Traditional Mooncake 中秋月饼

Ingredients for making Lotus paste:

600 gm. Lotus Seeds
560 gm. Sugar
500 gm. Groundnut oil
1 1/4 Tablespoon Alkaline water
2 Tbsp. Maltose
1 tsp. Alkaline water
1 Tbsp. Condense milk
1/2 tsp. salt
for caramel: 4 Tbsp. sugar

Method:

(1) Mix Lotus seeds with 1 1/4 Tbsp. alkaline water and 3 Tbsp. water, rest for 20 mins. Then pour in hot boiling water and cover it for about 20 - 30 mins. Wash away the lotus seeds skin, then add water (about 3 rice bowls) and pressure cook until lotus seeds are soft. (Rough guide - I used fissler pressure cooker, so I waited until the red knob appears, then continue boiling at medium heat for about 20 mins. then off the fire and wait until my cover can open.

(2) Blend the lotus seeds until very fine.

(3) Heat the wok and fry the 4 Tbsp. sugar with some oil till sugar turns caramel in colour. Pour in blended lotus seeds, sugar, oil,salt and fry till water dries up.

(4) Add in maltose, 1 teaspoon alkaline water and milk and mix well.

For Mooncake pastry:

350 gm. Hong Kong flour
90 gm. oil
200 gm. Moon cake syrup (Moon cake syrup recipe is in my blog too)
1 1/4 tsp. alkaline water

This paste yields about 18 nos. of mooncakes

Method:

(1) Mix the above ingredients together and rest for at least 1 hour before moulding it with lotus paste.

(2) Mix 30 gm.of roasted olive seeds and 30 gm. of roasted melon seeds into the lotus paste. weigh the lotus paste and wrap in salted egg yolk.

(3) Wrap with about 45 gm. of pastry and press into mooncake mould. Knock out from the mould and bake the mooncakes for 10 mins., cool slightly then brush with egg glaze , then re-bake again for another 10 mins. or till golden brown.