Caozai Guo
Encyclopedia
Caozai guo or shuchu guo is a type of kuih
(粿) with a sweet dough made with glutinous rice
flour, sugar, and a ground cooked paste of Gnaphalium affine
(鼠麴) or Mugwort (艾草). The herbs give the dough and the finished kuih a unique flavor and brownish green color. The kuih is a found in Fujian
, Hakka
, Taiwanese cuisine
.
The kuih is usually made in Qingming Festival
as a celebratory food item. Although the kuih can be made from either herb, mugworts is more commonly used in making Hakka-style kuih.
The herb flavoured dough is commonly filled with ground meat, dried daikon
, or sweet bean pastes. In Taiwan
, a filling consisting of Dried shrimp
, shitake mushrooms, dried and shredded daikon (菜脯), and deep-fried shallot
s is commonly used.
Kuih
Kuih are bite-sized snack or dessert foods found in the Malay Archipelago as well as the Southern China provinces of Fujian and Canton...
(粿) with a sweet dough made with glutinous rice
Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice, and pulut) is a...
flour, sugar, and a ground cooked paste of Gnaphalium affine
Gnaphalium affine
Gnaphalium affine D. Don, also known as Jersey Cudweed, is a species of plants belonging to the genus Gnaphalium. The species grows extensively in East Asia including temperate regions of China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan as well as some high altitude tropical regions of India, Nepal, and Thailand...
(鼠麴) or Mugwort (艾草). The herbs give the dough and the finished kuih a unique flavor and brownish green color. The kuih is a found in Fujian
Fujian cuisine
Fujian cuisine is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the native cooking style of the province of Fujian, China. Fujian style cuisine is known to be light but flavourful, soft, and tender, with particular emphasis on umami taste, known in Chinese cooking as "xiānwèi" , as well as...
, Hakka
Hakka cuisine
Hakka cuisine is the cooking style of the Hakka people, who are primarily found in southeastern China , but also may be found in many other parts of China, as well as in the Chinese diaspora...
, Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine has several variations. In addition to the following representative dishes from the people of Hoklo ethnicity , there are also Aboriginal, Hakka, and local derivatives of Chinese cuisines .Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern...
.
The kuih is usually made in Qingming Festival
Qingming Festival
The Qingming Festival , Pure Brightness Festival or Clear Bright Festival, Ancestors Day or Tomb Sweeping Day is a traditional Chinese festival on the 104th day after the winter solstice , usually occurring around April 5 of the Gregorian calendar...
as a celebratory food item. Although the kuih can be made from either herb, mugworts is more commonly used in making Hakka-style kuih.
The herb flavoured dough is commonly filled with ground meat, dried daikon
Daikon
Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...
, or sweet bean pastes. In Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, a filling consisting of Dried shrimp
Dried shrimp
Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste. A handful of shrimp is generally used for dishes...
, shitake mushrooms, dried and shredded daikon (菜脯), and deep-fried shallot
Shallot
The shallot is the botanical variety of Allium cepa to which the multiplier onion also belongs. It was formerly classified as the species A. ascalonicum, a name now considered a synonym of the correct name...
s is commonly used.