Mooncakes - traditional and snow skin with lotus paste

Homemade Lotus Seed Paste Recipe

Ingredients:

500 grams lotus seeds (skinless)

½ tablespoon alkaline water 

4 cups water

300 - 400 grams white sugar

200ml sunflower oil

1 tablespoon maltose (about 15 grams)

How to make lotus seed paste

1. Place lotus seeds in a saucepot and cover with boiling water. Add alkaline water and cover. Steep for 20 minutes. Drain and wash lotus seeds well in clean water. 
2. Remove green centre then cook seeds with water till soft and tender.
3. Blend the lotus seeds (and enough cooking water) in an electric blender until very smooth
4. Heat up a wok or a non-stick frying pan, melt half the sugar amount until it turns light golden.
Pour half the oil in a nonstick wok, add half the sugar. Cook until the mixture turns a golden caramel. Add lotus seeds paste or puree. Stir continuously.
5. Then add remaining sugar and oil, a little at a time. Cook until thick and then stir in maltose. Mix well and continue to stir until lotus paste leaves the sides of your wok.
6. Take a tiny ball of paste and flatten out; if it does not feel sticky, the lotus seeds paste is ready. Remove the paste to a large mixing bowl and leave to cool completely.

 *from 500 gm of lotus seeds, I got about 2 kg of puree.

Ingredient: (made 9 mini mooncakes)- recipe from Do What I like

100g plain flour
30g peanut oil (I used sunflower oil)
65g golden syrup (Abram Lyles)
1/2 tsp alkaline water

Filling:
lotus seed paste
salted egg yolks (optional)
roasted melon seeds (optional)

Egg glace:
1 yolk + 1 tsp water lightly beaten and strain

Method:1. Mix peanut oil, golden syrup and alkaline water together in a big cup and sit this cup in a bowl of boiling water. Stir till mixture is well combine. Remove and leave aside to cool till warm state but not cold.
2. Sieve plain flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour and pour in the warm syrup. Mix till a dough is formed. Cover the mixing bowl with a wet towel and rest the dough for 30 - 45 minutes.
3. Divide dough and filling according to the size of your mould. Shape the dough into a round flat sheet with sides thinner than the centre.

4. Wrap in the filling and mould it into a ball shape. Coat it with flour.

5. Divide dough into 15g pieces. Shape each dough into a ball. Roll each dough over some flour. Dust hand with flour and flatten each dough into a small disc (about 5cm in diameter). Wrap it around the filling and shape it into a ball. (always dust hand with some flour to avoid the dough from sticking).

6 Lightly dust the wrapped dough with some flour. Place it in the mooncake mould and press the mooncake out. 

7. Place mooncakes on a lined pan and spray the mooncakes with some water. Bake at 180C - 190C for 10 minutes.

8. Remove from oven, cool the cakes for 5 - 10 minutes then apply egg glace and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes or till golden brown. As every oven varies, please standby to check on your mooncakes. If you are doing standard size mooncakes, the baking time might be longer.

8. Store cooled mooncakes in an airtight container and serve only after 3 days.

 Snow skin 
Ingrdsdients:

150 gm fried glutinous rice flour [kao fun] - sifted

110 gm icing sugar - sifted

50 gm shortening

150 ml iced cold water

yellow, green, pink and chocolate colouring [optional], you can keep it plain or a single colour according to you own preference

Method:

1. Mix together sifted flour and icing sugar, then add in shortening.

2. Use rub in method to mix flour, sugar and shortening together into fine grains.

3. Slowly and gradually add in ice cold water.  Mix well and knead with hand till  smooth.  Cover and leave to rest for 15 - 30 minutes.  [Notes - If making different colours, divide into a few portions and add in colouring, knead till well combined then rest the dough for 15-30 minutes]

4. Take a portion each of the colours to weigh 20 gm. Flatten into a disc and wrap it around the filling and shape into a ball,.Dust the wrapped dough with kao fun and place in the mould and press out.

Place onto plates or containers and refrigerate before serving.