200g Cooked glutinous rice flour (Gao Fen)extra for dusting
85gIcing sugar
60gVegetable shortening, cold and cut into small pieces
200mlCooled boiled water
90gMelon seeds, dry toasted
Food colours and flavouring of your choice e.g, vanilla essence, pandan and rose
Fillings
400g Lotus seed paste shop bought
200gAdzuki bean (red bean) paste shop bought
90gMelon seeds dry roasted or dry toasted
50gPine nuts
3Salted egg yolks The amount you use will depend on the size of the egg yolks. Salted duck egg yolks – cut into 4. Salted chicken egg yolks cut into 2 or leave whole if it is really small. 3-6 yolks depending on your requirement or no yolks at all
1 tsp Sesame oil
Optional fillings
Prepared coconut filling
Prepared Mung beans filling (Note: should you use the optional fillings, you will have some lotus paste or adzuki bean paste left over.
Instructions
Make the pastry dough
Mix the glutinous rice flour and the icing sugar in a mixing bowl.
Add in the shortening and rub it into the rice flour and sugar mixture until it is like fine bread crumbs.
Add in the water slowly while mixing it with a fork to get the clumps of the dough. You may need more than 200 ml.
Once the mixture is clumpy, use your hand to bring it together and gently knead it to get a pliable dough which does not stick to your hands.
If it is too dry, add a bit more water. And if it is too wet, add a bit of the flour
Divide the dough into 4 portions.
Leave one portion without colour and add a few drops of vanilla essence and mix thoroughly by stretching and folding. Set aside.
Colour the other 3 portions of the dough with the colours and essence of your choice. Then set aside all the dough to rest.
Prepare the salted egg yolks
If you are not using home made salted eggs, go straight to ‘prepare the yolk for baking’ step.
Break the salted egg and retrieve the yolks.
Rinse the yolks in a bowl of water.
Using a kitchen towel, gently dap the egg white that is still attached to the yolk. The whites should stick to the paper and gently remove the yolks from it. You may need to do this a few times.
Set the cleaned yolk aside in a bowl.
Prepare the yolk for baking
Drizzle some sesame seed oil over the yolks. stir and coat it.
Place it on a baking parchment or grease proof paper and bake for about 6 minutes in 180C. If your egg yolk is big you may need to bake for 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Cut the duck yolks into 4 and the chicken yolk into 2 or leave it whole if it is very small.
Roll or press the yolks into little balls.
Set aside.
Prepare the dough
Divide the dough into 20g pieces and roll into balls.
Cover with cling film or a damp cloth and set aside.
Prepare the fillings
Add the melon seeds to the lotus paste and mix well.
Add the pine nuts to the adzuki bean paste and mix well.
Divide the fillings in the following manner:30g of filling for each moon cake, or,25g of filling and 5g of salted yolks. ( approximate, it may range from 3 to 5g)
For fillings with egg yolks:
Take a 25g of the filling and make a hole in the centre. Place a piece of the rolled yolk in, and wrap the yolk in the centre. Roll into a ball. Repeat. Until done.Set aside
To assemble
Take a ball of the skin dough and roll it thinly.
Place it over a filling and gently seal it by gathering the skin dough and bringing it together.
Pinch of any excess. Shape into an elongated ball.
Dip it in the rice flour. Lightly flour the mould as well, if possible.
Gently place the ball into the mould, and gently press it down.
Turn the mould over and gently press the mould making sure to hold the plunger down for a few seconds so that the ball is completely pressed.
Remove the mould and there you have the moon cake.
Repeat for all the moon cakes.
Serve. It is best consumed fresh.
Video
Notes
The moon cake can be stored in the fridge in an air tight container for 2 to 3 days.It will harden after that time.It can be frozen for 1-2 weeks. Thaw and serve.