Cantonese mooncakes with lotus or red bean paste
Filled pastry mooncakes
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
- 3 ½ oz golden syrup or invert syrup
- ½ tsp alkaline water (kansui / lye water)or ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 1 tsp water
- 5 ½ oz plain flourplus extra for the press
For the filling
- 1 ¼ lb lotus seed paste or sweetened red bean pasteready-made, vegetable-oil based; check the label for lard
- 1 oz toasted melon or pumpkin seeds (optional)optional, kneaded into the paste
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
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 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).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Basque burnt cheesecake
This crustless cheesecake was created in the early 1990s at La Viña, a pintxos bar in the old town of San Sebastián (Donostia) in the Basque Country, and is now famous around the world. It's baked very hot so the top caramelises almost black and the sides rise and crack, while the middle stays soft and creamy, almost runny. There's no base and no water bath, and the rough, rustic look is the point: it's lined with crumpled baking paper. La Viña uses a spoonful of wheat flour; cornflour does the same job and keeps it gluten free. Chef's tip: take it out of the oven while the centre still wobbles like a soft set custard; it firms up as it cools, and if it looks set in the oven, the middle will be dry instead of creamy.
Spanish
Char siuHoney roast pork
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Almond cookiesOat, coconut and almond cookies
A big batch of crunchy cookies with rolled oats, coconut, chopped almonds and chunks of cooking chocolate. For a change, use cashew nuts instead of almonds.