Min chang kueh (red bean yeast pancake)

I found two recipes of this by the same blogger and tried the 'overnight' version which had a distinctively sour taste. Altho that's characteristic of min chang kueh, my taste tester didn't like it.

No overnight:
http://mymindpatch.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/happycall-pancake-with-red-bean-paste.html

Overnight using natural yeast:
http://mymindpatch.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/natural-yeast-red-bean-pancake.html

My version is heavily edited, with the most important change being the use of bread rather than plain flour which I feel gives a more crispy texture.

Ingredients (makes 4 HCP pancakes)
200g warm water
200g cold milk
30g sugar
1 tsp instant dried yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg
250g bread flour
10g tapioca starch (or replace with flour)
200 to 300g red bean paste

Method
1) Sift the bread and tapioca flours. Add the salt and sugar. Stir.
2) Add the yeast and stir.
3) Prepare the liquid: add the milk to the water and warm up to 38 deg C (ie finger dipping temperature)
4) Create a well in the dry ingredients and crack in two eggs. Whisk in the egg and start pouring in the liquids. Whisk well to incorporate.
5) Cover and leave to proof for 45 mins to 1 hour until it doubles in volume. If you have time, I deflated the bubbles and let it proof again for an hour. You can also let the time do all the work. After combining all the ingredients, let it proof 4 to 6 hours in the fridge or overnight. The next day, let it come back up to room temp, about an hour.
6) Add in the baking soda.
7) Prep a HCP pan by pouring 1 tbsp of oil on the bottom, apply to the bottom and sides of the pan and then use a kitchen towel to wipe off.
7) Ladle on about 1.5 ladles's worth. Swirl so that it also coats up the side. Cover and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes on medium high heat. Every 1 to 2 minutes, alternate the base of the pan to the left and right to ensure even browning.
8) Once the sides have shrunk away from the pan, check that the bottom is golden. It is cooked when the top of the pancake is dry.
9) Remove from the fire and spread on the red bean paste on half the pancake. Fold the pancake in half to cover the red bean paste. Serve immediately.

Different recipe without peanut: https://simmetra.blogspot.com/2016/11/min-chang-kueh-red-bean-yeast-pancake.html

Swiss roll comparisons

I have finally bought a pan. Unfortunately in Aust, I can only find a slice pan and not a jelly roll pan which is the correct pan. The slice pan is 24.5*34.5, which is the largest slice pan I can find but a jelly roll pan is typically 25*35. I didn't think 0.5cm on each side would make too much of a difference as long as the heigh of the pan is tall enough. My slice pan is 2.5cm tall, am hoping this would be sufficient for the additional volume.

Bearing the volume of the cakes in mind, here are the recipes that I've short listed.

1) JOC Matcha (has video)
https://www.justonecookbook.com/matcha-swiss-roll/
- Genoise (whole eggs, less common method - moist texture) vs biscuit (aka chiffon method, most common - fluffier texture)
- Matcha cream filling
- 4 eggs in 38 by 25 cm jelly roll pan
- Hand whisk egg yolks.
- Sift flour 3 times.
- 190 deg C for 12-13 mins
- Don't over-bake or too dry and cracks during rolling
- Remove paper from bottom when hot. Cover with parchment and flip so that curst is inside.
- Roll when hot in parchment for 'muscle memory'. Cover in towel. Re-roll when cold but I noticed the cake stuck to the parchment.

2) Not quite Nigella
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2015/03/17/matcha-swiss-roll/
- Mascapone filling
- 4 egg whites, 2 egg yolks in a swiss roll tin (no dimensions given)
- Modified genoise method. Beat in whites to soft peaks then beat in yolks one at a time. Fold in sifted flour.
- 200 deg C for 10 mins.
- While hot, inverted onto parchment that has powdered sugar sifted on it. Remove parchment from the bottom and roll up before leaving to cool i.e. crust is on the outside. No wonder she had to sift so much matcha over the sugar to cover it!

3) Christines
https://en.christinesrecipes.com/2010/06/green-tea-matcha-swiss-roll.html?m=1
- Cream filling
- 6 egg whites, 9 yolks in 31.5*23 cm baking tray (altho she recommends 2 trays so that it's thinner and easier to roll)
- Lots of oil; 2 types of oil; plain and corn flour unlike everyone else who uses cake flour; hot water instead of milk as some recipes use
- 220 deg C for 10 to 15 mins
- Cool cake before removing parchment. After removing parchment, scores the cake so it's easier to roll. Spread on the cream and roll. Crust is outside.

4) CWD Matcha (has video) - Tested here
https://cookingwithdog.com/recipe/matcha-roll-cake/
- Red bean filling
- 4 eggs in 26 by 36cm pan
- Uses beater to beat egg whites then same unwashed beater to beat egg yolks till pale and fluffy and doubled in volume.
- Sifts flour 3 times.
- 170 deg C for 25 mins
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage once out of oven. Place on a flat surface to cool and cover to prevent drying out
- Uses Kraft paper which is supposed to be easier to remove. Remove paper from bottom after just a few minutes of cooling.
- Flip again so the crust is on the inside to spread on cream. Roll when cool.
- Use ruler on to tuck the paper under the roll to tighten it

5) Rasa Malaysia Matcha
https://rasamalaysia.com/matcha-roll-green-tea-swiss-roll/2/
- Red bean filling
- 3 eggs in 10 (25.4cm) by 12" (30.48) pan
- Uses a beater.
- Fold melted butter in last (like madeleines?)
- 230 deg C for 10 mins
- Cool 10 minutes before removing the parchment. Roll while warm.

6) Kitchen Tigress Matcha (has video)
https://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2015/02/matcha-green-tea-azuki-red-bean-roll.html
- Red bean filling; different brands of Hokkaido red bean paste superior to China red bean
- 3 eggs, oil
- 80g egg white (?) in 12 (30.48cm) by 9" (22.86cm) pan
- Uses beater to beat yolks.
- 170 deg C for 20 mins
- Shield top of pan. Has pan of water on lower shelf
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage
- Cool on rack. Remove paper when cool. Roll when cool.
- Skinless bottom is outside of cake and crust is the inside of the cake.

7) Ochikeron Matcha (has video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzugYxNMD4Y
- Real strawberry filling
- Modified genoise method. Beat eggs whole.
- 3 eggs in 9 inch square brownie pan
- Uses beater throughout, even to beat in the flour.
- 180 deg C for 12 mins
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage
- Roll when cool.
- Use paper to tuck the roll in

8) Bake for Happy Kids Real strawberry filling (has video)
http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/2017/10/strawberry-chiffon-Swiss-roll.html
- Real strawberry filling. Standard and easiest to roll.
- 4 to 5 eggs in 35*25cm pan (140g egg white, 60g yolk)
- Hand whisk yolks
- 180 deg C for 15 mins
- Better to slightly over-bake than under-bake.
- Cool on rack. Remove parchment after 5 mins cooling only.
- Outside of cake is crust.
- Roll when cool.

9) BHK Strawberry jam (has video)
http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/2018/07/Asian-basic-strawberry-jam-chiffon-Swiss-roll.html
- Thin cake and spreadable filling but harder to roll
- about 4 to 5 eggs in 35*25cm pan (175g egg white, 75g yolk)
- skinless bottom is outside of cake
- 180 deg C for 15-16 mins. Do not overbake or its too dry and hard to roll.
- Skinless outside of cake. Crust is inside.
- Remove cake to wire rack to cool for 5 mins. Remove parchment from bottom.
- Roll when cool

10) BHK Coffee (has video)
http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/2018/06/cottony-soft-coffee-chiffon-Swiss-roll.html
- cake is 20% more volume than real strawberry filling. Hardest to roll
- Extra thick fluffy cake with cream filling
- about 4 to 5 eggs in 35*25cm pan (175g egg white, 75g yolk)
- 180 deg C for 17 mins. Don't over bake or it cracks when rolling. Underbaking means the skin is not dry and hard to handle.

