Shrine Kitchen

Mindful Home Cooking

Suzhou-style mooncake

Suzhou-style mooncake(蘇式月餅) is a popular type of pastry with flaky crust and sweet or savory filling. It originated in Suzhou, and now variations can be found throughout China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and elsewhere.

Mung bean filling is traditional, as well as nut filling and even meat. Salted egg yolk is often added. Varieties in Taiwan often use azuki bean filling with salted egg yolk and a yolk glaze; Vietnamese varieties often use mung bean and durian; Filipino varieties use ube and other fillings. Chaozhou-style mooncakes are round with a special layered crust.

Suzhou-style mooncakes can be traditionally decorated with a red stamp. They are also sometimes decorated with black sesame seeds.

Sweet Red Bean Filling(紅豆沙) Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup azuki bean(紅豆 / 小豆), soaked overnight and drained
  • 4 cup water
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • ½ cup cane sugar

Directions

  • boil azuki bean, water
  • simmer until soft and water reduced, 1 to 2 hours, adding water if needed
  • blend or mash
  • cook bean mixture, oil over low to medium heat until thickened, stirring continually, 15 to 20 minutes
  • mix in sugar
  • simmer over low heat, stirring continually, 5 to 10 minutes
  • let cool
  • use or store

Mooncake(月餅) Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cup + 1 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp + ½ cup neutral oil
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 cup lotus seed paste(蓮蓉) or sweet red bean paste(紅豆沙) or other filling, separated into 2 – 4 tbsp pieces
  • ½ cup salted egg yolk (optional)

Directions

  • combine 2 cup flour, 1 tbsp oil, ¾ cup water for water-based dough(水油皮)
  • knead
  • rest 30 to 60 min
  • knead
  • divide and shape into 2 tsp balls
  • set aside water-based dough
  • combine 1 cup flour, ½ cup oil for short dough(油酥)
  • divide and shape into 2 tsp balls
  • set aside short dough
  • flatten each piece water-based dough and wrap around a piece of short dough
  • gently roll out each piece of layered dough
  • gently fold and roll flat 2 to 3 times for layered wrappers
  • wrap layered wrappers around filling pieces
  • gently flatten into wide cylinders (optionally use round mould)
  • pan cook or bake about 20 minutes at 300°F
  • let cool
  • serve