Simple recipe for healthier snow skin mooncakes

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SINGAPORE - With two weeks to the Mid-Autumn Festival, you are right on time to make your own snow skin mooncakes.

 

Mr Anup Kumar, the executive sous chef of cooking school Allspice Institute, shares a healthier recipe for snow skin mooncakes made using margarine instead of shortening.

 

The 33-year-old chef says: "Instead of buying mooncakes, which can be expensive, it is more economical and meaningful to give friends and family your own handmade mooncakes.

 

"Making your own mooncakes allows you to customise the colours, flavours and fillings according to your own preference."

 

He recently shared his recipe at a special cooking class for participants of the Straits Times Run 2019, which will take place on Sept 29. (For more information on signing up for The Straits Times Run, go to go to www.straitstimesrun.com)

 

The recipe is so easy, you can make it with your children.

 

The fun part is making your own snow skin dough.

 

You can use yellow, cherry, blue or green food colouring. Or skip the colouring and make white snow skin mooncakes.

 

You can also add flavourings such as lychee, strawberry, banana, durian, pandan and peppermint.

 

Each recipe makes 400g of snow skin dough, which you can divide into 100g portions and experiment with different colourings and flavourings. Use 3ml of colouring (one to two drops) and 3ml of flavouring for every 100g of dough.

 

Similarly, instead of using 320g of the same filling, divide it up into four portions of 80g each, which you can flavour differently.

 

To simplify the process, you can buy ready-made mooncake fillings at bakery goods shops.

 

Mr Kumar usually goes for a mix of durian paste, mung bean paste, matcha paste, red bean paste or lotus seed paste.

 

For added texture, flavour and nutrition, add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped pistachio or almond flakes.

 

To do this, adjust the recipe by reducing the quantity of mooncake filling from 320g to 240g, and mix in 80g of nuts or seeds. (If you choose to divide it up, for every 60g of mooncake filling, use 20g of nuts or seeds.)

 

For those without electric mixers, it is possible to mix the dough manually.

 

Once you pour the heated margarine mixture into the flour, use a wooden spoon to beat it continuously for about seven minutes until the dough is smooth. The rapid beating helps to break up lumps in the dough.

 

As margarine softens easily, Mr Kumar's tip is to keep the dough chilled for ease of handling. Remove the dough from the refrigerator only when you are ready to shape the mooncakes.

 

Once you have shaped your snow skin mooncakes, keep them chilled. They should be able to last a week.

 

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SNOW SKIN MOONCAKES

INGREDIENTS

• 50g of tapioca starch or cornflour (for dusting)
• 120g snow skin flour mix
• 20g cornflour
• 80g sugar
• 65g margarine
• 180ml water
• 12ml colouring
• 12ml flavouring
• 320g mooncake filling

 

You will need a plastic mooncake mould (29cm x 6.5cm). Each mould makes four mini mooncakes of

 

5cm x 4cm x 2.5cm.

 

METHOD

1. In a clean unheated pan, add the dusting powder and place the pan over low heat. Gently fry for five to seven minutes.

 

2. Remove from heat and let it cool completely. Set aside.

 

3. Sieve the snow skin flour mix and cornflour into the heatproof mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Set aside.

 

4. In a saucepan, add sugar, margarine and water. Place the pot over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved and margarine is melted into the water.

 

5. Once the margarine is completely melted, pour the mixture into the snow skin flour mixture. The mixture has to be hot when you pour it into the flour mixture. The heat helps cook the flour.

 

6. Turn on the electric mixer on low speed for one minute to combine the ingredients to form a dough. Then increase the speed to medium and beat for four minutes.

 

7. Add colouring and flavouring, continue to mix for a minute to combine well.

 

8. Place the dough in a clean bowl. Cover with clingwrap, make holes in the clingwrap and chill for two hours.

 

9. Divide the dough into 25g portions. Take each portion and roll into a ball, then flatten it in your palm into a disc of 5cm in diameter.

 

10. Take 18g to 20g of filling and shape into a ball. Place the filling in the centre of the dough disc. Wrap the filling with the dough, rolling it into a ball.

 

11. Dust each ball with the cooked tapioca starch before pressing it into the mould.

 

12. To remove the mooncakes from the mould, knock the sides of the mould before turning it over to let the mooncakes slide out.

 

13. Chill until ready to serve.

 

(Makes 16 mini mooncakes)

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

 

 

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