【Cantonese-style mooncake with mung bean filling】

【Cantonese-style mooncake with mung bean filling】

by MaomaoMom

Mooncake is a Chinese traditional dessert for celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar. There are two major styles of mooncakes: Cantonese- and Suzhou-style.  This recipe is Cantonese-style, known for its beautiful shape with clear and exquisite pattern on crust.

Prepare time: 2.5 hours
Cook time: 25 minutes
Stand time: 2 weeks
Level: High
Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients:

Syrup (or Golden syrup):
1) 4 cups sugar (800 g), 1¼ cup water (290g), 2 large lemons cut into cubes, 2 tbsp white vinegar;
2) ¼ tsp baking soda, 2 tsp water, mix well;

Mung bean filling:

3) 1 package of split mung bean husked (400g);
4) 1¼ cup sugar (260g), 3 tbsp corn starch, 4 tbsp condensed milk, 1/2 cup corn oil (90g);

Crust:
5) 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp water;
6) 2/3 cup syrup, 1/4 cup corn oil (48g);
7) 1.5 cup all-purpose flour (235g);

Egg wash:
8) 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp water, mix well.

Directions:

Syrup:
1: Add in all ingredients of Ingredient 1) in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer until temperature reaches 108C. Remove from heat, slowly add Ingredient 2) and stir well. Set aside to cool then filter out lemon pieces. Store syrup in a clean glass jar for 2 weeks before use (Picture 2).

Mung bean filling:
2: Rinse mung bean and place in non-stick pot, add in 3-4 cup water. Bring to a boil on high heat, reduce to low heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the lid, cook on medium heat and keep stirring until no water left. Add in all ingredients of Ingredient 4), stir and cook until mung bean filling stick together and no water vapor is produced. Let it cool then divide into 20 equal portions (80g each). Form into balls (Picture 1) with your palms and set aside.

Crust:
3: Combine all ingredients of Ingredient 5) in a container and mix well. Add 1/2 tsp syrup and 1 tbsp water of Ingredient 6), mix well. Add flour of Ingredient 7), combine all ingredients with a fork to form very soft and sticky dough (Picture 3). Cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for 30-60 minutes.

Mooncake:
4: In a floured surface, shape dough into a 1.5 cm log and divide into 20 equal portions (22g each). Roll out each portion into a circle about 6 cm in diameter; place a mung bean filling ball (Picture 4) on top. With both hands, gently push up the dough to cover the mung bean ball (Picture 5). Lightly dust the mooncake with flour, then place it in the mooncake mold. Press down and release the handler (Picture 6); the mooncake is formed (Picture 7). Repeat for the remaining 19 portions.

5: Preheat oven to 395F/200C, place 10 pieces on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 6 minute and gently brush with egg wash. Reduce to 340F/170 and bake for 7 minutes. Brush with egg wash again, then bake for another 5 minutes. Broil low for 2-5 minutes until the surface turns golden brown. Store cooled mooncake in an airtight container for a couple of days before serving.

Tips: Leftover can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to serving, thaw at the room temperature.

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