- Remove to rack to cool for 5 mins then remove parchment.

- Choose whichever side to be the outside, either crust or skinless bottom.

11) Kitchen 101 Pandan swiss roll (has video)
https://mykitchen101en.com/pandan-swiss-roll-cake/
- 3 eggs in 10*14" (25 by 36cm) pan
- After beating whites, beats yolks on low speed.
- 190 deg C for 18 to 20 mins.
- Has pan of water on lower shelf.
- Drop pan to prevent shrinkage.
- Transfer cake to wire rack to cool. Remove paper when cool.
- Roll when cool. Make shallow cuts in the cake to help with the rolling.
- Crust is outside

12) Woks of life Vanilla
https://thewoksoflife.com/2015/02/chinese-swiss-roll/
- uses heavy cream but no oil
- Sift flours twice
- 3 eggs in 13*9" (33.02*22.86cm) pan
- Hand whisk yolks
- 350 deg F (or 175 deg C) for 15 mins in middle rack
- Roll when cool
- Use rolling pin to help roll

13) Garnish and glaze - Western pink velvet
https://www.garnishandglaze.com/pink-velvet-swiss-roll/
- cream cheese filling
- 4 eggs in a 15*10*1" (38*25.4*2.54cm) pan
- Modified genoise method. Beat whole eggs, buttermilk, vinegar before beating in dry ingredients
- buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, only plain flour, baking powder
- 175 deg C (or 160 for dark pan) for 12 - 15 mins
- Invert while hot onto a tea towel. Remove parchment and roll up cake to cool on a wire rack.
- Crust is on the outside.

Tsubuan anko Instant Pot

Recipe from JOC: http://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-anko-red-bean-paste/

She recommends proportion of 1½ C red bean: 5 C water : 1¼ C sugar. She had water left over which she criminally drained away!). It doesn't even come ⅓ up my pressure cooker! What a waste of time. Cook for 25 mins using the Bean/Chilli function. She recommends the ratio of 1C bean : 4C water.

I've decided to go with 2 C red bean: 7C water (not directly proportional): 1½ C sugar with less water drained away. Reaches the 4C mark (out of max 10C) in my Instant Pot. Cook for 30 minutes using the Bean/Chilli function.

Makes 1172g anko

Updated: This is Christine's Chinese version

https://en.christinesrecipes.com/2018/06/sweetened-red-beans-instant-pot-recipe.html

Ratio: 1 cup bean: 4 cups (1 l) water: 120g sugar

- Bean/Chilli function 25 mins, natural release. No pre-soaking needed.

- Drain excess water and stir in sugar until dissolved.

Red bean porridge with gula melaka glutinous rice balls

This is an adaptation of the Korean red bean porridge, 팥죽. I've read some versions that use salt but I'm not a fan of something salty.

Ingredients
300g red bean paste (I used canned)
10 knotted pandan leaves
10 cups water
¼ cup lotus seeds
100g glutinous rice
5 to 6 tbsp water (use more if necessary)
300g gula melaka

Method
1. Knot the pandan leaves and add to the water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the lotus sees by soaking in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes until softened. Remove the internal bud of the lotus seed which is bitter. Add to the boiling water.
3. Add the red bean paste to the water and stir until combined. Continue to simmer on low.
4. In a separate bowl, add the flour and put in a tbsp spoon of water at a time until the flour barely comes together. You may need more than 6 tbsp if the flour is really too dry (depending on how you've stored the flour and ambient humidity too). Once you are able to gather most of the dry flour, stop and start to knead. It should all come together, if not, wet your hands and continue to knead. Knead for approximately 5 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside.
5. Pinch off little bits of dough to make balls.
6. Cut the gula melaka into cubes. Make a hole in the middle of each dumpling and insert the cubes. Close up the ball and ensure that each seam is well sealed otherwise they will burst during cooking.
7. The balls can be cooked in the soup (makes the soup more starchy) or in a separate pot of boiling water, depending on personal preference. To cook the balls, ensure that the liquid is at a rolling boil. Add the balls. They will sink. Use a spatula to stir so that they don't get stuck to the bottom. When they float, give them another 2 to 3 minutes and they're ready. If they were cooked in water, ladle them out with a sieve and add to the red bean soup.

Snowskin mooncake comparison recipes

For some reason, all snow skin mooncakes have a custard filling. Maybe because they are best eaten cold and red bean and green bean paste don't lend themselves well to being eaten cold. Standard method is usually to steam the dough for between 20 to 30 minutes depending on volume, and kneading till smooth then chilling in fridge for 30 mins to 2 hrs. Pan fry the dusting GRF for around 5 mins until brown.

Seems that recipes which microwave the dough requires condensed milk.

Wheat starch makes the dough more translucent and see-through. As a substitute, corn starch or tapioca starch can be used but it will be more opaque.

1. Taste of Asian Food (video)

- GRF (80g per color), rice flour, icing sugar, WS, milk, veg oil : Mostly equal parts of everything

- For coloring, uses cocoa powder, pandan juice blended with milk, and strawberry milk

- Beats batter with handheld mixer. Steam 10 mins per color (use chopstick to test it comes out clean)

- Uses clingfilm to knead and and chill 30 mins before use. Uses clingfilm to help flatten.

- Presses mold several times to imprint design

2. Cicili (video) - twelve 50g mooncakes

- GRF (75g), rice flour, WS, icing sugar, milk, veg oil.

- Dough to filling ratio is 1:1 so for 50g mold, 25g dough to 25g filling. Freezes filling for 30 mins to make it easier to handle

- Dust mold with icing sugar.

3. Honest food talks - thirty 50g mooncakes

- Can use Jap mochi rather than gaofen so it is more chewy. Gao fen requires shortening but mochiko doesn't require steaming.

- Store snowskin mooncake in fridge or immediately freeze

- GRF (144g), cornstarch, icing sugar, rice flour, milk, oil

- also has other fillings: red bean, choc, green tea mung bean

4. Souped up recipes (video) - makes twelve 50g mooncakes (written recipe is Curated Kitchenware) (tried here)

- GRF (35g), rice flour, wheat starch, milk, icing powder, condensed milk, oil

- microwave in increments totalling 3 mins (depending on power) until no more watery bits

- 20g dough + 30g filling

- uses parchment. Roll dough in between parchment with rolling pin to make skin evenly thin with thinner edges. Roll out to 2 inch diameter.

- toast 2 tbsp GRF

- Gives very detailed instructions how to shape for the mould

5. Red House Spice (video) - makes eight 50g mooncakes

- 3 tbsp GRC, flour, WS (can replace with tapioca or cornstarch to make it gluten free), powdered sugar, condensed milk, milk, oil 

- 2 tbsp GRF for dusting

- Microwave 4 mins on high or steam 30 mins on med heat.

- Store in fridge and consume within 3 days.

6. Woks of life - make eight 100g or sixteen 50g mooncakes (tried here)

- 50g GRF, rice flour, wheat starch, milk, oil, icing sugar

- knead then chill in fridge 1-2 hours.

- 1:1 ratio dough to filling.

- Also uses clingfilm and rolling pin. 

- For 100g mooncake, roll out to 10cm (4 inch)

7. Omnivore's Cookbook - custard filling - makes 20 mooncakes of 50g each

- 120g GRF and same rice flour, cornstarch, icing sugar, milk, veg oil

- dust mold with cornstarch

- Push mold and hold for 30 seconds to form shape

8. WTTC - Pandan snow mochi mooncake (video) - ten 50g mooncakes (adapts recipe from Kitchen 101)

- GRF/mochiko, milk, rice flour, wheat starch or cornstarch. 

