Moon Cake with Mixed Nuts filings
In Vietnam the Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival mainly for the Children and also a good time to enjoy some mooncakes with family and friends to celebrate the beginning of the Fall season. There are varieties of mooncake at the store to choose from. Leading up to the holiday which is on the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar I remember buying a box of mooncake, cutting into small pieces and just savoring the fantastic taste of each bite. My favorite has always been anything with durian inside and mixed nuts. Due to Covid I have time to practice and master the art of making these moon cakes at home. Hope you enjoy.
Ingredients
Dough: for the best results try to be exact with the measurement ( makes 10 mooncakes)
2.5 cup sifted all purpose flour
6 tbsp peanut oil
1 tablespoon flour for coating
3/4 cup golden syrup
1 tsp of lye water
Filling: (you have flexibility in the fillings; I did not use any sugar in the filings instead I added more dried fruits which have plenty of sugar content; you can have whatever you want as long as you can form them into a ball. Red bean is also good or lotus seeds.)
1/2 cup roasted almond
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup of macadamia nuts
1/2 cup of sun flower seeds
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of ginger candied
1/2 cup of dried papaya
1/2 cup of coconuts strips
1/3 cup Jack Daniels Honey - use water or coconut water if you want to keep this alcohol free
6 tbsp of peanut oil
2 tbsp of roasted glutinous rice flour
2 tbsp of sesame seed paste
Egg wash
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
Recommended equipment
mist spray bottle, filled with water
parchment paper
Instructions for cooked glutinous rice flour:
In a pan over medium-low heat, no oil, add uncooked glutinous flour and roast. Stir constantly until the flour turns into a light yellow.
To make the dough:
In a large mixing bowl, or Stand Mixer - add the golden syrup, peanut oil, and lye water, and mix well. Add the sifted flour and knead/mix until the flour is well incorporated. Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 2-4 hours.
Assemble the mooncakes:
Use a kitchen scale to measure ~ 2.6 ounces of filling at a time. Form mixed nuts filing into a ball with your palms and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the filling. Use the scale to measure ~ 1.8 ounces of dough at a time. Form it into a ball with your palms. Take a ball of dough and use your palm to pat it flat or evenly. Place a ball of filling in the center and wrap the dough around it, bringing the edges of the dough up to cover the filling completely. Roll it into a uniform ball.
Dust the ball with flour. Place it into the mold and gently flatten it until it fills the mold. Put the mold on a parchment-lined board, press the stamp down, and slowly lift the mold to release the mooncake. Immediately cover with tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Repeat with the rest of the dough and the filling. Spray the mooncakes with water before baking them to prevent from cracking.
To bake the mooncakes:
Position a baking rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water until combined.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Lightly brush the egg wash all over the mooncakes.
Return the mooncakes to the middle rack of the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and bake for another 10 minutes.
Transfer the mooncakes to wire racks to cool.
Watch video below for additional instructions
