Snowskin Strawberry Mooncakes 冰皮草莓月餅
During the week, a request came through for this recipe which I first made about 2 years ago. I know it is rather early to post a recipe for mooncakes in March! But then you do realize that it is now autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, don’t you? So what the heck, here it is.
Mooncakes are served during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the past ten years or so, the snowskin mooncakes have become very popular in South East Asia as they are served chilled, I guess because that would be especially good in the tropical climate. I have combined the ‘Chilled (Ping Pei) Carrot Mooncakes’ recipe from Jo’s Deli Bakery with a Japanese wagashi (Japanese sweets, see example) called ‘Ichigo Daifuku’ (苺大福 or Strawberry Mochi Cakes, see examples #1, #2, #3) and come up with this, well, east meets east, recipe. It was a great success with all who tried them. These mooncakes tasted surprisingly good, soft and also chewy at the same time. They also looked so festive draped in their red jackets with a juicy strawberry inside each of them.
Adapted from the recipe ‘Chilled (Ping Pei) Carrot Mooncakes’ at Jo’s Deli Bakery, Malaysia.
Makes approx. 8 - 10 large mooncakes, depending on size of moulds.
[Ingredients]
Snowskin Pastry:
160g icing sugar, sifted
25g ghee or shortening
1 teaspoon (approx.) strawberry paste essence, dissolved in
175ml hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
110g cooked glutinous rice flour (gaofen 糕粉), sifted
50g cornstarch
extra cooked glutinous rice flour for dusting
Filling:
1 kg (approx.) Red Bean Paste, store-bought or see recipe below
about 10 - 15 fresh strawberries, rinsed then patted very dry
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
Snowskin Pastry:
1. Line the inside of a microwaveable container with paper towel (kitchen paper), spread cornstarch evenly on top of the paper, microwave on HIGH for 1 minute to remove its raw tart taste. Remove, sift into a mixing bowl and cool. Mix with cooked glutinous rice flour and salt. If necessary sift the flour mixture again.
2. Rub ghee into icing sugar then stir in the flour mixture. Slowly pour in the cooled strawberry water to mix into a soft dough. Cover and stand for 10 minutes before using.
3. As a rough guide, divide snowskin dough into approximately 50g-portion for large mooncake mould or 15g-portion for small mooncake mould. Lightly dust your hands with extra cooked glutinous rice flour. Knead each portion until smooth and not sticky. Roll each into a ball for used as pastry for the mooncakes.
Strawberry & Paste Filling:
4. Divide red bean paste into approximately 120g-portion (includes a strawberry) or 30g-portion (include half or quarter of a strawberry) – these are just rough guide, you need to adjust them for the size of your mould. Wrap a strawberry into each bean paste portion and form into a ball.
Wrapping and shaping the mooncakes:
5. Lightly dust your hands with extra cooked glutinous rice flour. Flatten a snowskin pastry ball into a 5cm-diameter disc. Press to make the edges thinner than the centre. Place a ball of filling in the middle and press the pastry against the filling. Hold the pastry part with the palm of your right hand. With your left hand, start pushing the filling against the pastry. As you push the paste, use your right hand to rotate the ball, at the same time pressing the pastry up, enlarging it to enclose and seal the filling. You may find this hard to do in the beginning but with a bit of practice you will soon get the hang of it. When you finish you should get a completely enclosed mooncake ball with an even thin layer of snowskin pastry.
6. Dust the mooncake mould with extra cooked glutinous rice flour. Place the finished mooncake ball, seal side up, into the mould. Press the mooncake in to shape, then bang upper, lower, left and right sides of the mould against the bench to dislodge the mooncake. Repeat with the remaining mooncake pastry and filling balls.
8. Chill the snowskin mooncakes in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
[Tips]
1. If you cannot get strawberry essence or do not want to use essence, you can substitute the strawberry water with 180ml strawberry juice.
2. If you find it hard to wrap the filling using the amount of snowskin pastry suggested, you may want to increase the amount of dough slightly so it is easier to wrap.