- Avoids using clingfilm cos of condensation. Handle when cool enough with oiled hands or use KA.

9. Emily Lu (video) - twenty 50g mooncakes

- 160g Gao Fen (aka fried GRF by Cock brand), icing sugar, water, shortening.

- Knead until smooth. No further cooking!!!!

- Demonstrates tie-dye dough

10. Kat Kwa - Rose skin, Choc skin with choc truffle filling, Durian filling

- Uses plain flour rather than rice flour with gao fen then no steaming required. Instead, she fries the flour and wheat starch to cook it.

- Uses KC to beat.

11. Lisa's kitchen - lotus seed filling

- includes recipes for other fillings: Taro & sweet potato, chestnut, red bean, mung bean, red date, lotus seed, chocolate, custard

- Also shows how to prepare salted egg yolk: mist with strong liquid, put on baking sheet and bake at 170 deg C for 8 - 10 mins.

12. DessertFirstGirl - Custard with custard powder and egg - twenty 50g mooncakes (tried here)

- 90g GRF, rice flour, wheat starch, milk

- Chill 3 hrs

13. ChinaSichuan - Custard with custard powder and egg - sixteen 50g mooncakes

- 45g GRF, rice flour, wheat starch, milk/coconut milk

- Chill 4 hrs

Custard creamed corn bao

Quite disappointed with this recipe but am unsure cos there are too many new variables. First of all, the this is a new recipe and looks really simple - 7 minutes kneading, 7 minutes resting, and only proving 20 minutes. It was meant to solve all my past issues with ugly looking bao that are lop sided and have wrinkly skin. Second, my dough was a bit wetter than intended, which made handling the bao and sealing up the filling really difficult. Third, I follow the recipe and used the microwave to make the custard, but perhaps because I'm using a different brand and doubling the portions, it came out really lumpy. Next time I'll go back to using the stove even though it may be more work. Fourth, I used my new bamboo steamer so I'm wondering if that affected? I had my metal steamer side by side and also following the instructions, started steaming from cold so that affected all the timing and made it dry out yet uncooked inside. Comparing the bao from the metal to the bamboo steamer, the metal steamer seemed to keep the moisture in better and also there was more lift. Fifth, I doubled all the portions so perhaps it is still my fault in the end!

I might not try the recipe again for the bao dough but stick to the red bean bao dough recipe.

Recipe adapted from: https://mykitchen101en.com/steamed-corn-custard-pao-chinese-steamed-bun/

Ingredients for custard filling (makes 10) (makes 19)

170ml milk (240ml)

3 tbsp custard powder (6 tbsp)

2½ tbsp sugar (5 tbsp)

90g cream style corn (180g)

1 slice cheddar (2 slices)

Method 

1. Combine the sugar, milk, custard powder in a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil and stir until smooth. Remove from stove. (Original recipe uses microwave, 1min 30seconds at 1000w)

2. Pass through a sieve to get rid of lumps.

3. Add the cream corn and stir until combined.

4. Cut up the sliced cheddar and stir until combined.

5. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Cover with cling film, ensuring that the film touches the surface of the custard so that it doesn't form a skin. Leave in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.

Ingredients for bao (upsized to 500g)

280g (2¼ + 4 tbsp) bao flour (500g)

20g (2½ tbsp) cornstarch (5 tbsp)

1 tsp instant yeast (2 tsp)

65g (⅓C) fine sugar (less 2x at 120g)

200ml milk (350 to 400ml)

20g (1½ tbsp) veg oil (3 tbsp)

pinch of salt

Method

1. Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt, and sugar and stir well. Add the yeast and stir.

2. Gradually pour the milk until a dough is formed. Do not use up all of the milk but only until the dough just comes together with a few dry spots.

3. Pour in the oil and knead until blended. If there are still dry spots, add as much milk as needed to moisten the spots

4. Knead for 6 to 7 minutes until the dough is shiny and smooth and no longer sticky. 

5. Cover and rest for 6-7 minutes.

6. Roll out the dough into a rectangle and fold into thirds. Roll out again and then roll up into a cyclinder.

7. Cut into 10 portions. Cover half of the dough.

8. Roll into a circle with a thicker centre. Fill with 1½ tbsp filling. Seal proper so that the filling doesn't leak out. Put on prepared parchment (Original recipe uses flattened muffin cases)

9. Prove for 20 minutes. (Original recipe has a complicated method of bringing to a boil 500ml of water, then adding 1 l of water and putting the steaming basket on top). Try to prevent over-proofing otherwise the skin will wrinkle after steaming.

10. Steam on medium heat for 15 minutes, then turn off the flame and let it rest for 3 minutes before removing.

Recipe feedback

Comparing this recipe with my red bean bao which also used 500g of bao flour, this recipe used only 2 tsp of yeast (so only 1 proofing) compared to the 2 tbsp yeast (Edit: this sld be 2.5 tsp) and the nearly 1 hour of total proofing time for the red bean bao. While the red bean had a wrinkly skin, the bao was fluffier than my corn bao, but still not as fluffy as seen in the corn bao video.

Aside from being very dense, the dough still tastes a bit raw and the taste of the oil is very strong. This recipe didn't work probably mostly because of the short or negligible proofing time and insufficient kneading. 

I learnt from China Sichuan's char siu bao recipe that has more sugar, liquid, and yeast that uses a single proofing method (like Kitchen101 here) because it saves time and leads to more fluffy and less chewy buns. This differs from her red bean buns which proofs for 1 hour. 

Single proofing method

- Her mantou recipe says to obtain a smooth surface, buns have to be well kneaded, not over-proofed, and controlled fire which differs between steel and bamboo. 

- The second 'proofing' (after shaping) for 10 to 20 minutes until it slightly puffs up is actually just resting the gluten rather than proofing. The steaming water should start from cold and then rapidly brought to a boil on high heat. Start the count and turn down to medium flame only when you the steam escaping. The cooking time after from this point can take 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the buns and filling. 

- Bamboo steamer has to be on medium fire but steel has to be high fire all the time and cooking time for bamboo steamer has to be longer ie between 25 to 30 mins (including bringing to a boil). 

- The single proofing method requires a longer cooking time so that it can puff up. I made the mistake of turning down both steel and bamboo down to medium fire and assuming it's 15 mins for everybody. No wonder my buns from the steel steamer came out better cooked than the bamboo which was undercooked. I might also need to switch the steamer baskets around halfway. Kitchen101 used a bamboo steamer but her timings and single proofing method don't work for me! 

HK Red Bean Bun

I have previously tried the tangzong red bean bun and also the an pan but neither were satisfactory. Both used a mix of bread and cake flour but felt really dense even though I used the dough hook on my food processor. This time I have my trusty KitchenAid and after my last dough disaster where the dough climbed up the hook, I decided I had to beat it!

This recipes uses full bread flour. Adapted from three different Christine's recipes because she writes things halfway and asks you to refer here and there. Making tangzong, ingredients from Matcha Green Bean Bun, and I adapted her method from Hokkaido Milk Toast Bread regarding proofing instructions and how to fold the bread.

Ingredients for tangzong (makes 240g tangzong which is enough for 2 loafs of 20.5*10.5cm loaf tin. However, I made the mistake of halving the proportions to get 120g tangzong as required but because a lot of the roux stuck to my non-stick pot, I got less than 120g roux in the end! Recommend to follow the full instructions and throw away the excess)

50g (⅓C) bread flour

250ml (½C) milk or water or 50-50

Tangzong method 

1. Add the milk to the flour slowly and use a wooden spoon to combine. Smooth out as many lumps as possible.

2. Put the mixture on the heat and bring slowly to a boil. The mixture will dry up. Continue cooking the roux until you see 'lines' in the roux when stirring.

3. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool slightly, the cover with cling film, ensuring the film touches the top to prevent a skin forming. Cool completely before using. Store the rest similarly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Throw once it turns grey.

Ingredients for Red bean bun

350g (2½C) bread flour

55g (3 tbsp + 2 tsp) caster sugar

5g salt (1 tsp)

1 large egg (more than 50g), beaten

7g milk powder (1 tbsp + 1 tsp, I omitted)

125ml milk (½C)

120 tangzong

6g yeast (2 tsp

30g butter, cubed and at room temp

1 tin (430g) red bean paste, refridgerated 

1 egg beaten, for glaze

2 to 3 tbsp sesame seeds (either black or white)

Method

1. In a KA mixer, pour in half of the flour and ⅓ of the milk. Add the salt and sugar, then beat at Speed 2.

2. Once these have come together, add more milk, half of the beaten egg, and a few tbsp of flour. Allow to mix. Continue alternating wet with dry until all used up and allow to beat for 5 minutes.

3. Once combined, add the yeast. Use your hand or a dough whisk to fold in the yeast. Use the KA at speed 3 and continue beating for 5 minutes.

4. Add the cubed butter, one cube at a time and allow each to beat into the dough before adding the next one. Once all are in, beat for 5 minutes at Speed 2.

5. Turn up to Speed 4 and beat until you reach the windowpane stage (approx another 15 to 20 minutes). Stop periodically to check because it can go from not yet ready to ready in a matter of minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky and glossy on the outisde.

6. Remove from the beater and oil the bowl. Form the dough into a ball and cover the bowl with film and a tea towel. Allow to proof for 40 minutes (28 deg C and 75% humidity) until doubled in size.

7. Divide dough into 12 potions (approx 51g each). Cover half of the balls with a damp towel. With each portion, roll with the palm of your hand into a ball until the surface is smooth. Then using the Asian rolling pin, flatten out into a 5 cm diameter circle with the edges thinner than the centre.

8. Use the 2.5 tbsp scoop and spoon out 30 to 35g of filling.

9. Seal the filling tightly, be sure to scrimp all the folds and turn seam down. Gently roll back into a ball to flatten the folds. Using both hands and a cupping motion, form a dome shape, the taller the better as it will sink and flatten when proofing.

10. Cover with cling firm and a damp tea towel and proof for 45 to 60 minutes (38 deg C at 75% humidity) until doubled in size. 

11. Pre-heat oven. Glaze the tops of each bun with the beaten egg.

12. Using the rounded end of the Asian rolling pin, dip in the egg then into the sesame seeds. 'Stamp' the seeds onto the top of each bun by slightly and gently rotating the pin so that the edges of the stamped circle are properly formed.

13. Bake at 160 deg C for 30 minutes or until golden brown. I swapped and rotated the trays halfway.

Recipe feedback

So unusual! Because I used bread flour, it came out crusty straight from the oven (like crusty bread). It softened slightly the next day but was still not like normal white bread. More like French crusty loaf?

Red bean bao 豆沙包

 

I have been wanting to use proper bao flour for the longest time but never really bought it. After my investigation into the different types of flour for bao buns, I tracked down some bao flour, although the packet states 'wheat flour' (not the same as wheat starch), the picture is that of bao buns, so I think I'm in the right place. I am unsure if wheat flour is really the same as bao flour, because although the articles claim that the protein level of bao flour is about the same as cake flour, my KitchenAid had a really hard time trying to beat the flour. The dough continually climbed up the dough hook and it required far more liquid than the original recipe called for. In the end, after 10 minutes, I put my KM out of its misery and hand kneaded the dough for another 5 minutes. It certainly didn't reach the window pane stage nor was it smooth and shiny, so I think I've been undone. (Tip: Found out that to prevent the dough from climbing the hook, alternate wet with dry in 3 batches, instead of dumping everything (wet and dry) into the bowl at once. Source)

Recipe adapted from China Sichuan to upsize to 500g, which is the size of my wheat flour packet. I don't want leftover flour and then I have no idea what to do with it next!

Ingredients (makes 10 big or 14 small baos)

500g bao flour (wheat flour)

60g sugar

2½ tbp yeast

pinch of salt

250 - 280ml milk, warmed to the touch

2 tbsp oil

400g red bean paste

Method

1. Pour all the bao ingredients into a KitchenAid and with the dough hook incorporate at Speed 2.

2. Continue to beat for about 8 to 10 minutes, watching like a hawk to ensure that the dough doesn't climb up the hook and into the motor.

3. Check using the window pane for gluten development. If the dough is not yet shiny and smooth, hand knead for another 5 to 10 minutes. 

4. Form into a ball and put in a oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and allow to proof for 25 (in a 30 to 35 deg C room) to 45 minutes, depending on the temperature of the room.

5. While proofing, prepare the parchment papers, measure out the red bean paste. Use an ice cream scoop and put on a tray to freeze for a few minutes, and also the steamer. Wrap the cover of the steamer in a cloth so that the condensation doesn't drip on the buns.

6. Divide into 14 pieces. Cover half and put in the fridge to prevent them for proofing. Flatten each piece of dough, and using a rolling pin, roll the edges but leave the centre slightly thicker. 

7. Put approx 1 tbsp or the pre-measured red bean paste in the centre, gather and pinch the edges together. Gently reshape the ball and put the bun down on the parchment, seal side down.

8. Allow buns to re-proof for 15 to 20 minutes, while bring the steamer to a rolling boil. 

9. Steam for 12 to 15 minutes, and then turn off the flame and rest for 5 minutes before opening.

10. Serve hot or re-heat in a steamer to serve.

Recipe feedback

- Texture is finally correct!

- Despite using bao flour, it hasn't come out white. Maybe that's HK flour which is supposed to be bleached

- Dough was very easy to work with however, a bit dry. I have increased the oil by ½ tbsp to make it more pliable. I used the char siu bao pleating to properly seal the bao filling and turned it upside down to obtain the round face. However, the dough's dryness meant that the pleats stayed distinct (you can see the 'butt cracks' on the underside) instead of the rounder shape. It also made sealing the bun difficult, and there were a lot of wrinkles where I had gathered the dough.

- I learnt a little tip! Using a bit of leftover flour mixed with milk or water, I 'painted' the creases or holes and this helped to give it a smoother 'face'!

- How to wrap round bao buns: Use Maangchi's method to create rounder buns where the filling is centered in the middle.

Baked mooncake recipe comparisons

This post contains homemade recipes for lye and golden syrup, different paste recipes, and tips for mooncake making in general.

1. Pandan coconut filling mooncake by Kat Kwa (video), makes sixteen 50g mooncakes

- 300g plain flour with baking soda instead of cake flour. Cover and rest for 2 hrs on countertop.

- Cover and rest rest dough for 2 hours so it's not sticky and can be handled

- Bake for 180 deg C for 12 mins without egg washing. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 30 mins before egg washing. Mix egg yolk with 2 tbsp egg white and 1 tsp salt. Egg wash thinly the tops. Bake further 10 - 15 mins.

2. Black sesame with yolk in lotus seed paste by Kat Kwa (video), makes six 180-200g mooncakes

- 2 layer filling: Toasted ground black sesame mix with peanut butter and 150g lotus paste which encases yolk. Uses another 600g lotus seed paste to encase the black sesame

- 160g plain flour. Cover and rest 30 mins on countertop until dough no longer sticky.

- 100g lotus seed paste (with melon seeds), 30g sesame seed paste, 40g dough, ?g egg yolk

- (Didn't mist!) Bake 180deg C for 15 mins. Cool for 20 mins. Egg wash with 1 yolk, 1 tbsp egg white, ⅛ tsp salt. Brush only top. Bake 180 deg C for another 10 - 12 mins. Store airtight container for 2 days outside fridge.

