Chinese Mooncakes are usually served and eaten during the Mid Autumn Festival. This Teochew Spiral Mooncake is unique because of its flaky pastry and the yam/taro filling. Serve your Teochew Spiral Mooncake with a cup of hot Chinese tea to complete the meal. Here is the RECIPE if you would like to make them yourself. There are deep-fried versions of this mooncake but this is the baked version.

Recipe by Mama Ding

Total Time | 2 hr 10 mins

Prep Time | 50 mins

Cook Time | 1 hr 20 mins

Yields : 12 mooncakes

Ingredients

For the Yam/Taro Paste~

600 g yam/taro, peeled and sliced
180 g granulated sugar
100 g shallot oil
80 g wheat starch flour
12 salted egg yolks (optional)
For the Oil Dough
180 g plain flour
80 g shortening/butter/lard
30 ml vegetable oil
pinch of salt
For the Water Dough
220 g plain flour
80 g shortening/butter/lard
40 g castor sugar
80 ml water
1 tsp purple sweet potato powder (optional)

Method

01 Prepare the Yam/Taro Paste first. Place the peeled and sliced yam/taro onto a heatproof dish. Prepare a steamer. When the water is boiling, steam for 20 mins or until the yam/taro is softened. Turn off heat and remove from steamer.

While the yam/taro is still hot, place them in a big bowl. Add the wheat starch flour, sugar and 50 g of the shallot oil. Mash and mix with a fork until it becomes a paste. You may use a stick blender or a food processor for this step. Mash until you get a fine and smooth paste.

Heat the remaining 50 g shallot oil on medium heat in a wok/pan. Add the smooth yam/taro paste and saute until all the oil is absorbed by the yam/taro paste. It will take about 10 - 15 mins and the paste will turn to a darker color when it is done. Remove the yam/taro paste from heat and set aside to cool.

02 If you are using salted egg yolks for the filling, steam them on high heat for 10 mins or microwave on high heat for 30 seconds. If you are using salted egg yolks, you will get 12 mooncakes.

If you prefer not to use salted egg yolks, you will get 16 mooncakes. (Divide the yam/taro paste into 16 balls of equal size.)

03 Preheat your oven to 180 C/350 F.

04 Divide the yam/taro paste into 12 balls of equal size (for salted egg yolk mooncakes). Take one ball, flatten into a disk and wrap around one salted egg yolk. Repeat until all 12 salted egg yolks are wrapped with the 12 balls of yam/taro paste.

*Skip this step if you do not want any egg yolks in your filling. Without the egg yolks, you will have enough paste for 16 mooncakes. The mooncakes without egg yolks will be smaller in size.

05 To prepare the oil dough:

In a large bowl, place the flour, shortening/oil and salt. Mix well until you get a soft dough.

Divide into 4 balls of equal size. Set aside for 20 mins.

06 To prepare the water dough:

In another large bowl, place the flour, shortening, sugar, water and purple sweet potato powder (if using). The purple sweet potato powder is added to color the dough. You can add other colors by using matcha powder/cocoa powder/black sesame seed powder etc

Mix well until a soft dough is formed. Knead for 5 mins.

Divide into 4 balls of equal size. These will be slightly larger than the oil dough balls. Set aside for 20 mins.

07 Combine the two types of dough together:

Take one ball of water dough and flatten into a disk. Place the oil dough ball on the water dough disk. Wrap the water dough disk around the oil dough ball and seal the edges. Shape into a round ball. You should get a larger dough ball now, with the water dough wrapped around the oil dough.

Repeat until you get 4 large combined dough balls.

08 Take one combined dough ball and use a rolling pin to flatten into a rectangle shape. Roll as thin as possible with an even thickness without tearing the dough.

Now, roll up the rectangle with your hands like rolling a cigar. You will get a long cylinder.

Turn the cylinder so that one end is pointing towards you.

09 Flatten and roll again into a rectangle. Roll as thin as possible without breaking the dough apart.

Roll up the rectangle into a cigar shape again.

Repeat till you get 4 pieces of rolled up dough.

10 Cut each piece of rolled dough into 3 portions. You should get 12 portions of dough.

11 Take one of the 12 portions and flatten it. Put one yam/taro paste ball in the center and seal the edges. Place the spiral mooncake on a lined baking tray.

Repeat until all 12 portions are filled with the yam/taro paste.

12 Bake in the preheated oven at 180 C/350 F for 20 - 25 mins or until they are golden brown.

Allow to cool before slicing to serve. Best served with Chinese tea.

Notes

These spiral mooncakes can also be deep-fried.

Heat cooking oil in a wok/pot. When oil is hot, reduce to medium heat. Carefully place each mooncake into the hot oil and deep fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on kitchen towels.