Cantonese mooncakes with lotus or red bean paste
Golden, glossy baked pastries pressed with a pattern, for the Mid-Autumn Festival
Mooncakes are exchanged and eaten all over China at the Mid-Autumn Festival, when families gather under the full moon with tea and fruit. The Cantonese style, from Guangdong and Hong Kong, has a thin, shiny brown crust around a dense, sweet filling of lotus seed paste or red bean paste; this vegetarian version leaves out the salted duck egg yolks. You need a mooncake press (50–75 g size). Chef's tip: rest the baked mooncakes in an airtight tin for 2 days; the crust softens and turns glossy, a change bakers call 'returning oil'.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
For the egg wash
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Whisk 3 ½ oz golden syrup or invert syrup, ½ tsp alkaline water (kansui / lye water) and 1 oz peanut or vegetable oil until thick and evenly mixed. Sift in 5 ½ oz plain flour and fold to a soft, smooth dough. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 1–2 hours (or overnight in the fridge).
Step 2: Knead 1 oz toasted melon or pumpkin seeds into 1 ¼ lb lotus seed paste or sweetened red bean paste if using, then divide into 12 balls of 45 g each.
Step 3: Divide the dough into 12 pieces of about 22 g. Flatten each into a thin round, set a filling ball on top and ease the dough up and around it with your palm until fully covered. Common mistake: a thick crust. Aim for about 1:2 crust to filling, and patch any thin spots.
Step 4: Dust the press lightly with flour, tap out the excess, push in a ball and press firmly onto a lined baking tray. Lift off to reveal the pattern. Repeat.
30 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Mist the mooncakes with water and bake for 5 minutes until the pattern sets.
5 minStep 6: Take them out and cool 10 minutes. Beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tbsp egg white and 1 tsp milk and brush on a very thin layer, dabbing off pools in the pattern.
10 minStep 7: Bake for 12–15 minutes more until deep golden brown and glossy. Cool completely on the tray.
15 minStep 8: Seal in an airtight tin for 1–2 days before eating, so the crust softens. They keep a week at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cantonese mooncakes with lotus or red bean paste take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 150 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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