Shanghai Savory Mooncakes (Xian Rou Yue Bing)

Step 1

For the meat filling, mix and combine all the ingredients well. There’s no need to stir too much or whip the mixture in any way, or the filling will turn rubbery. Cover and set aside in the fridge.

Step 2

For the soft dough, add the flour, sugar, and lard to a mixing bowl, and mix until thoroughly combined. Then slowly add the water in 3-4 batches and knead the dough to form a smooth dough ball. Set it aside and cover with a damp cloth. Make sure the dough is not too dry. To test for quality, form a dough ball and press it flat. The edges should not crack.

Step 3

For the pastry dough, combine the flour and lard and knead to form a dough ball. Cover with clear plastic wrap and let it sit in fridge for 20 minutes.

Step 4

To assemble the mooncakes, divide both the soft dough and the pastry dough into 24 pieces each. You should have 48 bits of dough in total. Take the time to divide them equally and roll each into balls. We used a scale to help us out. Cover all the dough pieces with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you work.

Step 5

Take one piece of soft dough and press into a small round disc. Put a piece of the pastry dough in the center of the soft dough, close to seal, and use your palms to flatten.

Step 6

Then roll it out into a long oval shape. Roll that into a more uniform cigar shape. Roll the cigar out lengthwise into a longer rope, and then roll it into a tight, short bundle.

Step 7

Stand the bundle up and press it flat. With a rolling pin, roll the dough bundle out into a 3½-inch disc (it should be slightly thinner around the outer edges and thicker in the middle).

Step 8

Add about one tablespoon (about 20 grams) of meat filling to the center of the disc, and seal tightly. Be careful with the filling—you can’t overstuff these or they will burst open during the baking process.

Step 9

Now lightly press the dough to shape it into a flat moon cake shape. Place it on a baking sheet seam side down. Now, repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling until you’ve used everything up. You will need two baking sheets for a total of 24 moon cakes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and position the baking rack in the middle of the oven.

Step 10

Brush each cake with egg wash and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Once the oven is preheated, bake each pan of moon cakes for 25 minutes until the cakes start to turn golden brown.