As per described by the name, OJ aren't go for the typical mooncake. Yes! This is the HEALTHIER version and delicious still mooncake.
For the taste wise; it consists of the crunchiness of the nuts, sourness of the cranberries, sweetness of the raisins, and last but not least, the fluffy yet moist skin too. These make the mooncake a perfect combination with the fruit taste from the mermalade.
OJ get the recipe from O's mom; where she got it years back from newspaper and she jotted in her very own recipe book.
Here is the sneak peek of the very original recipe. And we did modify a bit the recipe to suit our own taste. :)
Without further ado, let's start baking!
This recipe yields 24 pieces mooncake.
Syrup 300g
Peanut Oil 150g
Alkaline Water (碱水) 1 tablespoon
Mix these liquids homogenously, then add in the Low Protein Flour 500g (sifted) untill they are fully combined as shown in the picture.
Let the dough rest in room temperature for at least 3 hours. Then divide the dough into 40g portion and shape into small ball.
Look at these colourful ingredients, they consists of:
Caster Sugar 2½ tablespoon
Salt 1¼teaspoon
Koh Fun 50g
Almond Stripes 50g
Pumpkin Seed 50g
Sesame 25g
Sunflower Seed 50g
Cranberries 75g (chopped)
Raisins 75g (chopped)
Mermalade Orange 7½ tablespoon
Water 5 tablespoon
Mix the above ingredients well and divide into 25g portion and shape into small ball.
The 40g dough ball and the 25g filling ball.
Press the dough into a flat disc, the diameter should be enough to cover the ball of paste.
Place the filling ball in the center of the dough sheet and then wrap the dough around the filling.
* Remove the excess skin.
Roll the whole ball into round shape.
Bake in preheated oven 180ºC for 10 minutes, remove them & let cool.
Apply egg wash (1 egg yolk + 2 tablespoon water) after approximately 10 minutes later.
Continue baking180ºC for 10 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let it cool.
Do not eat the mooncakes immediately unless you can not wait for it.
It needs 2-3 days to let the oil penetrate the skin for the pasty to become soft and oily.
Some useful tips:
1. For the marmalade orange, OJ used Smucker brand (sugar free, which is available from TxxxO). If you are using other brands contain sugar, you might consider to reduce the amount of sugar.
2. Bake all the nuts at 150ºC for 10 minutes to ensure the crunchiness of the nuts.
3. Cover your hands with some oil to ease the shaping of the filling. (J complains the skin dough stick on his hands. Mainly is due to O didn't cover her hands with oil while shaping).
4. Apply the egg wash right before enter the oven to prevent the skin turns soggy.
5. Assemble the excess skin dough and shape it into shapes you like (as shown in the very first picture).
6. If you are running out of almond stripes, whole almond will do too. Chop it manually!
Enjoy baking and you will fall in love in this very non-typical mooncake!
Baking is a piece of ART, you have to be PATIENCE!!!
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