Sweet bean paste, soft and chewy mochi, salted egg yolks, meat floss are wrapped in flaky pastry is Taiwan take on modern days mooncake. The combinations of flaky, soft, chewy texture and sweet and savory taste make this 3Q mooncake really unique and so good!!!
I use store-bought cooked duck eggs so I don't need to steam anymore. If yours are raw, steam the salted egg yolks for 10 minutes over medium heat and let them cool down completely
Divide the taro paste that has been chilled in the fridge into 12 portions, about 30 grams each. Roll into round balls, covered and keep in the fridge while you prepare the rest
Portion out the pork floss into 12 portions
Prepare the mochi:
Mix all the ingredients for mochi. Strain the batter if necessary. Pour this on the pan and keep stirring over medium-low heat until the mixture started to thicken. Keep stirring until the dough leaves the side of the pan, smooth and not sticky
Wrap with a plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Oil your palms and then divide into 12 equal portions
Prepare the water dough:
In a large mixing bowl, mix flour with icing sugar. Rub the shortening into the flour mixture. It will feel crumbly, resembling bread crumbs. Gradually add the water and continue to mix and knead until you form a non-sticky dough. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes
Prepare the oil dough:
Rub the butter into the flour until it forms a smooth dough. Add food coloring and knead until the color is even. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes
Assemble the filling:
Flatten the taro paste into a circle. Put a portion of pork floss. Add salted egg yolk and then cover with a taro paste, it's okay if you can't cover the entire ball. Cover with a flatten mochi dough on top of the other half
There's no right and wrong here, you can also just lightly flatten the taro paste then put a portion of pork floss on top, a salted egg yolk and a slightly flattened mochi. So it's kind of like stacking up the filling
Shaping:
Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F). My oven only uses bottom heat. Please adjust accordingly if you use convection top and bottom heat oven
Divide water dough into 6 portions. Divide the oil dough into 6 portions
Flatten the water dough and roll into a round circle. Place the oil dough inside. Wrap the water dough around the oil dough. So the oil dough is nested inside the water dough now. Repeat with the rest of the doughs. Keep them covered and let them rest for 30 minutes
Work with one dough at a time. Use a rolling pin to roll this dough into a flat oval shape. Roll it up from the side and then flatten into a long log. Roll it up into a Swiss roll. Flip to its side and cut into half with a very sharp knife (serrated knife is recommended)
Place the cut-side facing down. Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a circle, about 7-inch in width and place the filling on top. Gather the sides to wrap the filling. Pinch to seal at the bottom
Combine both white and black sesame seeds in a bowl. Brush the top with egg wash and then dip the top into a bowl of sesame seeds. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Use a skewer or a fork tines to poke about 5-6 holes on top. This is to prevent the filling from bursting during baking
Baking:
Place the baking sheet, 3rd rack from the top into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then remove to cooling rack to let them cool down completely
Notes
You can also use only 6 salted egg yolks and cut into half to make 12 if you don't want to use one whole yolk per mooncake