Plum Snow Skin Mooncakes

Ingredients:

2 cups glutinous rice flour
1/4 cup wheat starch
1 1/4 cups icing sugar or brown cane sugar
20 g butter, softened
60 mL cold water
1 tbsp plum sauce

Mung Bean Paste Filling:

1 cup mung bean, soaked overnight
2 cups water
20 mL milk
1 tbsp butter, softened
50 g dark chocolate (optional)
1/2 cup brown cane sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut/freshly shredded coconut
40 mL milk/coconut milk (only if using desiccated coconut)

Method:

Mung Bean Paste Filling:

In a bowl, mix desiccated coconut with milk.

Toast in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 15 - 20 minutes or till fragrant and golden yellow (stir occasionally for homogeneous toasting).

Remove from oven, set aside to cool completely.

Bring water to boil, add mung bean, continue the boiling till mung bean is softened, cooked thorough and became almost dry (not to burn).

With blender, blend together the cooked mung bean with milk.

With double boiler, melt chocolate, add into mung bean paste.

Mix-in butter and sugars, stir till sugars are dissolved and well-incorporated.

Add-in toasted coconut flakes, stir well to evenly mixed.

Keep in refrigerator till uses.

Plum Snow Skin:

Place glutinous rice flour in a heat resistance plate, steam over high heat for 30 minutes.

Remove from steamer.

Dry-fry the flour over moderate heat for about 15 minutes (alternately, toast in a preheated oven at 160 °C for 45 minutes, stir occasionally; or microwave on high for about 6 - 8 minutes, stir well after every 1 minute) or till yellowish in color.

Sift the cooked glutinous rice flour together with wheat starch, set aside.

In a bowl, beat butter with sugar till thoroughly mixed.

Add-in plum sauce, stir to mix thoroughly.

Add-in flours and gradually pour-in water, mix to a soft and smooth dough.

Keep in refrigerator to set for an hour or more.

Mooncakes Assemblies:

Flour snow skin mooncake moulds with cooked glutinous rice flour; set aside.

Divide dough into 4 portions.

Lightly knead each dough and form into a ball.

Flour both hands with cooked glutinous rice flour, flatten dough and shape to cup on palm.

Fill-in enough mung bean paste, wrap to seal and roll to a ball again.

Place the filled dough into the prepared mould (seam side up), press firmly to conform with the shape of mould.

Bang the sides of moulds to dislodge out the mooncakes.

Chill in refrigerator till serve (preferentially for at least few hours or overnight before serving) .