{"id":109755,"title":"Traditional Chinese Mooncakes","modified":"2025-10-29T15:54:27+01:00","plain":"Mooncakes, also known as moon cakes, are an iconic delicacy of the Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival) in China. According to legend, they played a role in the 14th century rebellion against the Mongols: secret messages were hidden inside and distributed to coordinate the uprising.\n\n\n\nToday, mooncakes are filled with red bean paste, lotus paste, taro paste, or other sweet fillings, all wrapped in a thin crust. They\u2019re often decorated with intricate patterns and may contain a salted egg yolk to symbolize the moon. You can also find a simplified version made with mung bean paste\u2014see the recipe for mung bean mooncakes.\n\n\n\nThe salted egg yolk is easy to see\n\n\n\nAn iconic treat of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival\n\n\n\nThe 2023 Moon Festival falls on September 29, which corresponds to the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar.\n\n\n\nThis festival celebrates the harvest and family reunions. People gather to admire the moon, which is said to be at its roundest and brightest at this time of year. Evening activities often include exchanging mooncakes, sipping tea, and gazing at the moon.\n\n\n\nMooncakes enjoyed with a delicious cup of oolong tea\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s an opportunity for family and friends to gather and share joyful moments, while honoring ancestral traditions.\n\n\n\nKey ingredients for mooncakes\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCorn syrup or \u201cgolden syrup\u201d: this is glucose syrup; it helps give the dough its texture. If needed, substitute honey.\n\n\n\nAlkaline water: also called \u201ckansui,\u201d it lends a subtle flavor and a distinctive color to the pastry. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s easy to make at home!\n\n\n\nTaro or lotus paste: you can fill the mooncakes with whatever you like, but traditionally lotus seed paste and taro paste are the most common. Note: if you buy ready-made paste (taro\/lotus\/red bean\/sesame), it may be too runny; heat it in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a firm, dough-like consistency.\n\n\n\nTaro paste is just so good\n\n\n\nIn short, making mooncakes isn\u2019t especially difficult\u2014it\u2019s mostly about following the steps. Fillings are endlessly variable; I recently tried white lotus, pandan, and caramelized coconut. Absolutely delightful.\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\tClassic Chinese Mooncakes\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\tmoule pour g\u00e2teau de lune\t\n\t\n\t\tDough60 g corn syrup0.25 teaspoon alkaline water24 g vegetable oil100 g wheat flourFilling220 g lotus paste (or other filling such as taro paste)salted eggs (optional)Egg WashEgg yolk, for brushingAlkaline Water5 g baking soda20 g water\t\n\t\n\t\tMake the alkaline waterStir the baking soda into the water.Make the doughIn a bowl, gently mix the syrup, alkaline water, and vegetable oil.Sift the flour and add it to the bowl all at once.Mix until just combined.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.Prepare the fillingDivide the taro or lotus paste into equal portions.Roll each portion into a ball and set aside.If using salted eggs, gently press a salted egg yolk into a paste ball, then wrap it carefully and evenly so there\u2019s no gap between the paste and the yolk. Aim for an even layer of lotus paste around the yolk to keep it centered in the mooncake.AssemblyDivide the dough into equal portions.Flatten the dough between two sheets of plastic or plastic wrap.Remove the top layer of plastic wrap.Place a ball of filling in the center.Fold the dough up and over the filling.Trim any excess dough where it overlaps to ensure an even thickness.Roll the mooncake between your palms to form a smooth ball.BakingRoll the mooncake on a lightly floured surface.Dip the mold plunger in flour, then tap off the excess.Place the dough on the baking sheet.Place the mooncake mold over the dough and press the plunger down.Bake at 175\u00b0C on the middle rack for 5 minutes, or until the surface starts to set.Remove the mooncake from the oven and brush the surface with egg yolk.Bake for another 10 minutes, or until golden.Remove the mooncake from the oven and let cool to room temperature.Transfer the mooncake to an airtight container and store for 3 days.\t\n\t\n\t\tIf making taro or lotus paste at home, cook it longer in the wok to evaporate excess moisture; it should be quite thick.\n\u00a0\nNote: store-bought paste (taro\/lotus\/red bean\/sesame) can also be too runny. Heat it in a saucepan, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a modeling-clay consistency.\n\t\n\t\n\t\tDessert, SnackChinoiseg\u00e2teau de lune, g\u00e2teau lune","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109755"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110088,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109755\/revisions\/110088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}