Teochew Preserved Mustard Mooncakes (潮州梅菜月饼 )

If you like to eat mooncake that does not need to wait for 3 days to return oil. You should try this Teo Chew Preserved Mustard Mooncake. These mooncakes are loved by the older generation and have never been tasted by many young Teochew people. You won’t be attracted by its traditional, simple look until you try it. I'm Cantonese but I love it very much. Once you taste it, its unique flavor will be unforgettable for you.

This mooncake is having a flaky crispy crust mooncake. It makes with Chinese flaky pastry which require creating two doughs: a 'water' dough and an 'oil' dough.  and tastes sweet with a slight hint of spice. It combines the aroma of preserved vegetables , sesame, lotus paste, candied winter melon, and melon seeds.

Chinese flaky pastry also known as Chinese puff pastry, is a form of unleavened flaky pastry used in traditional Chinese pastries that are invariably called subing (酥饼)in Cantonese. After learning this method, you can also use this method for making other pastry desserts like Seremban Shao Bao, thousand layers mooncake, or even the spiral curry puff.

Chinese-style yousu (油酥) was traditionally made with lard or vegetable oil. Nowadays, people use butter or ghee instead.

This mooncake is best served warm from baking. Once cooled, keep for three to five days at room temperature in an airtight container. Use a toaster to reheat before eating to restore the flakiness.

INGREDIENTS

Water Dough

130g All Purpose Flour

1g Salt

12g Honey

44g Water

75g Butter (Soften)

 

Oil Dough

108g flour

64g Unsalted Butter (Soften)

 

METHOD (water dough)

1. Combine the honey and water, stir until the honey fully dissolves.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl, mix it well, add in the dissolved honey to the flour mixture, mix until the mixture looks like rough crumbs. Add in the softened butter and slowly knead it with your hand until you have a smooth and soft dough. Cover and rest for one hour.

 

METHOD (Oil dough)

Combine the flour and softened butter in a mixing bowl. Mix it to form a soft dough.

 

Filling

500g Lotus Paste (store bought)

120g Preserved Mustard (Sweet/Salty)

50g White Sesame Seeds

40g Melon Seeds

50g Candied Winter Melon

 

METHOD

1. Wash and rinse the preserved mustard 4 to 5 times until water comes clear. Press to remove the excess water and dice it.

2. Finely chopped the candied winter melon.

3. In a nonstick skillet, stir fry the preserved mustard until dry and crisp. The texture looks like seaweed crumbs.

4. With the same skillet, cook the white sesame and melon seeds over low to medium heat respectively, until it turns a light tan color. Immediately remove from heat and let it cool completely.

5. Place the lotus pastes in a mixing bowl, add in all the filling ingredients, mix until all the filling ingredients are well incorporate. Divide into 9 pieces evenly and roll into a ball shape.

ASSEMBLE OF THE MOONCAKES

1.Divide the water dough and oil dough into 9 portions respectively, roll into a ball shape. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent dryness.

2. Take a piece of water dough ball seam side up, flatten it.  Wrap in a portion of the oil dough, fold up and pinch it tightly. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from turning dry. Repeat until the rest is completed.

3. Take the first wrapped dough with seam side up.  Flatten the wrapped dough slightly, roll from middle out, roll it into an oval-shaped sheet about 5” long. Roll it up from the short side. With the seam side up, flatten and roll it into an oval-shaped sheet again, about 8" long. Roll it up again. Repeat the same for the second wrapped dough until the rest is completed. Always shape the dough chronologically, to allow the dough to rest.

5.Take the first dough chronologically, seam side up, flatten it with your palm, pinch from the side with index finger, slightly round the shape. (dust slightly with flour to prevent skin from breaking). Roll from middle out, roll into thick middle, thin edge disc.

6. Put in the filling, seal the edges together with your thumb and index finger. Gently flatten the dough and place it on the baking sheet line with parchment paper. Poke some holes in the middle to prevent cracking.

7. Mix some red food coloring with a bit of water, dip the wooden stamp on coloring mixture, slightly stamp on tissue then gently stamp on the dough.

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 200° for 25 to 30 minutes. Halfway through around 15 minutes, take out from the oven, brush some soften butter on top while it’s still hot, and continue to bake for 15 minutes.