Lotus Paste Jelly Mooncake - Chinese Recipes

A modern take to the traditional baked mooncakes, this lotus paste jelly mooncake is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. You can make them in attractive colours, yet retain the authentic bits of a mooncake with the lotus paste filling and the pseudo-salted egg yolk center. These jelly mooncakes are fun to make and an absolute a delight to serve.

INGREDIENTS

Filling (pseudo-salted egg yolk)

2 tsp agar-agar powder
2 tbsp castor sugar
¼ tsp salt
290ml water
1 pandan leaf (knotted)
2 tbsp milk
1-2 drops orangey-red food colouring (or more for desired colour)

Lotus paste filling

75g lotus seeds (boiled until soft)
250ml thick coconut milk
250ml water
1 tbsp agar-agar powder
⅛ tsp salt
150g castor sugar
2 pandan leaves (knotted)

Thickening

1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp water

Mooncake Skin

1L water
240g castor sugar
5 pandan leaves (shredded and knotted)
1½ tbsp agar-agar powder
200ml thick coconut milk
½ tsp salt
4 tbsp whipping cream
1-2 drops food colouring (any colour of your choice)

Tools

Round ice cube moulds (approximately 2-2.5cm in diameter - the size of salted egg yolk)
Patty tins or muffin pan (for shaping the lotus filling)
Plastic jelly mooncake moulds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine agar-agar powder, sugar, salt and water in a saucepan. Add the knotted pandan leaf and bring contents to boil until sugar dissolves. Then add milk and orangey-red food colouring, and stir well to mix.
2. Pour into small, round ice-cube moulds and gently knock out the ‘yolks’ when set.

To make lotus paste filling:

1. Blend cooked lotus seeds and coconut cream in food processor and blend until finely pureed. Strain to remove excess liquid, then add agar-agar powder, salt and water.
2. In a heavy-based saucepan, cook sugar over a medium-low flame until sugar has caramelised. Be careful not to burn the sugar. When the sugar melts and turns slightly golden brown, remove the saucepan from the fire and pour in a small amount of lotus seeds paste mixture. Stir well to incorporate the caramel, and then pour in the rest of the lotus seeds paste. Keep stirring then add the pandan leaves. Cook until mixture comes to a simmer. Add in thickening and stir well.
3. Pour mixture into patty tins (or muffin pan). Put one ‘salted egg yolk’ into the centre of each filling. Leave to set then unmould. Cut out neatly with a 5cm round cutter and set aside the fillings for use later.

To prepare skin:

1. In a pot, add water, pandan leaves, sugar, agar-agar powder and salt. Cook over medium-low heat until it comes to a boil.
2. Add coconut milk, whipping cream, and food colouring (any colour of your choice). Stir well, and continue to cook for 1 min or until sugar is dissolved, and mixture is fairly thick. Discard the pandan leaves and remove pot from heat.
3. Spoon a tablespoon of agar-agar mixture into a wet plastic jelly mooncake mould. Set aside for 1 to 2 mins.
4. Place a filling in the centre of the mould and add more agar-agar mixture to fill up the mould. Set aside to cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill and set completely.

To serve, cut jelly mooncake into wedges and serve with a pot of freshly brewed Chinese tea. Best eaten chilled.