll it up into a Swiss roll again. If it's difficult to roll, rest it a bit longer and then try to roll it again. Repeat with the rest of the dough and keep them covered tightly. Rest them for 15 minutes
Wrap the filling with the dough:
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Portion the red bean paste into 20-gram portion. Roll it into a round ball for easier wrapping
- Take one dough and bring the two sides to the middle. Flatten with your palm and then roll it out into about 4-inch round.
- Put one filling in the middle and gather the edge of the dough towards the center and pinch to seal tightly. Put the seam side down on the baking pan, about 1 inch apart. Flatten it slightly with your palm. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling
- Halfway through wrapping, start preheating the oven to 330 F (165 C) for a conventional oven, 310 F (155 C) for a convection oven.
- Combine egg yolk with milk or water for the egg yolk wash. Brush the top of the pastry with an egg yolk wash
Baking:
- Put the pan in the middle rack and bake for 15 minutes. After that take the baking pan out. Increase the oven temperature to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for a convection oven. Let the pastry cool down for 5 minutes. Reapply the egg yolk wash and sprinkle with some white sesame seeds
- Put the baking pan back into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is nicely golden brown
Cool down:
- Remove from the oven and let them cool down for 10 minutes on the pan. They are very soft when still warm. Then transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down completely
How to store:
- Let the pastry cool down completely and then store them in an air-tight container for about a week at room temperature
- For longer storage, keep them in a freezer-friendly container and they can be kept frozen for up to one month
- To serve, simply thaw at room temperature before serving. You can reheat it in the oven. Wrap it with an aluminum foil and bake at 350 F (180 C) for 4-5 minutes. Then let it cool down before consuming
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions for the pastry
1. Cake flour
It is called cake flour in the U.S. Any low-protein flour will work. Cake flour usually has about 5-8% of protein content. I DO NOT recommend substituting with all-purpose flour, which has protein ranging from 9-12.7% on some brands. If you must substitute, you can use pastry flour, which has a protein content ranging from 8-10%
2. Powdered sugar/icing sugar
You only need a small amount for this recipe to just enhance the overall taste of the crust. If you don’t have any, you can use granulated sugar and process it in a blender or food processor until it is fine in texture
3. Oil
Any neutral-tasting oil works for this recipe
4. Sweet red bean paste
You can use store-bought or make your own sweet red bean paste from scratch
5. Egg yolk
This is used to brush the top of the crust so it gives a nice golden brown color
6. Milk
This is used to mix with the egg yolk to make the egg yolk wash. You can always use water too
7. Salt
A small pinch of salt goes a long way and enhance the overall taste of the pastry
How to make sweet red bean paste tau sar piah
1. Prepare the filling the day before or a few days before and keep it in the fridge for up to one week or keep it frozen for up to one month
2. Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the oil and rub the flour mixture with the oil to form a coarse-crumb texture. Add water. I like to reserve some in case the dough might get too wet because different flour has different water absorption. Knead into a smooth dough. Cover and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. It is important to let the water dough rest so the dough can be smooth and stretchy later
3. Combine the flour with oil. Knead into a soft dough. Round it up into a dough ball. Let it rest together with the water dough
4. Give the water dough a few kneading just to smooth it out. Divide the water dough and oil dough into 12 pieces each. So you have a total of 24 pieces. Round them up into balls and cover them tightly with a plastic wrap to prevent them from drying. Put them in an air-tight container is the best
5. Take one water dough and one oil dough. Flatten the water dough and then put the oil dough inside and wrap the water dough around it. 
6. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Remember to always keep them covered the whole time
7. Portion the filling into 20-gram round balls. It’s easier to wrap
8. Take one dough and keep the rest covered tightly. Roll it out into an oval shape, about 2 inches wide and about 4 inches long. Then roll it up like a Swiss roll. Do this to the rest of the dough
9. Then go back to the first one you roll and put it vertically 
10. Roll it out again into an oval and then roll it up into a Swiss roll again. If it’s difficult to roll, rest it a bit longer and then try to roll it again. Repeat with the rest of the dough and keep them covered tightly. Rest them for 15 minutes
11. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Portion the red bean paste into 20-gram portion. Roll it into a round ball for easier wrapping
12. Take one dough and bring the two sides to the middle. 
13. Flatten with your palm and then roll it out into about 4-inch round. Put one filling in the middle 
14. Gather the edge of the dough towards the center and pinch to seal tightly. 
15. Put the seam side down on the baking pan, about 1 inch apart. Flatten it slightly with your palm. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling. Halfway through wrapping, start preheating the oven to 330 F (165 C) for a conventional oven, 310 F (155 C) for a convection oven. Combine egg yolk with milk or water for the egg yolk wash. Brush the top of the pastry with an egg yolk wash
16. Put the pan in the middle rack and bake for 15 minutes. After that take the baking pan out. Increase the oven temperature to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for a convection oven. Let the pastry cool down for 5 minutes. 
17. Reapply the egg yolk wash and sprinkle with some white sesame seeds
18. Put the baking pan back into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the crust is nicely golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool down for 10 minutes on the pan. They are very soft when still warm. Then transfer to a cooling rack to let them cool down completely
Did you make this sweet red bean paste tau sar piah recipe?
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