festival food

The snow skin mooncake is made with a tender and fragrant mochi wrapper and a creamy custard filling. This recipe does not require special ingredients that are hard to find and you can get everything online if you don’t live close to an Asian market. It’s the perfect recipe to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.The recipe contains more flour than regular custard so it’s easy to form the mooncakes.

Snow Skin Mooncake with Custard Filling (冰皮月饼)

(6 tablespoons) cornstarch

(2 teaspoons) all-purpose flour

(1/2 cup) granulated sugar

((2 cupc) whole milk

(2 tablespoons) butter

vanilla extract

(1 cup) glutinous rice flour

(1 cup) rice flour

(1/2 cup) cornstarch (, and extra for coating the mooncakes)

(3/4 cup) confectioners sugar

(1 and 1/2 cup) whole milk

(1/3 cup) vegetable oil

(50-gram) Mooncake mold

Mix the cornstarch, all-purpose flour, and half of the sugar together in a small bowl.

Place the egg yolks in a large bowl. Stir a few times to mix the yolks.

Add the milk and the remaining half of the sugar into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar completely. Cook until it reaches about 120 F/ 49 C (no more than 150 F / 65 C). You might see a few bubbles here and there. If the milk starts foaming, it’s too hot.

While the milk starts to get warm, add the dry ingredients (from step 1) into the bowl with the egg yolks. Whisk until it forms an even paste. Do not add the dry ingredients too early, because the sugar will change the texture of the eggs.

Add the warm milk into the egg yolk mixture, about 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk constantly until the milk is fully incorporated into the paste. Continue to  add more milk a 1/4 cup at a time and keep stirring, until it forms a thin, smooth mixture and all the milk is added.

Return the mixture back into the pot (the one you used to heat the milk). Heat over medium heat and stir constantly, until the mixture thickens, 5 minutes or so. Keep cooking and stirring, until you can draw a line on the bottom of the pot using a spatula. (Note, the custard will start to thicken suddenly, like a switch was flipped. So you should keep a close eye on it.)

Remove the pot from the stove immediately. Add the butter and vanilla extract. Stir to mix well.

Line a large deep plate with plastic wrap. Place a large mesh strainer on top.

Pour the custard into the lined plate over the strainer to smooth out the texture. Use a spatula to press the strainer if any lumps remain.

Cover the custard with plastic wrap. Press the wrap against the custard, so it won’t form a skin once it’s chilled.

Chill the custard in the fridge until it’s cooled completely, 2 hours or so. Or in the freezer for 30 mins.

Make the custard

Prepare a large bowl that can fit into your steamer. Place a large strainer on top.

In another medium-sized bowl, add the glutinous rice flour, rice flour, and cornstarch. Mix well with a fork.

Line a large mesh strainer over the bowl and sift the confectioner's sugar through it. Use your fingers or a spoon to press the sugar through if any lumps exist.

Add the milk, oil, and vanilla extract into a small bowl. Stir to mix well.

Use your fork to form a hole in the middle of the flour. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the milk mixture at a time. Stir until the liquid is incorporated into the flour completely. Repeat the process until it forms a very runny batter.

Pour the mixture into the large bowl (you prepared in step 1) over the strainer. Press the lumps using a spoon. Once strained, the mixture will thicken a little bit.

Prepare a steamer by pouring 1 inch (2.5 cof water into the steamer pot. Cover and heat over medium-high heat until boiling. Place the bowl with the batter into the steamer rack. Place the rack over the boiling pot. Cover and steam until the batter is cooked completely, 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, examine the dough by inserting a spoon into the middle. The spoon should come out clean, and the dough should feel very stiff.

Once done, remove the lid, and transfer the steaming rack with the bowl onto your kitchen counter to cool off for a few minutes.

Fold a kitchen towel a few times and place it on your working surface. Remove the bowl with the dough wearing oven mitts, and transfer the bowl onto the towel.

Scrape the dough from the bowl and knead it using a spoon, until it forms a dough ball, 5 minutes or so.

Transfer the dough onto a clean surface. Note, do not add any flour onto the surface or dust your hands with it. Knead the dough using your hands until it’s smooth, 5 minutes or so. The dough will soften once done.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Prepare the mooncake dough

You can keep the dough and the custard filling refrigerated for a couple of hours, up to overnight, until ready to assemble. The dough will become a bit stiff if you chill it overnight. If you want the freshest taste, you should assemble the mooncakes the same day you make the dough and filling.

Ingredient storage

Form the custard into balls - Measure 25 grams of filling (about 1 round tablespooand use your hands to press and roll, until it forms a ball. You can wear rubber gloves to help with this process.

Transfer the filling balls into a container and cover it with the lid. Chill for another 30 minutes.

Form the dough into balls - Measure 25 grams of dough (about 1 round tablespooand use your hands to roll it into a ball. Place the dough balls into a container and cover. Chill in the fridge until the custard is ready to use.