3. Traditional lotus seed by Kitchen 101 (video+written recipe), makes four 180-200g mooncakes

- 100g cake flour, 460g paste

- 48g dough + 115g paste + 1 yolk

- Mix yolk with rose or any cooking wine and steam 5 mins

- After mixing the dough, do not over-knead. Just mix until all combined. 

- Mist before putting in oven to bake at 160 deg C for 10 mins. Egg wash of 1 yolk + 1 tbsp milk (for darker colour). Return to oven to bake 10mins or until golden brown. Keep in airtight box for 2 - 3 days outside of fridge until skin is softer and glossy.

4. Cooking therapy - Lotus seed (¾ C dried lotus seeds, 3tbsp oil; makes ten 80g mooncakes)

- ¾ C (178g) plain flour

- Only cools dough in fridge for 30 mins

- Bake 177 deg C for 3 mins. Egg wash lightly with 1 egg + 3 tbsp milk. Bake further 12 mins.

5. Christines - 420g lotus seed paste, yields twelve 50g mooncakes

- Golden syrup recipe - cook at 110 - 115 deg C for 45 mins. Use after 2 days. Lasts a few months at room temp.

- 100g plain flour

- Rests covered dough for 40 mins until no longer sticky.

- Bake 180 deg C for 10 to 12 mins. Egg wash 1 egg yolk with 2 tbsp white. Bake another 5 mins.

- Mooncake sld be moist from oil not water. Oil develops after around 2 days so mooncake should be fairly dry after baking. If the mooncake is very moist right after baking, it will become more soggy over time so that's wrong.

6. Taste Asian - filling is irrelevant (written), makes ten 53g mooncakes

- Recipe for dry conc lye water: bake 1 portion at 175 deg C for 30 mins. Add four portions water.

- Only add as much flour only until required to form soft dough. Use fork or stainless steel whisk to combine the dough.

- Fridge dough for 30 mins.

- Can use honey instead of golden syrup and lye but pastry will not be as soft and lighter in colour.

- 100g cake flour

- Demonstrates how to prepare egg yolk. Wiping is enough!

- Ratio of dough to filling is 1:2

- Mist surface of mooncake with water before baking. 

- Bake 175 deg C for 5 mins to firm the surface so pattern won't be blurred by egg wash. Brush with egg wash and remove excess with kitchen towel then bake for further 10 mins.

7. China Sichuan food (written + video) - lotus seed (200g dried lotus seeds with 90g oil), red bean (200g red bean with 2 tbsp lard/oil), mung mean (240g mung bean with 40g butter and 50g oil) fillings. Makes 14 mooncakes (eight 50g incl egg yolk and six 45g w/o egg yolk)

- Recipe for golden syrup

- 115g plain flour and 380g paste; 14 balls of 15g dough with 35g paste + yolk or 30g paste

- Fridge for 2 - 3 hrs.

- Mist with water than bake at 180 deg C for 5 mins. Egg wash lightly with 1 yolk and 1 tbsp white. Bake further for 15 - 20 mins until well browned.

8. Gin's Kitchen - Lotus seed (400g dried lotus seeds and condensed milk with 200ml oil makes 900g paste), makes seventeen 75g moulds

- How to prepare the egg yolks: mix yolk with wine to marinate for a few minutes then wipe dry. Cut in half and set aside.

- 200g plain flour 

- Rest 2 hrs in fridge or overnight. If overnight, allow to come to room temp for 30 mins.

- dough to filling is 3:7 (23g dough: 52g paste incl 5g yolk)

- Mist before going into oven. Bake at 177 deg C in upper third of oven for 10 mins, let cool for 15 mins. Brush with egg wash of full egg. Bake at 162 deg C for further 25-30 mins. Fully cool on baking tray.

9. Eatlittle bird - lotus seed paste (200g dried lotus seeds with 100ml oil). Make eighteen to twenty 50g mooncakes

- 225g plain flour.

- Rest at room temp for 30 mins. Dough will still be slightly sticky and oily.

- Egg wash with 1 egg + 1 tbsp water

- 50g mold = 20g dough + 30g filling (incl ½ egg yolk)

- 100g mold = 40g dough + 60 filling (incl full egg yolk)

- Bake at 180 deg C without fan for 10 mins. Cool for 10 mins before egg washing. Use kitchen paper to blot excess. Bake at 160 deg C for 10 to 15 mins. Allow to fully cool on baking tray. Can store at room temp for 1 week.

10. Cicili - Red bean (1133g filling using 680g dried beans), makes twelve 125g mooncakes (video)

- Video has most comprehensive method.

- A note on filling. There is an insane amount on the oil in the filling (¼ C or 60ml oil for 1133g filling). Stir in half of oil the oil for 3 mins then add the rest and stir for another 9 mins at low heat.  

- Filling to dough between 2:1 to 3:1 e.g., 74g filling to 51g dough (using 600g plain flour)

- Incorporates a lot of resting time. Rest filling 1 hour until cool to handle. Rest dough 2 hours which seems ideal. 

- Always keep dough and filling and unbaked mooncakes covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.

- Spray assembled mooncakes and rest covered for 30 mins. Then before baking, spray again and immed bake for 5 mins at 204 deg C on middle rack. Remove and cool for 15 mins then brush with egg. Egg wash sldn't be applied when mooncakes are hot or the pattern will be blurred. Bake again for 10 mins at 190 deg C. Remove from oven and cool for 30 mins before transferring to cooling rack for 2 hrs.

11. Essential mooncake guide by Runawayrice - method

- For Snowskin mooncakes, ratio of dough to filling is 1:1

- For baked mooncakes, ratio of dough to filling is 2:1 for bigger mooncakes (i.e., 75g will be 25g skin and 50g filling) but 1:1 for smaller mooncakes (50g)

- Store homemade baked mooncakes outside for 2 - 3 days to 回油 then in fridge for up to 10 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Snowskin can be stored outside for 1 - 2 days then refrigerated for up to a week. However, they taste better cold.

12. Ultimate guide by Omnivore's Cookbook - Black sesame filling (140g raw seeds with GRF and 55g butter). Also has lotus seed filling (100g dried seeds with 50g oil makes 400g paste) and red bean paste (100g beans with 50g oil makes 400g paste) recipe on her blog. Makes 10 mini mooncakes (50g)

- recipes for golden syrup and lye water (dry conc) - bake at 120 deg C for 1 hr in lined tray.

- 100g cake flour

- Different brands of golden syrup and kansui will have different pHs. To future confuse things, homemade vs shopbought will be different. How the golden syrup and kansui interplay will affect colour of mooncake and even shape (eg can be misshappen after baking).

- Cake flour leaves beautiful pattern by sticky dough

- Suggests baking 8 to 9 mins on middle rack before egg washing.

- Best egg wash is yolk + pinch of salt but very difficult to brush.

- Best brush will be hair rather than silicon which drags on too much egg wash. Also, use small brush to remove excess egg wash in between the grooves where its not wanted or will blur the pattern.

- Mooncakes will flakey and soft when hot so allow to cool before moving.

- Bake mini mooncakes at 180 deg C, first phase 8 to 10 mins until edges turn golden and dough has hardened. Then egg wash and further 8 to 11 mins until golden brown.

12. Souped up recipes (Video) - Lotus seed filling (155g dried seeds with 80g oil and cornstarch to make approx 500g filling.) Makes twelve 100g mooncakes with double yolk (tried here)

- Very comprehensive 15 min video!

- Lotus seed filling: Choose lotus seeds with starch included in it. Cooks in IP 30 mins but 30 mins frying on low heat to dry up! 

- Can use honey but not honey with crystals as will affect texture of wrapper. No need to use lye water.

