How to Make Soft, Sweet, Delicious Vegetarian Pia Cakes at Home

How to make Vegan Mooncake

• 1

  Wash and cook mung beans

  First, wash 100g of mung beans and soak them in water for 2 – 3 hours until soft. Put a pot on the stove, add the mung beans along with 500ml of water, and cook over high heat until boiling.

  When the water boils, reduce the heat to low, remove any dirty foam from the surface. Then, cover the pot tightly and continue to cook for another 25 – 30 minutes until the beans are soft.

  When you see the water is almost evaporated, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for another 10 minutes before turning off the stove.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Stir-fry mung bean filling

  Add 100g of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the mung beans and mix well until the sugar dissolves. Next, use an immersion blender to puree the mixture.

  Dissolve 3 tablespoons of cooking oil with 3 tablespoons of glutinous rice flour. Then, pour this flour mixture into the pureed mung beans.

  Place the mung bean mixture on the stove and stir-fry over low heat for about 10 minutes until the filling is nearly dry and smooth.

  At this point, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and continue to stir until the filling forms a soft dough that no longer sticks to the pot and does not stick to your hands when touched.

  Note: The filling for the vegan mooncake will be softer compared to the filling for traditional mooncakes. Therefore, do not stir-fry the filling for too long as it will become dry.

  Finally, for the pineapple filling, tightly wrap the filling with plastic wrap.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Sauté pineapple filling

  Peel and remove the eyes of the pineapple, then wash it clean and use a knife to cut about 6 – 8 slits along the body of the pineapple. Next, use a fork to scrape the flesh of the pineapple.

  Tip:

  • This scraping method helps the pineapple flesh become soft and easier to sauté. However, if you don’t know how to do this, you can also cut the pineapple flesh into small pieces.
  • If you do not like the cake with pineapple filling, you can skip this step or replace it with a durian filling cooked with sugar.

  Heat a pan on the stove, add the pineapple flesh, 100g of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir well over high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils.

  When you see the liquid mixture reduce, lower the heat, use a spoon to mash the larger pineapple pieces, and continue sautéing until the pineapple forms a sticky mass.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Mix the dough for the skin and filling

  For the skin dough:

  Put 250g of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 75g of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, and 100ml of water into a bowl. Use your hands to knead the dough until it forms a uniform, smooth, and pliable mass.

  To prevent the dough from drying out, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.

  For the filling dough:

  In a new bowl, add 50g of tapioca flour, 50g of flour, and 3.5 tablespoons of cooking oil, and mix well until the ingredients stick together.

  Then, use your hands to knead until the dough forms a smooth, pliable mass that does not stick to your hands.

  Tip: If the dough is still dry, you can add a little more cooking oil!

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Divide the dough and roll the dough

  Divide the outer dough and the filling dough into 15 equal parts with a ratio of 30gr outer dough : 10gr filling dough.

  Use your hands to flatten the outer dough, place the filling dough in the center, then gently press to bond the two parts of the dough together. Next, roll the dough into a ball and use your hands to flatten it lengthwise.

  Continue to roll and flatten the dough as described above two more times, then roll it into a ball.

  

  

  

  
• 6

  Wrap the filling

  Divide the mung bean filling and pineapple into 15 parts with a ratio of 40gr mung bean : 25gr pineapple.

  Place 1 ball of mung bean filling on a piece of plastic wrap, then use your hands to flatten it and place the pineapple filling in the center. Next, gather the edges of the filling tightly to seal it. Do the same with the remaining filling.

  Tip: To prevent the filling from drying out, remember to cover it tightly with plastic wrap!

  Next, use a rolling pin to flatten the outer dough, place the filling in the center and seal the edges of the dough tightly.

  

  

  
• 7

  Decorating and baking the cake

  Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.

  Mix red food coloring with a little water, then use a cotton pad to lightly press the color onto the surface.

  Place the cake on a sheet of parchment paper (with the non-smooth side facing down). Then, press the colored mold onto the cake to create decorative patterns and flatten the cake.

  Next, let the cake sit for 15 minutes to dry the color on the cake. Flip the cake onto the tray, place the tray in the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius.

  After 20 minutes, take the cake out, flip it over, and let it cool completely.

  Beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water, then brush a thin layer on the surface of the cake. Finally, bake the cake for another 15 minutes at 175 degrees Celsius.

  

  
• 8

  Final Product

  The cake after baking will still be a bit firm, let it sit overnight so that the cake can absorb the oil, keeping the crust soft and moist with a beautiful separation of layers.

  The vegetarian pia cake has a golden, shiny crust that is attractive, along with a nutty, soft, and fragrant flavor combined with a sweet, rich mung bean filling interspersed with a slight sourness from pineapple; these two flavors combined will be extremely delicious when enjoyed!