How many varieties of Mooncakes have you tried?
In our last blog, we showcased a whopping 12 different types of regional variations of mooncakes. Did you manage to pick out a favourite? Check it out here if you haven't read it.
Today we focus on one specific type of mooncake - the Pandan Shanghai Mooncake.
Shanghai mooncake is characterised by its short crust pastry. The crisp and buttery crust of the skin goes very well indeed with the oriental mooncake lotus paste fillings. A modern variation compared to the typical traditional mooncakes, these mooncakes combine a western style crisp biscuit-like pastry with a traditional Chinese filling which is soft, sweet yet salty from the egg yolks.
The Shanghainese Mooncakes are also called 鲜肉月饼 (xiān ròu yuèbǐng). Unlike their far more famous cousin, the Shanghainese Mooncakes are savoury, filled with fresh meat, and best eaten fresh out of the oven. But our chef, Sally Choo "Malaysianised" the Shanghai Mooncake with Pandan and her choice of ingredients. Let's bake some mooncake!
Recipe for Pandan Shanghai Mooncake
Ingredients:
*1 cup plain flour
*1 tbsp icing sugar
*20g milk powder
*1tsp salt
*1 tbsp @my.blue.tea Pandan Powder
Wet ingredients:
*65g butter unsalted, softened
*1 large egg
* Milk
For the Egg wash:
*1 egg, lightly beaten
*1 tbsp milk
*1 heaped tbsp sesame seeds/melon seeds (topping)
Method:
(1) Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
(2) Add softened butter. Rub in the butter until you get a crumbly texture.
(3) Add egg and continue to knead into a soft smooth ball. If it's a bit too wet, you may add a bit of flour, teaspoon by teaspoon.
(4) If it's too dry, you can add a bit of milk, teaspoon by teaspoon.
(5) Wrap with a plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
(6) Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F (top and bottom heat). Place your baking tray of mooncakes into the oven and bake for 10 mins.
(7) Remove from oven, rest for 5 mins then egg wash and top with melon seeds or sesame seeds.
(8) Return to the oven and continue baking until golden brown, about 20 - 25 mins more.
(9) Remove from oven and allow it to cool. Store in a covered air tight container at room temperature. Best consumed within 3 days. Store in the chiller for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost then, toast them before consuming.
Slide through the photos for the process of making Pandan Shanghai Mooncake
Mooncakes and Tea - a match made in heaven
Chinese tea is by far the most popular choice when it comes to beverage pairing with mooncakes. It is believed that tea can help to rid the stomach of the heavy feeling when one consumes rich, oily food. Tea, with its light flavour, can help to balance out the sweetness of the sweet bean or lotus paste. As for which tea to choose, that depends on your personal preferences.
From left we have Blue Goddess, Royal Blue and Blue Myrtle.
More intensely flavoured tea varieties, such as Oolong tea, help to reduce the oiliness of the mooncake, and yet provides a good overall balance of the flavour for the pairing.
We recommend Blue Goddess with goji berry and Butterfly pea flower if you are having Lotus Seed, Red Bean and Teochew mooncakes.
Royal Blue tea is always a lovely choice as it helps to reduce sugar in our body (read our blog on anthocyanins).
A red/black tea goes well with the strongest flavoured mooncake. For traditional mooncakes, it is common to find salted egg yolk in the filling so you get a mixture of sweet and savoury. Blue Myrtle would be a good choice to cut through both the sweet and salty flavours of this mooncake.
About our Chef, Sally Choo
So fortunate to have been introduced to Sally via Lillie Giang, our FOFA founder.
"My hometown is in Ipoh, Malaysia and I studied at the Main Convent. During my younger days, I did not do much cooking as we had a maid. I migrated to Australia in 1983. My husband is a Malaysian, from Ipoh too. We have 2 lovely daughters in their early 30s.
My hobbies are arts, crafts and I have got more interested in cooking during the later years of my life. I am now in my 60s. I do enjoy the learning process in my cooking experiences and journey. And I appreciate the encouraging comments on my posts especially from members of the food groups which I have joined.
The administrator of a group introduced me to My Blue Tea products. I have tried the Pandan Powder which is absolutely fragrant. The aroma of the cakes which I have baked is divine."
Thank you for sharing this lovely Pandan Shanghai Mooncake recipe with us, Sally! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!