- Lye water is for colour but can use water as substitute. It will affect colour. Recipe for lye water (liquid form) given. 2.5g baking soda + 1.5 tbsp water simmered for 15 seconds. Cooled and yield 13g (2.5 tsp) for her recipe.

- 250g cake flour makes about 420g dough. Check consistency that it's soft, pliable and non-stick with elasticity.

- Wrap in plastic and rest 3 hours at room temp.

- Cooks yolk by baking 150 deg C for 6 mins. Optional step but roasted taste.

- Suggests using bigger mould for beginners [35g dough + 65g filling = 42g filling + 23g for 2 yolk]

- Demonstrates how to wrap 2 egg yolks which makes it oval ball shaped. 

- Use palm to push out dough till you get a 4 - 5 inch in diameter circle. Flip dough and filling upside down (see video) to prevent air. Flip back right side up and then push dough to close and seal.

- Dust with cake flour. For round mould, once there is resistance, press for 15 seconds to establish the shape. For square mould, press gently with sustained pressure for 30 - 40 seconds so the mooncake fills up all 4 corners.  

- Mist mooncakes. Bake 168 deg C for 8 mins. Egg wash is 1 yolk with 1 tbsp water. Brush thin layer of egg wash including the sides. Same temp another 8 mins. Brush with egg again. Finally, bake 6 - 10 mins. Totally cool before storing.

Filling recipes : Unlike making the filling/pastes for other doughs, baked mooncake filings requires the inclusion of a LOT of oil so that the skin can 回油 

Best IP recipe for lotus seed paste: Souped up Recipes

Best IP recipe for red bean paste: What to cook today

Best recipe for black sesame seed paste by Omnivore Cookbook

Best recipe for mung bean paste - use IP method from AKK but add oil (additional approx 2 to 4 tbsp of lard and/or oil)

Kitchen 101's list of 'healthy' mooncake paste recipes: her pastes aren't very oily or sweet as she uses a liquid (e.g., milk or water) with Glut Rice Flour as the thickener. These make a moist (but not oily mouth feel) paste and really cuts down on pan frying time. In my opinion, perhaps less suitable for baked mooncakes which really need a lot of oil!

Store pastes frozen and then thaw before using. Storing paste in the fridge even wrapped in cling film and in a plastic bag will still dry out the paste.

Yolk preparation tips

Kat Kwa's tips to fix greasy paste (e.g. storebought and put in the fridge or frozen and oil separates from paste)

How to prepare frozen salted egg yolk: 

In contrast, Taste Asian used 'fresh' raw salted egg yolks did a test and said wipe off with water produced the best result in his baked mooncake tests.

How to prepare fresh salted egg yolk

Lisa's kitchen: bake at 170 deg C for 8 - 10 mins.

Homemade Lye and Golden Syrup recipes

The issue with making baked mooncake is that it requires golden syrup and lye, both ingredients aren't widely used in many other recipes, so unless you intend to keep making mooncakes every so often, it's going to be sitting in the cupboard a really long time. In particular, mooncake recipes only need maybe 1 tsp of lye water as it's a corrosive liquid (highly concentrated alkali) which I don't really want sitting around randomly in my cupboard.

Here are some alternatives:

Mooncake syrup making by Kat Kwa which involves boiling 1 lemon and 1 kg of sugar in water for over an hour. You have to leave it for at least 2 weeks or till next year(!) is ideal.

2 tbsp/27g Lye water (liquid form) by King Arthur from the red bean mooncake recipe (which uses stand mixer to beat the dough). This lye recipe involves boiling baking soda and water. There are other recipes which produce adding water dry baked bicarb. Bake bicarb soda at 120 deg C for 1 hr and then adding water in a 1:4 ratio (eatlittlebird). Dry conc is customisable cos other recipes e.g., pretzels require 1:2 baked bicarb to water.

Baked mooncake skin

After a lot of reading up, I decided to go mostly with Souped Up Recipes due to her extensive video and tips as well as use of cake flour. I've incorporated some of the good tips from others. This recipe only documents the dough as I bought ready-made filling which comes in 500g packages. This recipe can make varying amounts of mooncakes depending on size of mould. I devised a whole spreadsheet for my 75g, 150g and 200g moulds with single and double yolk variations! In this recipe, I made 2.5x the amount of dough in order to produce 20 mooncakes of various sizes, with 4 types of fillings (store-bought 500g each package of filling)

The 20 mooncakes, not including another tray of 4 spares with single yolks (leftover filling and dough)

The full bake, including spares (aka 1 yolks)

Double yolk in 200g mold - looks a bit dry? The yolk was abit rubbery. Proportions are also out, seems like too little filling to too much yolk

Single yolk in the 150g mold. Seems like ideal proportion of yolk to filling

Ingredients (Makes one portion of 420g dough to wrap approx. 500g filling)

250g cake flour

135g golden syrup

50g veg oil (peanut preferred)

3g (½ tsp) salt

13g (2.5 tsp) lye water (homemade)

Egg wash: 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp water

12 egg yolks (may not end up using all)

2 tbsp rose wine

2 tbsp sesame oil (optional)

Method

1. Mix golden syrup, veg oil, lye water and salt. Lightly beat until incorporated.

2. Sift in 250g flour and lightly knead until the dough is elastic and pliable but doesn't stick to the hands. Don't over-knead. Cover with cling film and leave on the counter to rest for 2 - 3 hrs until no longer sticky.

3. Marinate the egg yolks in rose wine (or sesame oil) for 5 minutes. Remove and wipe dry with paper towel. Weigh each yolk and set aside. (Optional: bake for 150g for 6 mins then let cool to give the yolk a roasted flavour, although Taste Asian says no need).

4. Weigh out filling and roll each into a ball: i.e., individual fillings + egg yolk (approx 12g each) should equal total weight of filling. Cover with cling film.

75g mould (no yolk) using 1:3 ratio: 25g dough + 50g filling 

150g mould using 2:3 ratio: 50g dough + 100g filling; with 1 yolk: 50g dough + 21g yolk + 79g filling (#see note)

200g mould using 2:3 ratio: with 1 yolk: 80g dough + 21g yolk + 99g filling; with 2 yolks: 80g dough + 2*21g yolks + 78g filling (see video for how to roll encase 2 yolks, essentially, make into an oval 'ball'.

5. Weigh out dough and roll into balls. Cover with cling film. Prepare tray to bake - best to indicate which tray/portion of the tray is for what filling(s).

6. Encase dough over filling (see video). Using palm, press out each dough ball into a circle about 4 to 5 inch diameter if using 100g mould. Turn it upside down and wrap so that there are no air pockets. Turn back right-side up and then slowly press the dough to slowly encase the filling until it completely covers and then pinch the same to close.

7. Place ball into mould and lightly flatten. Place mould on baking tray. Press down until you encounter resistance. For round moulds, hold the pressure steady for at least 15 seconds or stamp several times to establish the pattern. For square moulds, hold the pressure steady for at least 30 - 40 seconds so the filling and dough fill out the corners. (probably not advisable for beginners to have yolk inside when using square moulds as it might flatten the egg)

8. Mist each mooncake from a height (to prevent too much water accumulating in the ridges of the pattern). Immediately put in the oven and bake on middle rack at 180 deg C for 10 mins until edges harden and turn lightly golden brown. (5 - 7 mins in small oven and 7 - 10 mins in big oven)

9. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 mins. Don't eggwash when the mooncake is hot otherwise the pattern will run. Egg wash the top and sides lightly with egg. Remove excess wash from in between the ridges with smaller brush or blot with kitchen towel so the pattern doesn't blur. Return to oven to bake:

- Bake at 180 deg C for further 5 to 10 minutes (5 - 7 mins in small oven and 7 - 10 mins in big oven) at same temperature until golden brown. Keep a close eye as fillings are cooked so it's about getting a golden skin. Don't bake for too long or it will dry out and crack.

