Chestnut Paste Mooncake

Overview

The annual Mid-Autumn Festival is here again, and it’s another festival for making mooncakes; this is the second time I’ve made puff pastry mooncakes, using chestnuts as the filling. The so-called [Puff-Skin Mooncake] has a very crispy outer skin, and the texture is so crispy when you bite into it. Chestnuts are very fragrant and a little sweet, so I did not add sugar when frying the chestnut puree; if you like a sweet filling, you can add a little sugar. You can eat more home-made fillings without feeling tired, mainly because there is not a lot of oil and sugar added; since it is home-made without adding preservatives, you must put it in the refrigerator and eat it as soon as possible. . In fact, making mooncakes is very simple, you just need to spend some time making the fillings; the so-called home-made ones are healthy and hygienic.

Tags

• festival customs
• traditional food
• mid-autumn festival
• mooncakes
• all-purpose flour
• chestnut
• edible oil
• egg liquid
• lard
• warm water
• white sesame
• salt
• water

Ingredients

Steps

1. 1 Wash the chestnuts after buying them and set aside.

   

2. 2 Use scissors or a knife to cut a cross at the bottom of the chestnut. Be careful when cutting because the shell of the chestnut is smooth and the knife can easily slip off.

   

3. 3 Cut/mark all the chestnuts and arrange them into the grill.

   

4. 4 Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, 220 degrees in the middle. After roasting, take it out of the oven and let it cool. At this time, you can see that the chestnuts have cracked.

   

5. 5 The shells can be peeled off when they are still slightly warm. Roasted chestnuts can be peeled off easily.

   

6. 6 Rinse the chestnuts, put them into a pot and add an appropriate amount of water. The water must cover the top of the chestnuts.

   

7. 7 Cook over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes until the chestnuts are soft, then turn off the heat and let cool.

   

8. 8 After the cooked chestnuts have cooled down, put them into a food processor and stir them into chestnut puree. Add the water used to cook the chestnuts together. The water content of the cooked chestnuts has been reduced by half. If there is still a lot of water, you don’t need to add all of it, just add a little.

   

9. 9 Blend chestnut puree in a food processor, then put it into a non-stick pan and stir-fry over low heat.

   

10. 10 When the water content of the chestnut puree starts to decrease during stir-frying, you can add cooking oil in 3 batches; add while frying until the chestnut puree and oil are combined, then turn off the heat and wait to cool. Once cool, place it in the refrigerator overnight so it will be easier to roll into balls.

    

11. 11 How to make puff pastry mooncakes: Put the flour and lard ingredients for the dough into a bowl, slowly add warm water and stir evenly to form a dough. Stir evenly and knead with your hands to form a smooth dough.

    

12. 12 The ingredients for the pastry, flour and lard, can be mixed directly and stirred evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

    

13. 13 After letting it sit for 30 minutes, knead the oil dough a few times and divide it into small doughs. Each small dough is 24 grams; then roll it into a round shape.

    

14. 14 After letting it rest for 30 minutes, divide the pastry into small pastries, each of which is 18 grams; then roll it into a round shape.

    

15. 15 Flatten a dough ball with the palm of your hand or roll it out with a rolling pin. It doesn't need to be too thin.

    

16. 16 Take a piece of pastry and put it in the middle of the dough.

    

17. 17 Wrap the pastry and seal tightly.

    

18. 18 Continue to wrap each piece into puff pastry, then let it rest for 15 minutes, covering it with plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping from the surface.

    

19. 19 After 15 minutes, take a wrapped puff pastry, flatten it slightly with the palm of your hand and roll it into a beef tongue shape with a rolling pin.

    

20. 20 Then roll it up. Roll up all the puff pastry.

    

21. 21 Let stand for 10 minutes and cover with plastic wrap.

    

22. 22 While waiting, prepare the white sesame seeds for decoration.

    

23. 23 Egg liquid is reserved.

    

24. 24 Then roll the chestnut puree into round shapes, 20 grams each.

    

25. 25 After 10 minutes, take a rolled pastry and flatten it.

    

26. 26 Fold the sides.

    

27. 27 Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough so that the center dough is thinner than the surrounding dough.

    

28. 28 Put chestnut puree in the middle.

    

29. 29 Wrap the chestnut paste and pinch tightly.

    

30. 30 If the shape is not round enough, you can use the palms of your hands to lightly press inward on both sides of the dough.

    

31. 31 Finally, brush with a thin layer of egg wash, add white sesame seeds and place on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes before taking it out. The temperature must be adjusted according to each oven.

    

32. 32 Out of the oven.

    

33. 33 Finished product