Whenever the autumn breeze brings coolness, it is the perfect season for tasting mooncakes. Five-nut mooncakes, this traditional flavor, inevitably become a hot topic each year. Despite the many criticisms, the group of people enamored with it remains enthusiastic. The charm of five-nut mooncakes lies in their rich and varied fillings, blending numerous nuts and dried fruits to create a fragrant taste. Compared to the cloying red bean or lotus seed paste mooncakes, they not only offer more chewing enjoyment but are also more palatable, making it less likely to become overwhelming or raise concerns about weight gain.
The process of making five-nut mooncakes is both an art and a technical skill. First, blend all-purpose flour and glutinous rice flour evenly and lightly fry until a light yellow color is achieved, then let it cool for later use. Next, finely chop various nuts such as large almonds, peanuts, cashews, and walnuts, and mix them with raisins, dried cranberries, and melon seeds, adding a small amount of moisture and flour. Let the dried fruits sit for a while to fully absorb the moisture and soften.
Then, mix together syrup, lye water, edible oil, and a pinch of salt until it reaches a milky white color and shows a delicate emulsified state. At this point, gradually add in the prepared all-purpose flour, mixing thoroughly to form a smooth dough, covering it with plastic wrap and letting it rest for an hour to improve the dough’s extensibility.
Dividing the dough is a key step, with the filling portioned into 35 grams each and the dough skin at 15 grams. Take a piece of dough skin, gently flatten it to wrap around the filling, and use the technique of pushing upward with the thumb and forefinger until it is completely enclosed, tightly pinching the seam to prevent cracking. All mooncake skins are completed in this manner.
Next, lightly dust the surface of the mooncake skin with flour and use a mold to press various patterns into it. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, first place the formed mooncakes into the oven for a brief baking of 5 minutes to set the shape. After removing, brush a thin layer of egg wash on top, and return them to the oven, continuing to bake for another 15 minutes until the surface develops an enticing golden color.
Finally, allow the freshly baked mooncakes to rest for a few days to let them naturally regain oil. This not only enhances the color of the mooncakes but also makes their texture softer and more delicate, with an improved flavor. Through this series of meticulous processes, the five-nut mooncakes, carrying the sentiments of the Mid-Autumn Festival, perfectly present themselves, waiting to be shared and savored by family.