- Optional: remove and egg wash for second time after 5 minutes then return to oven to finish baking, approx. 5 to 8 more minutes but keeping a close eye so they don't burn or burn.

10. Leave in tray to cool for at least 30 minutes as skin will be soft and flakey and easily break or crack when hot. Once cooled slightly, leave on wire rack to cool completely for at least 2 hours.

11. Store at room temp in airtight container for 2 to 3 days for 回油. The skin should become very shiny and moist. The skin will also become darker due to the lye water. Keep in fridge with each one wrapped in cling film for up to 10 days, or freeze immediately and keep for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, bring to room temp and then lightly toast in toaster oven.

Recipe feedback

- Even though using storebought filling, it's important to fry up and add oil, as well as check freshness of the product. (Clockwise from top left: chestnut, black sesame, red bean, yam). The oil on the yam had split and wasn't the freshest. Also, chestnut, yam and red bean tended to be quite dry anyway so definitely needed the oil for mooncake.

- The first batch of dough was a total failure. Even after resting for 3.5 hours, it fell apart into crumbs when trying to massage it. When I touched it and tried to flatten it out, it cracked every which way and was impossible to work with. I think it's because of my home made lye water which was a total failure. 

- Second try seems to work because I'm using storebought lye water. The chemical constituents are different to homemade so that's probably the reason!

- It's very difficult to cover those with egg inside as they are less forgiving. To completely cover the seam, I have to push the dough upwards to close the gap. This ends up causing the filing to shift and expose the egg so when stamping the design, the egg is obvious. 

Can see the yolk poking out

- Also found that the 3:7 ratio is insufficient. It needs to be 2:3 dough:filling because baked skin is not very stretchable compared to snowskin. Have adjusted above.

- Do not rest the dough more than 2 hours. Ideally after 30 mins when it's no longer sticky to the touch. Dough becomes really dry and started to crack by the time I reached the last batch of 8 mooncakes. I had very carefully wrapped everything in plastic from filling to dough to completed mooncakes, and I had a very humid afternoon as it was raining heavily. Without which, there would even more cracking.

Cracked! After first 15 mins. Next time will reduce to 10mins first round

- The 200g could barely able to contain 2 yolks and doesn't allow a deep imprint to be left. It was ok with 1 yolk.

the 200g double yolks (clockwise from top left: red bean - lotus seed design?, yam - rose design, chestnut - peony design, black sesame - lily design

- # For some reason the 150g are really short! The 150g could more likely be a 175-180g mold. EDIT: I had mismeasured the filling by 20g and each mooncake is only 125g total. Because there was just enough dough to encase the underweighted filling, in reality, 3:7 is not viable. I've updated above.

150g red bean - fish design

150g black sesame - lily design

150g yam - lotus design

150g chestnut - peony design

- Most difficult filling to work with : black sesame. Easiest to handle when chilled hardened so form ball first then keep chilled. Next is red bean, similarly, form ball and chill. Taro and chestnut are really dry and hard so need a lot of oil when frying. The oil helps with the handling otherwise it is too hard to form balls. However, they don't retain the oil and exudes the oil after being in the fridge.

After 回油

Tangzong red bean bun

Updated: Tried Christine's tangzong method: https://simmetra.blogspot.com/2020/12/hk-red-bean-bun.html

Using last night's tsubuan (recipe :http://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-anko-red-bean-paste/ ) The bun recipe is taken from here: http://www.chinasichuanfood.com/char-siu-bao-baked-buns-recipe/  

Not sure how I feel about this recipe. It took me 2 days to make it if you count the hour for the anko the night before. Actual time was about 3 hours active time and with another 3 hours proving time. The next morning, I started at 10am to make the tangzong and it had to cool down. I restarted at 1.30pm by placing all the ingredients into the mixer and this took 2 hours to prove, then an hour to form the dough (including 15 mins rest time in between), another 40 minutes to prove, and another 20 minutes to bake. I only ended at 6.30pm. The end result is that the bun was less dense (only ⅔ the vol of flour) but felt drier than the JOC two flours recipe which had equivalent volume of liquid and slightly more equivalent volume of butter. The tangzong didn't seem to have made any discernible difference. Maybe I'm not putting enough - this would be equivalent to 9% of the total flour weight.

Ingredients

Tangzong

20g regular flour (recipe didn't specify what flour so since the recipe called for cake and bread flours, I decided to go halfway with regular flour)

100g/ml water

Buns (Makes 12 buns)

195g bread flour

90g cake flour

6g instant yeast

25g sugar (reduced from 30g)

3g salt 

1 egg, beaten

45g butter, softened and cubed

Filling

280 to 300g anko (either tsubuan or koshian)

Topping

2 tsp black or white sesame seeds, raw

1 beaten egg

1 tbsp melted butter (optional)

Method

1) Make the roux. Add the flour to the water into a small saucepan and use a whisk to combine till no lumps remain. Turn on a medium flame and keep whisking. The mixture should thicken up. Stop when the temp reaches 65 deg C, or you see lines in the mixture. Let it cool slightly then transfer to a clean bowl. Cover with cling film and ensure that the cling film touches the surface. This prevents a skin from forming.

2) In a mixer (I used my trusty food processor with dough hook), add the flours, salt, yeast on the opposite side, and sugar. Combine. Add the beaten egg, milk, and tangzong and beat till combined. If it doesn't come together, add slightly more milk (I need about another 5ml or a splash). Beat till elastic and stop to scrape down the bowl periodically.

3) Add the cubed butter and beat. The dough will suddenly get very sticky and but if you continue beating, it will slowly relax. After a while, it gets very elastic and becomes smooth and shiny. Check using the window pane test.

4) Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to proof in a warm place for about 2 hours until it has doubled to 2.5x its original size.

5) Beat down the dough and ensure that all air pockets have been kneaded out. Separate into 12 balls. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.

6) Flatten out each ball using the palm of your hand. Using a French or Asian rolling pin, roll the disc about 3 inches wide, leaving it thicker at the centre than the edges.

7) Place about 1.5 tbsp (I used my size 40 cookie dough scoop) of filling in the centre. Gather up the edges and pinch tightly closed. Carefully re-form into a ball and try not to flatten it out. 

8) Place the formed buns onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with cling film and cloth and leave to prove for 40 minutes.

9) I was a bit disappointed to see that the buns had spread out rather than risen. (Luckily they do rise in the oven) Glaze with egg wash. Using the bottom of my rolling pin, I coated it with beaten egg, stamped it into the sesame seeds and stamped that onto my bun for the perfect round shape.

10) Bake at 180 deg C for 18 to 20 minutes (20 mins is what I had in the picture, which seems a bit too dark for my liking). I rotated and switched the trays at the 12 minute mark.

Red bean tang yuan

Simple recipe, Chinese tang yuan is even easier to make than mochi. Adapted from this red bean recipe by Rice and Roti and this black sesame seed recipe by Gumdrop button, this recipe is really more intuitive and instructive. Everyone has a recipe that works for them. I am starting to understand why such recipes are passed on from grandmothers to mothers to daughters. Unfortunately, neither gran nor mom cooked this while they were alive. We pretty much just had store bought.

However, this week being the coldest winter week of the year (and previous decade apparently), it seemed fitting to cook this, and also to use up my leftover Anko. Note btw, 1 can of Anko goes a really long way. So far I've done dorayaki (4 dorayaki ie 8 hotcakes sandwiched), 15 tang yuan, and I still have 1/4 can left!

