As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the variety of mooncakes in the market is vast, ranging from pineapple, mixed nuts, to red date paste, salted egg yolk, lotus seed paste, and even rose flavor, everything is available. However, my son at home is not interested in these traditional flavors, and he only has a preference for red bean paste mooncakes. Unfortunately, the red bean paste mooncakes available in the market tend to be overly sweet, so this year I decided to make them by hand to suit his taste.
During the preparation phase, I purchased red beans and used a pressure cooker to cook them until soft. Then I added a suitable amount of red dates and rock sugar, simmering until the bean paste reached a thick consistency. Once cooled, I rolled them into small round red bean balls and let them sit aside.
For the mooncake crust, I used plain flour, mixed in cooking oil, honey, and a small amount of lye water for flavoring. The amount of lye water needs to be cautious and not excessive. The dough gradually took shape as I kneaded it in my hands, and then I placed it in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours to make it easier to work with.
When making the mooncakes, I took a piece of dough and wrapped it around a red bean paste ball, then, using a pre-greased mold, gently pressed it, and a mooncake form appeared before my eyes. To prevent sticking, I laid a layer of absorbent paper on the baking tray, placed the mooncakes down, and first baked them at a low temperature for ten minutes to set their shape. Then I removed them, evenly brushed a layer of egg yolk liquid on top, and returned them to the oven to continue baking for about fifteen minutes. Due to my slightly longer baking time, the mooncakes turned out a bit darker in color, but their taste was surprisingly good. Finally, I chilled the homemade mooncakes overnight, and when tasted the next day, the flavor was even better.
