Mooncakes, mooncakes and more mooncakes

Beside the conventional mooncakes, these are what we are having this year for the Mid-Autumn festival which falls on the 14 th September and that is tomorrow.

These jelly mooncakes are from Betty's mooncake collection. 

She is truly a master of mooncakes (see her ping pei mooncake here)

The red is made with dragon fruit which I didn't get to taste at all, the yellow is kiwi fruit while the green one is made with real durian!

I thought they were too just too beautiful to be eaten but K didn't thinks so and he cut this one late last night. I was force to take these picture under low light condition (K tried to help by holding up a torch light but the shots appeared too harsh so I had to use the highest ISO and that accounted for the grainy outcome which I found out is called 'noise' in photographic terms. Why? I haven't the faintest idea as I couldn't hear any noise...) 

Can you made out the durian flesh surrounded by the jelly? Yummy...

These cookies that don't look or taste anything like mooncake at all are from Sibu. Pit Fung was in Kuching last month and brought some for us to try. 

They are quite good as cookies but if the label didn't read "Kek Bulan" none of us would have guessed. They are sweet but with a slight savoury twist flavored either with five spice powder or the red fermented bean curd. 

Here I proudly present the Teo Chew mooncakes. So happy with myself after accomplishing these as they were such a success compared to the last few times I tried two years ago when the pastry turned out like shortcrust. That was the biggest challenge for me, the skin, that is to achieve the flaky layering that we find in lou po ping (wife's cookies)...

I was beaming from ear to ear when I cut open one and got these. It was light, flaky and crisp. Just perfect.

This recipe was from A, a fantastic cook and dancer who has since migrated to Canada. I like the filling of this mooncake, it is very much like the ham and nuts mooncakes (my dad's favorite) but without the ham. It is said that this ham yoke mooncake is an acquired taste, I agreed as I remember when I was young I would watched my dad eat and turned my nose up and wouldn't touch any myself as I then preferred those with lotus paste and egg yolk. I don't remember when I started liking them.

Here is the original recipe (the lotus paste I got from Pelangi was super sweet so I had to adjust the filling by adding more nuts/seeds and moi choy - reserved veg. and also reduced the sweet candied fruits).

Filling:

300g white lotus paste

60 g candied manderin orange (kit pian), chopped finely (40g - adjusted)

70 g candied winter melon, chopped finely (40g)

30 g sesame seeds (60g)

10 g melon seeds (50g)

30 g salty moi choy, washed, chopped and fried dry (60g)

1/4 t salt

Mix all ingredients together well.

Divide into 10 - 12 portions and shape them each into a dics about 5 cm in diameter.

 

A (water dough - outer skin)

100 g plain flour

40 g shortening (I used lard)

~ 50 g water

1/2 t lemon juice

Rub the lard into the flour. Add the water bit by bit and get to a rather soft consistency but make sure the dough does not stick to the finger. 

Combine together well but lightly and leave for 15 - 20 minutes.

B (oil dough - inner skin)

100 g superfine flour

60 g shortening (or pork lard)

Mix well lightly and leave for 15 - 20 minutes.

1. Roll A (water dough) into a thin flat sheet.

2. Spread B (oil dough) onto A.

3. Fold the flat sheet into 1/2 then 1/2 again.

4. Roll out into a thin sheet (make sure the oil dough stays within the water dough).

5. Fold 1/2 and 1/2 again and roll out into about 1/4 cm thick.

6. Cut into 10 - 12 portion.

7.  Roll dough to fit the filling. Wrap a piece of filling each with the skin. Press down to flatten. 

8. Eggwash each cake and sprinkle black sesame seed on top.

9. Bake at 170 C for 30 minutes. 

After all been said and done about mooncakes, I favorite is still my first love, lotus paste with salted egg yolk. A must have for me every year or it won't feel like Mid-Autumn.

Happy 中秋節.