Ingredients (makes 15 ping pong sized tang yuan)
1 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup warm (but not hot or boiling water)
1/4 can anko
2 cm piece of ginger
rock sugar to taste
2 to 3 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
4 - 5 Chinese rice bowls of water

Method
1) Prepare the syrup first as it will take some time. In a pot, add the water, ginger, pandan leaves, and rock sugar. Bring to a boil then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes. Switch off the fire and leave it to steep.
2) In a mixing bowl, pour in the glutinous rice flour. Slowly add water a bit at a time, using a spatula to mix it till well combined. It should just come together, so you may not need to use all the water. After it has come together, knead it into a smooth dough with your hand, which takes about 2 to 3 minutes. The dough should leave the sides of the bowl. If it's too sticky, add flour. Alternatively, if it's too dry, add just a touch more water.
3) Pinch off around 1 tbsp of dough and flatten it on a well-floured palm. Put about 1/2 tsp of the anko in the centre, and bring the sides of the dough around the ball of anko to cover it. Ensure that it is well sealed and that no bean paste is visible, otherwise cover with a bit more dough. Roll the dough in your hand to reform the ball. Roll each ball in flour and place on a well-floured plate, with plastic wrap. Ensure that the balls don't touch each other.
(I'm not very precise about this but if you really wanted to form similar sized balls, you could roll out the dough into a log on a well-floured surface, then chop off similar sized nuggets and even weigh them if you want)
4) In a separate pot of bring water to a rolling boil. You should have at least 3 inches of water otherwise the balls will sink to the bottom and stick. Drop in the balls and keep stirring to ensure that the balls don't stick to each other and don't stick to the bottom of the pot. When they float to the surface, they're cooked. (Hence I'm not really precise about the balls since equal cooking time isn't important because it's pretty clear which are cooked and which aren't). Lift them out with a sieve and drain them, then place them straight into the syrup.
5) Serve immediately. The extra unused balls can be frozen on their plate. Next time, cook from frozen.

Angku kueh with mung bean

Basic angku kueh mix from Kat Kwa. (Old video uses carrot and beetroot powders for colour and traditional method of cooking part of the dough then adding it back to the rest of the dough to help form gluten, otherwise ingredients remain the same). Other flavours from Kat Kwa to try: Red bean paste, Black sesame kueh with peanut filling.

Interestingly for the skin, Rasa Malaysia uses wheat starch in the dough. Meatman (video) and adds wheat starch but they also use mashed sweet potato. What to Cook Today (video) and Kitchen 101 only use glut rice flour.

My mom's mould is 6*8cm.

Ingredients - kueh (makes 18 kueh each 50 - 55g)

Banana leaves

Oil for brushing

250g glutinous rice flour

1 tbsp tapioca starch

2 tbsp sugar

150ml boiling water

60ml water room temp

2 tbsp oil

1 drop pandan essence

Method

1. Cut the banana into ovals and brush with oil. Use lotus leaf or parchment if unavailable (WTCT).

2. Add the tapioca to the glut rice flour. Add the sugar and stir.

3. Create a well and pour in the boiling water. Stir to incorporate with a spatula.

4. Once gluggy resembling bread crumbs, add the room temp water and stir until a dough forms. You may not need to use all the water. You may need to use your hands at the end to form the dough.

5. Add the oil and knead until no dry flour remains.

6. Remove ⅓ of the dough and add 1 drop of pandan essence. Knead the colour in. 

7. Add back the remaining dough and knead but not thoroughly to give it that 'tie dye' look. (see video). What to Cook Today suggests rolling dough into balls, covering with cling film and letting rest 10 minutes.

8. I got 501g skin batter. Divide and roll into 18 balls of about 27-30g each. 

Filling - Mung bean

200g dried split mung bean 

70 ml water

3 pandan leaves, cut up

110g sugar

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp fried shallot oil 

A. Steaming method

1. Wash mung bean until water runs clear. Soak for 4 - 5 hours or overnight. What to Cook Today suggests soaking in hot water for 1 hour then steaming only takes approx 20 mins.

2. Drain and pour onto a flat tray. Spread out. Add the water. Put cut pandan leaves on top and steam using medium to high heat for 25 - 30 minutes until soft. 

3. Mash with a hand masher while still hot. Add the sugar and mix well.

4. Add salt and oil and mix. Use a stick blender to blend till really smooth. Set aside to cool.

5. Divide and roll into 18 balls of about 20-25g each. (Other recipes say that to be able to roll into balls that don't stick to your hands, cooking in a pan is necessary. Kat doesn't cook because she much less liquid used. Her water:beans ratio of 1:3 but everyone else has the converse of 3:1.)

Note on proportions: WTCT says 50g mould can use 30g dough with 20g filling or 25g dough with 25g filling. Other mold sizes include 30 and 60g molds. For reference, My Kitchen 101 mould is small but also makes 18 kueh. Her 35g mold measures 6*5.5cm, and makes 18 kueh from 240g paste (13g balls) and 400g dough (22g balls). She starts using 75g mung bean with 350g water, 1½ tbsp oil, 65g or 4½ sugar to make 240g paste or 13g balls. 400g dough begins from 200g of glut rice flour (no other flours) making 22g balls. WTCT says can even omit mould and just make oval pattys.

B. IP method - adapted from https://whattocooktoday.com/mung-bean-paste.html and Kitchen 101 

200g dried mung beans (yields 640g cooked paste)

140ml water

110g sugar

⅛ tsp salt

2 tbsp oil + 1 tsp lard 

1. Place a trivet with 1 cup of water in the IP.

2. Put beans in the tray with the cut pandan leave on top and the water. Set the tray on the trivet.

3. Steam on manual, High Pressure, for 10 minutes and 10 min gradual release release. [I used my two-tiered metal steamer with around 100g per tier and enough water to cover beans aka around 70-75ml.] 

4. Drain any excess water. Stick blend while hot. Fry in IP on med heat for 6 mins then turn down and fry med-low heat for 6-7 mins until non-sticky. 

5. Set aside to cool then divide into 18 balls of 35g each (depending on mould).

500g dried beans with approx 150ml water yields approx 1600g paste if no wastage (12 mins steam at high pressure + 10 mins natural release)

C. Boiling method - http://themeatmen.sg/ang-ku-kueh/

250g dried mung mean

600ml water (When cooking paste, 180g sugar, 110ml peanut oil)

1. Soak 250g dried mung bean for 2 hours.

2. Cook in 600ml water with knotted pandan. Simmer until dry and mung beans soft.

3. Cook on stove over low heat until paste is thick and dry.

Wrapping the filling

1. Prepare the steamer. Bring a wok of water to a rolling boil on high heat.

2. Flatten one ball of dough in your palm. Place a ball of filling in the centre. Working the sides of the dough, slowly work dough upwards to cover up the filling and close the seam. Roll into a ball. (see video)

3. Place the kueh ball in a bowl of glut rice flour, dust off, and press it into the angku kueh mould.

4. Tap and invert kueh onto an oiled banana leaf and place onto the steamer basket. Leave about ½ inch apart between kuehs.

5. Bring steaming basket to the sink. Use a bit of water to rinse excess flour off each kueh. 

6. Place steaming basket in the wok and steam. Steam for 8-10 mins on high (10 - 12 mins on med heat) until cooked. If steaming on high, lift the lid every 2 - 3 mins to release the steam and wipe cover (or cover cover in cloth) to prevent dripping. Also high heat will distort the shape/pattern of the kueh. 

Notes on steaming from Nonya Cooking: Steam at medium heat. Once the kueh is inside, turn down to steam at low to medium heat. If the heat is too high, lift the lid to release midway otherwise the pattern is lost. Cover lid with cloth so condensation doesn't drip on the keuh. Alternatively, What to Cook Today suggests leaving ½ inch steamer lid ajar and steaming on medium for 10 - 15 mins depending on size of kueh.

Only Kitchen 101 uses bamboo steamer to avoid condensation and steams at medium for 8 minutes. Her mold is small, ie 35g AKK mold of 6*5.5cm.

7. While still hot, remove the kueh and brush with oil.