Foodie

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Mini Shanghai Mooncakes








The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar,  and it falls on September 30th this year (2012).  Although it is still about 1 1/2 months away, preparation for the making the mooncakes has to begin now especially if you are to make the Traditional Mooncakes - the syrup has to be cooked and kept until needed, in fact the longer it is allowed to settle, the better it is.  Most mooncakes bakers will cook the syrup last year for this year's baking.  If this syrup cooking is too tedious and intimidating, i am sharing this recipe which s full of the fragrance of butter and pure lotus paste/red bean paste and the best part, you don't need any mooncake molds.






I make mooncakes every year and somehow could never find time to post it in time for my readers who would like to try and have a hand in making some for the festival.  This year, i make sure that i will post first before i start getting into the actual baking and forget to post.  Sorry.................


Ingredients:

For the Pastry

180 g cold butter - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
150 g confectioners' sugar
40 g maltose
100 ml milk
1/2 - 1 tsp ammonia powder
360 g all-purpose flour
4 tsp custard powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

For the Filling

990 g Lotus Paste/Red Bean Paste

Glaze:

1 egg yolk plus 1 tbsp water

Decoration:

Kua chi/almond flakes

Method:

Put all-purpose flour, custard powder, baking powder, salt , ammonia powder and sugar in the food processor and pulse to mix.

Add in the cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix maltose to the milk and add in to the mixture in the food processor.  Pulse short pulses until when a tiny piece of dough is pressed together, it binds.

Remove from food processor into a large plastic bag and form dough into a ball.

Leave to rest in refridgertor for at least 1/2 hour.

Wrapping and baking mooncakes:

Weigh lotus paste/red bean paste into 25 g portions (33 portions)

Preheat oven to  375f..

Weigh pastry into 30 g portions.  Knead lightly to make the pastry pliable.

Press each pastry piece into a flat round circle.

Place a portion of lotus paste/red bean paste in the middle of the pastry round  and  wrap the filling inside the pastry by pushing the pastry up and around the filling while pressing the filling inside the pastry, this is to ensure an even thickness of pastry.  Shape into a ball.

Eggwash the top of each mooncake and place 3 or 5 kua chi/almond flakes decoratively on top.

Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes, or until light golden brown.






10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily

I would like to try out your mini shanghai mooncake recipe but what can i substitute in place of maltose? Can golden syrup or honey or condensed milk do?

Thank you.

Blessings
Priscilla Poh

Unknown said...

priscilla

golden syrup is the best substitute

Anonymous said...

Thanks Lily for the reply. Will try out ur recipes when mooncake festival get closer. Will advise you on the result.

Blessings
Priscilla Poh

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily, What's ammonia powder and what does it do? Can you eliminate in this recipe?

Reese Darragh said...

Aunt Lily, I want to eat this so bad now. How ah?

Unknown said...

reese

i know you very 'rajin'. make some, they are easy to make

Anonymous said...

Very pretty Lily! And they taste fabulous last year when you made them for my mooncake party! You are awesome!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lily! I'm living in Turkey and I miss eating mooncakes especially now that it's drawing nearer. Your recipe inspired me to make some! Where I stay, I can't find red or green beans or lotus paste. Do you think I can use lentils instead?

Unknown said...

anonymous

you can make mooncake filling with almost any dried beans that are available. Follow the recipe for red bean paste. You can even make with sweet potatoes - the white type which does not have so much moisture.

Sharon | Chinese Soup Pot said...

Wow, you are quite a baker to make moon cakes at home! I haven't seen lotus paste sold anywhere in the Bay Area in the US, so I unfortunately will have to buy already-made moon cakes. Your moon cakes look amazing! Wish I can try them! =)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...