Place the dough ball on a clean working surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into an even, thin, round disc that is about 4” (9 to 10 cin diameter. Carefully remove it from the surface onto your palm.

Place a custard ball in the center of the wrapper. Use your other hand to gather the wrapper onto the top of the custard filling. The dough sheet will start to form pleats and create a thicker layer. Try to pinch the extra dough together using your fingers, and pinch off the dough. The process will keep the mooncake skin even and thin, to create a better mouthfeel. Once done, place the mooncake onto a plate, pleated-side-down. Loosely cover it with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Repeat the process to wrap the rest of the mooncakes.

Assemble the mooncakes

Install the pattern plate into the mooncake mold, with the pattern side facing downward. If you’re using the round shape, you can twist the lever of the mold so the pattern plate will snap onto the lever. It’s not required but it makes the process a bit easier.

Dust the mooncake with a very thin layer of cornstarch. (*Footnote 1)

Carefully place the wrapped mooncake balls into the mold, smooth surface against the pattern plate.

Place the mold onto a clean, flat surface. Gently press the lever until the dough is against your table surface. Hold it for at least 30 seconds. It will help the pattern to form. Once done, push the lever to release the mooncake. Repeat the process to mold all the mooncakes.

The mooncakes are ready to eat!

To mold the mooncakes

Transfer the mooncakes into an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. To enjoy the mooncakes with a better texture, transfer them to your kitchen counter and wait for them to return to room temperature. You can eat the chilled mooncakes, but the skin will be a bit stiff.

Note, do not freeze the mooncakes. This will change the texture of the custard and make it very grainy.

Storage

A thorough guide on how to host a fun and delicious vegetarian hot pot party at home. The post includes tips and instructions on how to prepare the food and includes a recipe at the end as guidance. You can replace any of the ingredients with ones you prefer. {Vegetarian, Vegan}

How to Host a Vegetarian Hot Pot Party

Sichuan spicy hot pot base

Non-spicy hot pot base

Homemade sesame dipping sauce

cilantro (, Chopped (for garnish))

green onion (, Sliced (for garnish))

Sesame oil (and

lb (450 g) assorted mushrooms

block frozen tofu (, sliced)

yuba knots (or yuba sheets)

fried tofu (, sliced)

crunchy vegetables (bamboo shoots, cauliflower, lotus root) (, cut to bite-size pieces)

starchy vegetable (potato, sweet potato, taro root) (, sliced)

noodles

Add the hot pot base into the hot pot, one flavor on each side. Add water according to the package instructions. For a more stunning presentation, you can add some dried chili peppers on the spicy side and chopped green onions on the non-spicy side (those are optional).

To prepare the hot pot base

Make the dipping sauce if using my homemade recipe. If using store bought, add them into medium-sized bowls, one flavor per bowl.

Serve the chopped green onions and chopped cilantro in separate bowls alongside the dipping sauce. You can also add small bowls of sesame oil and / or chili oil on the side. It’s especially useful if you’re using store-bought dipping sauce, since it will make the sauce more fragrant.

Prepare the dipping sauce

For the mushrooms, wash and drain as needed. Remove the tough ends, then tear into bite-size pieces or clumps. Serve on a plate.

Add the frozen tofu, yuba knots and sliced fried tofu to a big plate.

For the leafy green vegetables, wash thoroughly and drain. Cut into large bite-size pieces and serve on a plate.

For the crunchy vegetables, cut into bite-size pieces if needed. Serve on a large plate.

Wash and peel the starchy vegetables. Slice to thin pieces so it’s easy to cook through. Serve on a plate.

Serve the noodles on a plate. If using frozen dumplings, pull them out of the freezer right before cooking (these are typically cooked at the end of the meal, so do not pull them out at the beginning of your party).

Prepare the hot pot ingredients

When your guests have arrived, heat up the hot pot over medium-high heat. When the hot pot is boiling, it’s ready to cook and eat. (*Footnote 2)

For the dipping sauce, each guest will take their portion from the shared sauce bowl, then garnish it with cilantro, green onion and sesame oil, as desired.

Cook whichever ingredients you’d like to eat. The cooking time depends on the ingredient. For example, yuba sheets take 30 seconds to 1 minute to cook through. Yuba knots take 1 to 2 minutes. Leafy greens and crunchy vegetables take anywhere from 1 minute to a few minutes. Starchy vegetables and frozen tofu take longer to cook and you should check on them from time to time until tender throughout.

Once an item is cooked, immediately transfer it to an individual serving plate. It will overcook if you leave it in the pot. To eat, dip the cooked item in the dipping sauce and enjoy!

Cooking with the hot pot

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Top 2 festival food recipes from across the web

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Snow Skin Mooncake with Custard Fil...

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