Shanghai mooncake

When staying in Kuala Lumpur,  mooncake festival is a good gathering time for all the family coming home to have a good dinner but is busy day for the mum. And everywhere we can get nice and delicious mooncake with different shape and filling. But in here we just can get the mooncake with not much variety and too expensive. Then at the first time maker of mooncake I'm try this Shanghai mooncake because is no need to use mould. The recipe I'm adapted is using red bean filling but I'm prefer white lotus filling. The first time making homemade filling, result is good and importance we can adjust the sugar we use.

Pastry Adapted from : Nasi Lemak Lover 

Filling adapted from : The Wandering Eater

Filling(I'm prefer white lotus paste filling)

2 packages of dried lotus seeds (each package 170 g)-get lotus seeds without skin if for white lotus paste

2 cups water (or more if needed)

200 gm sugar (more or less, according to taste)

100 – 150 ml peanut oil 

2 tablespoon honey or maltose syrup

1 teaspoon lye water(alkaline water)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Method: 

1. Rinse the lotus seeds and soak for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Remove the germs/cores inside the seeds if any, as they taste bitter.
2.  Place water and lotus seeds in a pan and boil on medium heat until all water is absorbed and seeds are soft.
3. Place cooked seeds in food processor or blender and process until very fine. Set aside.
4. Heat the wok and melt 5 tbs sugar with a little bit of water (until the water barely covers the sugar) until it turns into caramel color. (if you prefer white lotus paste then skip this part)
5. Add pureed lotus seeds, the rest of the sugar, oil and salt. Stir well. Add in honey/maltose, lye water and mix well. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until dry and paste comes off the sides of the pan. Leave to cool.

Pastry

250gm butter (salted) 
150gm icing sugar
1 egg (large)
380gm plain flour
60gm custard powder

16pcs salted egg yolks, brush with rice wine, steamed for 5mins (I use 1/2 of egg yolk every mooncake for healthy)

Melon seeds or Black and White sesame seeds
Egg wash-1 egg yolk+1 tablespoon water+1 tablespoon milk

Method:

1. Weight the filling paste for 40 gm each and wrap with 1 pc(I use 1/2) salted egg yolk and shape it to ball, set aside.
2. Sift plain flour and custard powder, set aside.
3. Beat butter and icing sugar till creamy (do not over beat, 2-3minutes just nice).
4. Add in egg, beat well to combine. Add in sifted flour and custard powder, lightly to combine to form a soft dough.
5. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30minutes.
6. Weight dough for 50gm each and shape to ball.
7. Flatten dough with your palm and wrap up the paste filling into it and shaping it like an egg shape then place on baking tray (you may dust hands with Kor Hun (cooked glutinous rice flour).
8. Lightly brush the whole mooncake with egg wash and decorate top with melon seeds or black and white sesame seeds.
9. Bake at pre-heated oven at 180C for 20mins.(I'm bake at 160C(fan)
10. Leave to cool before cutting.