Red Bean Paste 烏豆沙
Makes about 500g bean paste.
[Ingredients]
300g (approx. 1 1/3 cups) dried adzuki beans 紅豆
800-1000ml (3-4 cups) water
150g-200g sugar, adjust to taste
50-100g lard or ghee, adjust to taste
[Preparation]
1. Soak adzuki beans in enough water to cover for at least 3-5 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. Rapidly boil water in a saucepan, add drained beans and cook over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours until the beans split and are soft.
3. Drain and press through a sieve to remove the skins, this process will produce a very fine paste.
4. Melt lard or ghee in a wok until hot, stir-fry 1/4 to 1/3 of the sugar until melted, then add the paste and stir fry, adding the remaining sugar little by little, continue to stir-fry until thick and the bean paste can stand in peaks. Cool.
[Variation]
Use skinless mung beans to make Mung Bean Paste. Need less boiling time, or can be steamed until soft.
[Note]
Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
Mooncakes are served during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the past ten years or so, the snowskin mooncakes have become very popular in South East Asia as they are served chilled, I guess because that would be especially good in the tropical climate. I have combined the ‘Chilled (Ping Pei) Carrot Mooncakes’ recipe from Jo’s Deli Bakery with a Japanese wagashi (Japanese sweets, see example) called ‘Ichigo Daifuku’ (苺大福 or Strawberry Mochi Cakes, see examples #1, #2, #3) and come up with this, well, east meets east, recipe. It was a great success with all who tried them. These mooncakes tasted surprisingly good, soft and also chewy at the same time. They also looked so festive draped in their red jackets with a juicy strawberry inside each of them.
Adapted from the recipe ‘Chilled (Ping Pei) Carrot Mooncakes’ at Jo’s Deli Bakery, Malaysia.
Makes approx. 8 - 10 large mooncakes, depending on size of moulds.
[Ingredients]
Snowskin Pastry:
160g icing sugar, sifted
25g ghee or shortening
1 teaspoon (approx.) strawberry paste essence, dissolved in
175ml hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
110g cooked glutinous rice flour (gaofen 糕粉), sifted
50g cornstarch
extra cooked glutinous rice flour for dusting
Filling:
1 kg (approx.) Red Bean Paste, store-bought or see recipe below
about 10 - 15 fresh strawberries, rinsed then patted very dry
http://cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com/
[Preparation]
Snowskin Pastry:
1. Line the inside of a microwaveable container with paper towel (kitchen paper), spread cornstarch evenly on top of the paper, microwave on HIGH for 1 minute to remove its raw tart taste. Remove, sift into a mixing bowl and cool. Mix with cooked glutinous rice flour and salt. If necessary sift the flour mixture again.
2. Rub ghee into icing sugar then stir in the flour mixture. Slowly pour in the cooled strawberry water to mix into a soft dough. Cover and stand for 10 minutes before using.
3. As a rough guide, divide snowskin dough into approximately 50g-portion for large mooncake mould or 15g-portion for small mooncake mould. Lightly dust your hands with extra cooked glutinous rice flour. Knead each portion until smooth and not sticky. Roll each into a ball for used as pastry for the mooncakes.
Strawberry & Paste Filling:
4. Divide red bean paste into approximately 120g-portion (includes a strawberry) or 30g-portion (include half or quarter of a strawberry) – these are just rough guide, you need to adjust them for the size of your mould. Wrap a strawberry into each bean paste portion and form into a ball.
Wrapping and shaping the mooncakes:
5. Lightly dust your hands with extra cooked glutinous rice flour. Flatten a snowskin pastry ball into a 5cm-diameter disc. Press to make the edges thinner than the centre. Place a ball of filling in the middle and press the pastry against the filling. Hold the pastry part with the palm of your right hand. With your left hand, start pushing the filling against the pastry. As you push the paste, use your right hand to rotate the ball, at the same time pressing the pastry up, enlarging it to enclose and seal the filling. You may find this hard to do in the beginning but with a bit of practice you will soon get the hang of it. When you finish you should get a completely enclosed mooncake ball with an even thin layer of snowskin pastry.
