Traditional Delicious Chewy Mooncake with Red Bean Filling Recipe

How to Make Red Bean Filling Mooncake

• 1

  Prepare the Ingredients

  First, wash 200gr with water and remove any broken or spoiled beans.

  Next, soak the beans in cold water for about 8 hours to soften. For larger red beans, you can soak them overnight.

  
• 2

  Boiled red beans

  After soaking the beans, wash them thoroughly again, then place the red beans into a pot with 800ml of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

  Next, put the pot of beans on the stove, boil on high heat until the beans start to boil, then reduce to low heat.

  Note: While boiling the red beans, stir frequently, skim off the foam, and add water if the water level drops quickly.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Puree the red beans

  Turn off the stove when the beans have burst and are soft.

  Let the boiled red beans cool, then place them in a blender, blending until the red beans are smooth. The longer you blend, the smoother the bean mixture will become.

  

  

  
• 4

  Cook the red bean filling

  You pour the ground red bean filling through a sieve, into a non-stick pan to prepare for the cooking step.

  Tip: For this step, prepare 80g of sugar and 70ml of cooking oil in advance.

  You place the ground beans in a stove and turn the heat to low. When the beans are still loose, add 80g of sugar, then use a mixing whisk to stir until the sugar completely dissolves into the beans.

  After the sugar has dissolved, gradually add 1/2 of the prepared cooking oil and continue cooking over low heat, stirring continuously. When the cooking oil and beans are well combined, slowly pour in the remaining oil and continue to stir well.

  When the filling becomes thick, dissolve 10g of cornstarch in 40ml of water and add it to the bean mixture, stirring continuously to combine the ingredients.

  Wait for a few minutes, then add 10g of glutinous rice flour last, and continue to cook until the filling forms a smooth, pliable mass that is not liquid and does not stick to the pan, then turn off the heat.

  With the filling cooked, let it cool slightly; while it is still warm, shape it into 40g round balls, then wrap the filling to prevent it from drying out while making the cake skin.

  Small tip:

  • Adding 70ml of cooking oil when the bean filling is still loose will prevent it from becoming oily.
  • To check if the filling has reached the right thickness, try rolling a small portion into a ball; if it holds its shape, it’s done; if it flows, continue cooking.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Making the cake skin

  You pour 400ml of cooled syrup for sticky cake into a bowl. Then, add 1 spoon of grapefruit essential oil and stir the mixture well.

  Weigh out 200g of sticky cake flour and place it in a large bowl. Next, use one hand to scoop each spoonful of sticky cake flour into the syrup, while using the other hand with a whisk to mix the flour with the syrup mixture. Do this quickly so that the flour does not clump. Gradually add flour until the mixture thickens.

  Once you have poured in all the flour, use your hands to knead quickly to form a dough. Then, place the dough on a kneading surface and sprinkle a thin layer of dry flour over it.

  Note: You should not apply too many layers of flour to avoid changing the flour amount, which could cause the cake to harden faster.

  Knead the dough by folding it from all sides, using the palms of your hands to gently press the dough away, then fold the dough back. After that, continue to rotate the dough and press it away again. Repeat this kneading action 4 – 5 times and then stop. This will ensure the dough is very smooth and not sticky to your hands.

  Note: To avoid making the cake hard, you should not knead the dough for too long.

  Finally, divide the dough into equal parts weighing 70g each. For the dough that you haven’t used yet, store it in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

  

  

  

  
• 6

  Forming the cake

  Take one part of the dough you just divided, shape it into a circle with your hands, then spread it out so that the dough at the edge is thinner than the center. This way, when wrapping the filling, the dough will spread evenly and adhere to the filling better.

  Next, place the red bean filling in the center of the dough, tightly press the edges of the dough together to completely seal the filling, then rotate the cake 2 – 3 times and roll it into a ball.

  To prevent the cake from sticking to the mold, sprinkle a little dry flour before placing the cake into the press mold. Then, put the cake into the mold, press lightly to make the cake spread evenly in the mold, and then press down firmly to shape it.

  Tip:

  • Due to the nature of the sticky dough, it will tighten very quickly, so you must press swiftly. If you are slow in this step, the dough will shrink and it will be difficult to create a sharp cake.
  • For those who are not yet familiar or are just starting, complete each small piece of dough one at a time instead of mixing all the dough and then dividing it. Follow the subsequent steps as instructed above. And after finishing the first cake, mix the dough and mold for the next cake.

  

  

  

  
• 7

  Final Product

  The finished red bean sticky cake has a slightly opaque white outer layer, with a faint aroma of grapefruit flowers.

  After being left for a day, the cake’s outer layer will become translucent white, smooth and chewy, with a milder sweetness and the red bean filling having a rich flavor. Therefore, if you want it to taste better, wait until the next day to enjoy it!

  Tip:

  • For traditional sticky cakes, you should not store them in the refrigerator, as this will make the cake hard and lose its chewiness.
  • You should consume them soon because the cake can only be kept at room temperature for about 5 – 7 days if you follow the recipe and the correct ingredient measurements as instructed above.