With the approaching of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the debate around the five-nut mooncake has once again become a hot topic. Although it is often ridiculed by some for its unique taste, there is still a group of loyal enthusiasts who have a soft spot for it. In fact, the filling of the five-nut mooncake is rich in a variety of nuts and dried fruits. Compared to the overly sweet bean paste or lotus seed paste mooncakes, it not only offers a more diverse taste but also avoids causing a greasy feeling or weight gain concerns.
To make the five-nut mooncake, the necessary ingredients include inverted sugar syrup, lye water, medium gluten flour, peanut oil, and various nuts and dried fruits. Firstly, mix the inverted sugar syrup, lye water, oil, and a small amount of salt until emulsified, then add medium gluten flour to form a dough, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit for an hour. Divide the dough into portions, each skin being 15 grams, and the filling being 35 grams, mainly composed of almonds, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, raisins, cranberries, and sunflower seeds mixed with roasted glutinous rice flour and medium gluten flour, along with some sugar, water, and oil for flavor infusion.
When wrapping the mooncakes, flatten the dough, place the filling, and use the “tiger claw” technique to slowly wrap it and seal the edges. Afterwards, lightly dust the surface of the formed mooncakes with flour and use a mold to press out beautiful patterns. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, bake for 5 minutes to set the shape, brush a thin layer of egg wash, then continue baking for about 15 minutes until the surface turns golden. Let the baked mooncakes sit for a few days to oil-return, enhancing their color and flavor appeal.
