Hakka Chaguo (Tea Cakes)

Hakka chaguo are traditional pastries that Shenzhen's Hakka people make for festivals, guests and ancestral offerings. A wrapper of glutinous or plain rice flour encloses a range of savoury and sweet fillings, soft yet chewy, and they come in many varieties.

Chaguo travelled with Hakka settlers into the hilly eastern parts of Shenzhen such as Longgang, Kuichong and Dapeng, and form part of the food and festival culture of the Hakka walled villages.

Chaguo are usually steamed; savoury fillings draw on radish, preserved vegetable and dried shrimp, while sweet ones use peanut, sesame or red-bean paste. The almond chaguo of the Kuichong area is even thought to soothe the lungs and ease a cough.

Its signature lies in the springy rice wrapper and fillings that change with the season and the festival, carrying the calendar memories of Shenzhen's Hakka families.