6. Dust the mooncake mould with extra cooked glutinous rice flour. Place the finished mooncake ball, seal side up, into the mould. Press the mooncake in to shape, then bang upper, lower, left and right sides of the mould against the bench to dislodge the mooncake. Repeat with the remaining mooncake pastry and filling balls.
8. Chill the snowskin mooncakes in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
[Tips]
1. If you cannot get strawberry essence or do not want to use essence, you can substitute the strawberry water with 180ml strawberry juice.
2. If you find it hard to wrap the filling using the amount of snowskin pastry suggested, you may want to increase the amount of dough slightly so it is easier to wrap.
Red Bean Paste 烏豆沙
Makes about 500g bean paste.
[Ingredients]
300g (approx. 1 1/3 cups) dried adzuki beans 紅豆
800-1000ml (3-4 cups) water
150g-200g sugar, adjust to taste
50-100g lard or ghee, adjust to taste
[Preparation]
1. Soak adzuki beans in enough water to cover for at least 3-5 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. Rapidly boil water in a saucepan, add drained beans and cook over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours until the beans split and are soft.
3. Drain and press through a sieve to remove the skins, this process will produce a very fine paste.
4. Melt lard or ghee in a wok until hot, stir-fry 1/4 to 1/3 of the sugar until melted, then add the paste and stir fry, adding the remaining sugar little by little, continue to stir-fry until thick and the bean paste can stand in peaks. Cool.
[Variation]
Use skinless mung beans to make Mung Bean Paste. Need less boiling time, or can be steamed until soft.
[Note]
Please note this recipe uses 1 standard cup of 250ml, 1 tablespoon of 20ml and 1 teaspoon of 5ml.
Labels: Asian Fillings, Asian Pastries, Mooncakes
posted by SeaDragon @ 25.3.05
13 Comments:
wowwww!!!
strawberry instead of eggy yolk!
where did you get the wooden mould? i am dying for one, but don't want to go through quarantine.
Thanks SD. Btw, how long can these 'babies' last? -K
Jan,
Hehehe, my SIL bought it for me from HK about 3 years ago, didn't have any problems bringing it in though. I haven't seen it in Melb at all, but heard through rumours that Nanyang Supermarket in Springvale did carry some stocks quite a while ago but just temporary during the Mid-Autumn Festival periods - don't know if that's true or if they still carry them?
Kirsten,
Don't know leh, they were gone in a couple of days, since I did not made a lot and gave most of them away as gifts. So not sure how long they can last, but I won't keep them for more than a week in the fridge, I guess, because of the fresh strawberries. Make sure the strawberries are patted very dry before using, or else might get mouldy very quickly.
Have a safe and happy Easter, everyone :) Don't eat too much chocolate if you can help it ;)
DROO....L!! -K
wow your snowskin mooncakes look so delicious! I am beginning to wonder if you are a pastry chef or something. You always come up with really delicious asian sweets!
Kirsten,
Is it those pretty wagashi, don't they just look so yummy :)
Hey pinkcocoa,
Haha, no lah, I just like to experiment. ;)
Hey Jan, you can buy a mold off of Amazon.com.
Do you know where can I get the Koh Fun in Melbourne?
Cindy,
It should be quite readily available in most larger Asian groceries or supermarkets. Try shops in the city or Box Hill, Springvale areas if you find it hard to find.
Hi SD,
how long can the mung bean filling last if put in freezer? i've some left from making ang koo kueh.
delia,
It should keep for 1-2 months without any problems in the freezer, as long as you haven't reduced the amount of oil/fat and sugar to cook it, because they act as preservative for the bean paste.
SD,
I did make this mooncake during the recent mooncake festival. It taste nice.
delia,
Glad you liked the recipe :)
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