 Mooncakes.
At first, making these pastries seemed daunting but by the end we actually got the hang of it and our hosts called us experts, which was very generous of them! data-pin-do=)
Red Bean Mooncake
September 20, 2021
I think you can learn so much about other cultures through food. My husband and I were invited to learn how to make Chinese Mooncakes, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon’s roundness symbolizes harmony and prosperity, and the festival celebrates the harvest, often bringing together family members from near and far.
Our Chinese hosts prepared the dough and the filling for the Red Bean Mooncakes in advance and helped us roll out the dough, wrap it around the filling and press it into special molds before brushing with beaten egg and baking. We also made SuZhou-Style (salty, pork filled) Mooncakes.
At first, making these pastries seemed daunting but by the end we actually got the hang of it and our hosts called us experts, which was very generous of them!
- Prep: 1 hr
- Cook: 15 mins
Directions
Red Bean Paste
1Wash and rinse red bean, soak overnight in the refrigerator. Soaking will reduce the time to cook and soften the beans.
2Drain the soaked red bean, add in 600ml water, bring to the boil, reduce to low heat and cook for 2 hours until bean soften.
3Slightly cool the cooked red bean and process using a blender until smooth.
4Sieve the red bean paste through a fine mesh strainer to remove skin; this will give you a fine and smooth red bean paste.
5Add in 110g sugar, 55g cooking oil, 15g of glutinous rice flour with 3 tablespoons of water and ¼ tsp of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring constantly until a smooth and shiny paste formed. Cooking time may vary. Red bean paste can be prepared in advance and store refrigerated in airtight container.
Mooncake Dough
1Sieve low protein flour, add in other ingredients, mix until a dough is formed, (do not over-mix). Wrap dough with cling wrap, set aside to rest for 2 hours.
2Divide red bean paste filling into 4 portions (100 g each), shape into a ball.
3Divide dough for crust into 4 portions (48 g each), cover with cling wrap, flatten into thin sheet.
4Wrap mooncake filling with dough.
5Shape mooncake with mooncake mould (lightly oiled).
6Preheat oven to 160°C/320°F. Spray mooncake with some water before baking (to avoid crust from cracking during the baking process). Bake in the preheated oven at 160°C/320°F for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
7The crust of mooncake is dry when just baked. When completely cooled, store the mooncakes in air-tight container for 1-2 days to allow the crust to soften and become glossy.
Maggie
September 20, 2021
That was very ambitious of you! More so than I’ll probably ever muster. I used to love mooncake season when I lived near a good Chinese bakery, especially the ones filled with red bean or with bitter melon, with a salty yolk of a duck egg in the middle of them, looking like the face of the moon when you sliced into them.