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Beijing mung bean cakes
Lǜdòu gāo (绿豆糕): soft, crumbly pressed sweets of mung bean paste, for the Dragon Boat Festival
Beijing pastry shops stack these pale yellow cakes high in early summer, when they're eaten for the Dragon Boat Festival and as a cooling sweet on hot afternoons. Peeled mung beans are steamed, mashed with sugar and oil, then pressed in wooden moulds, so each cake comes out with a pattern. Northern versions are dry and crumbly; Suzhou ones further south are oilier. You need a mooncake press or small mould. Chef's tip: cook the paste until it pulls away from the pan in one ball; if it's too wet the cakes slump.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 9 oz peeled split mung beans (yellow)soaked in cold water for 4 hours
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- 2 ½ tbsp neutral oil (sunflower)
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 oz red bean paste (optional)for a filling
- 1 tbsp cornflourfor dusting the mould
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Drain 9 oz peeled split mung beans (yellow) and spread on a cloth-lined steamer. Steam over a high heat for 35–40 minutes, until a bean crushes to powder between your fingers.
40 minStep 2: While hot, blend or push through a sieve to a fine, smooth paste. Common mistake: skipping this; lumpy paste gives gritty cakes that crack.
Step 3: Put the paste in a non-stick pan with 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar, 2 ½ tbsp neutral oil (sunflower) and 1 pinch salt over a low heat. Stir and fold for 15–20 minutes. It goes from wet to a soft dough that pulls away from the pan and holds a ball when squeezed.
20 minStep 4: Cool until you can handle it. Divide into 12 balls of about 35 g. If filling, flatten each, wrap round 10 g of 4 oz red bean paste and roll to seal.
Step 5: Dust a mooncake mould with 1 tbsp cornflour, press a ball in firmly and push out. Chill for 30 minutes to firm up. Keep in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does beijing mung bean cakes take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- 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 caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
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