Photography Darren Chang Art Direction & Styling Clare Chan
Paradise Group Check paradisegp.com for more information
TRADITIONAL WHITE LOTUS PASTE SINGLE YOLK MOONCAKE
Recipe by Lau Shun Choi, dim sum chef at Paradise Group
Makes 4
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
50g golden syrup*
24ml peanut oil
2ml lye water*
80g sifted all-purpose flour + ½ cup for dusting
For the filling:
10g pumpkin seeds*
600g lotus paste*
4 raw salted egg yolks, rinsed
1 egg, beaten and sieved
DIRECTIONS
Start the slideshow for the step-by-step recipe with photos.
To make the mooncake dough:
1 Combine the golden syrup and peanut oil in a bowl. Stir in the lye water.
2 Mix the flour in with your hands, working it for 2min until it’s fully incorporated and you get a soft mound. Loosely cover with a dry cloth and rest for 30min.
3 On a countertop dusted with flour, flatten the dough and roll it into a log about 15cm long. Fold it down to one-third the current length and roll again until the log is about 4cm thick.
4 Divide into 4. Each piece should be about 25g. Pinch off any excess and shape into a ball. Set aside.
To make the filling:
5 On a clean countertop, knead the pumpkin seeds evenly into the lotus paste. Then roll the paste into a log about 5cm thick.
6 Divide it into 4. Each piece should be about 145g. Pinch off any excess and shape into a ball.
7 Press your thumb into the centre of each ball to make a well and place a salted egg yolk in it.
8 Hold the ball in your left hand, with your thumb resting on the yolk, and your fingers supporting the ball. Make a C with your right hand and gently rotate your wrist to work the yolk into the lotus paste until it is almost covered. Don’t push it all the way in.
To wrap the filling:
9 On a countertop dusted with flour, use your palm to flatten a ball of dough into a circle. Use a bench scraper or butter knife to transfer it to your palm. The circle should be about 1.5cm wider than the ball of filling.
10 Place the filling in the centre and fold up the circle to cover the sides of the filling.
11 Hold the mooncake in your left hand and gently push down the filling.
12 Cover it with the dough by making a C with your right hand and rotating your wrist and moving your thumb. Pinch the top of the ball to seal in the filling. Set aside and repeat for the other three.
Bake the mooncake:
13 Dust the countertop with flour and roll the mooncakes on it to lightly dust them. Place each one into a mooncake mould*, cover and press down.
14 Gently knock the mooncakes out onto a baking tray. Spritz some water over them and bake in a pre-heated 160 deg C oven for 15min.
15 Remove the mooncakes from the oven and brush with egg wash. Return them to the oven to bake for 20-25min or until golden brown.
TIP Each mooncake should fit the mould exactly or it will come out misshapen. Too big? Pinch off the excess and roll it back into a smooth ball before pressing it into the mould again.
* Golden syrup is available in the baking aisle of major supermarkets. Lotus paste, pumpkin seeds, lye water and mooncake moulds can be found at Phoon Huat. Check phoonhuat.com for store locations.