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An elaborate Chinese dessert, mooncake is quite a challenge even for the most experienced cooks. Its preparation requires time and patience, especially when it comes to assembling. The first step is to choose the filling, which can be sweet or savory. The most popular fillings include lotus seed paste, various bean pastes, mixed nuts, sesame seed paste, while pork is a favorite in the savory department. Salted duck egg yolk is often incorporated into the middle of a mooncake and has a strong symbolic meaning. The sweet fillings are made by soaking, cooking, and mashing the beans and seeds, which are then cooked in a pan with sugar, oil or butter, and a little salt, so the liquid evaporates, and the paste becomes dry and dough-like. The dough, on the other hand, is made by kneading flour with fat (traditionally lard, nowadays vegetable oil), lye water, and inverted sugar syrup or honey. The following steps are all about precision. The dough and the fillings are precisely divided into ... Read more
3.1
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The following recipe gives directions how to make Cantonese-style mooncakes filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks. The paste is made from scratch, and in the dough preparation, honey is used instead of golden syrup, i.e., inverted sugar syrup. Since lotus seeds need to be soaked overnight, make sure you start your preparation one day in advance. Also, keep in mind that the crust should soften before serving, so rest the mooncakes for 1-2 days once they have been baked. This recipe was adapted from the YouTube channel Amanda Tastes,which deals predominantly with traditional and modern Chinese food.
3.5
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The following recipe explains how to make Cantonese-style mooncakes with either mung bean or red bean paste filling. Alternatively, you can use black-sesame paste for the filling. The filling can also be enriched with a salted duck egg yolk. This recipe will yield 14 mooncakes, 8 with bean paste and egg yolk filling, and 6 with pure bean paste filling. The recipe is adapted from the blog China Sichuan Food, which focuses on authentic Chinese recipes and Chinese food with an emphasis on Sichuan cuisine.
3.3
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A savory version of mooncakes is enjoyed in the Western-Chinese coastal province Jiangsu. The main filling ingredient is minced pork enhanced with ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Chinese cooking wine, and the crust slightly resembles puff pastry. Also, these mooncakes are not shaped with special mooncake molds, but they are rather sprinkled with some black sesame seeds.
PREP 40min
COOK 2h 35min
RESTING 2d 12h
READY IN 2d 15h
3.1
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The following recipe gives directions how to make Cantonese-style mooncakes filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks. The paste is made from scratch, and in the dough preparation, honey is used instead of golden syrup, i.e., inverted sugar syrup. Since lotus seeds need to be soaked overnight, make sure you start your preparation one day in advance. Also, keep in mind that the crust should soften before serving, so rest the mooncakes for 1-2 days once they have been baked. This recipe was adapted from the YouTube channel Amanda Tastes,which deals predominantly with traditional and modern Chinese food.
FOR LOTUS SEED PASTE
150g (5.3 oz) dried lotus seeds
120g (4.2 oz) caster sugar
80g (2.8 oz) vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
FOR DOUGH
180g (6.3 oz) plain flour
125g (4.4 oz) honey
1/8 tsp (0,5g) dietary alkali
55g (2 oz) groundnut oil
FOR FILLING
20 salted eggs
FOR EGG WASH
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp egg white
First, prepare the lotus seeds by soaking them in water for 6-8 hours. When they become soft, break each seed in half with your fingers. If you find sprouts between halves, remove them.
Place soaked lotus seeds in a cooking pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, until the water becomes milky and the lotus seeds start falling apart.
Transfer cooked lotus seeds and their liquid to a blender, and pulse until smooth and velvety. Then, transfer this mixture into a non-stick skillet and warm up over medium heat.
Add the vegetable oil gradually one-third at a time, and stir constantly until absorbed. Then, add salt and caster sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. If you prefer a saltier filling, increase the amount of salt. Keep stirring until the paste thickens and the liquid evaporates. The paste is ready when it reaches a dough-like texture. Transfer it to a plate and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the mooncake dough. Put the dietary alkali in a large bowl and mix with 1/2 tsp water until dissolved. Add honey and groundnut oil and whisk until blended. Then, fold in the flour using a spatula until soft and sticky dough is formed.
Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap it up and leave to rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Crack the salted eggs one by one into a small bowl. Gently fish out the egg yolk with a slotted spoon or a mesh spoon and transfer to a big bowl filled water to remove the remains of egg whites. Strain the yolks, gently dry with a paper towel, and arrange on a plate.
Now, assemble the mooncakes. For a 50g (1.75 oz) mooncake, the total weight of filling (egg yolk + lotus seed paste) should be 35g (1.2 oz). For instance, for a 15g (0.5 oz) egg yolk, you will need 20g (0.7 oz) of lotus seed paste. First, measure the weight of each yolk on a kitchen scale. Then, add enough lotus seed paste, so the total weight is 35g (1.2 oz).
Roll each portion of lotus seed paste into a ball, then press it in the palm of your hand to form a flat disc. Place a salted egg yolk in the middle, and gently gather the edges of the lotus seed paste using your thumb and index finger, so the paste envelopes the egg yolk. Roll into a ball and repeat with the remaining egg yolks and lotus seed paste portions.
Now, divide the dough into 15g (0.5 oz) portions. The amount of dough from this recipe is enough for 20 mooncakes, so be precise. Arrange the portions of dough on a clean plate, take one, and cover the rest with plastic wrap.
Lightly flour your hands. Roll one portion of dough into a ball, then press with the palm of your hand to get a flat disc. Place the filling ball in the middle and gently stretch the edges of the dough using your thumb and index finger, so the dough wraps the filling completely. Seal the edges on the top, so the seam is invisible and roll into a ball. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough and filling balls and lightly flour each mooncake-to-be.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking sheet.
While the oven is heating up, shape the mooncakes using a mooncake press. Roll each mooncake into an elongated ball which fits the opening of your mooncake press. Gently place the mooncake into the press, and press down on a baking tray. Leave enough room between mooncakes. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, make the egg wash by whisking 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp of egg white. After 5 minutes of baking, lightly brush each mooncake with some egg wash. Return the mooncakes to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
Cool the mooncakes on a wire rack to a room temperature. Then, transfer the mooncakes into a food container and seal well. Let them stand for 1-2 days to become soft and moist, and then serve.
3.5
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The following recipe explains how to make Cantonese-style mooncakes with either mung bean or red bean paste filling. Alternatively, you can use black-sesame paste for the filling. The filling can also be enriched with a salted duck egg yolk. This recipe will yield 14 mooncakes, 8 with bean paste and egg yolk filling, and 6 with pure bean paste filling. The recipe is adapted from the blog China Sichuan Food, which focuses on authentic Chinese recipes and Chinese food with an emphasis on Sichuan cuisine.
3.3
Rate It
A savory version of mooncakes is enjoyed in the Western-Chinese coastal province Jiangsu. The main filling ingredient is minced pork enhanced with ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Chinese cooking wine, and the crust slightly resembles puff pastry. Also, these mooncakes are not shaped with special mooncake molds, but they are rather sprinkled with some black sesame seeds.
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