Teochew La Go (Mooncake) | 潮汕朥糕
- Daniel
- Sep 5, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: May 21
Don't you love walking into a vintage Chinese bakery? Every pastry or bread has a history, culture and story to tell. I discovered this mooncake 2021. I didn't even know that it is a mooncake until I asked one of the staff in the bakery. All I can get out of her is the name of this mooncake. Spare me cos I am very bad at Mandarin; I can't even read any Chinese characters for crying out loud.
Just out of the steamer...
It took me a while to finally get the correct name and kickstarted my search for the recipe. To my surprise, there are quite a fair bit of recipes online. I tweaked some of the recipes and made them into my own, which is this recipe. Yes, everything from scratch. Well, not everything.
I tried doing the Japanese mochi way by soaking and cooking glutinous rice rather than using glutinous rice flour. I just couldn't get it to come together into a dough. Maybe I really need to invest in a mochi machine?
I personally find that cooking the glutinous rice flour actually removes the raw floury taste, which most recipes don't. So, do not skip that step. Another pointer is kneading the dough while it is still hot. You can coat your hands with sesame oil to reduce the heat. I hope that would help.
And I also hope that you would give this disappearing traditional mooncake recipe a try. In closing, here I wish all you lovely people a very Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Ingredients:
(Make one 6" mooncake)
Fillings:
Mung Split Beans, 200g
Granulated Sugar, 100g
Coconut Milk, 80g
Coconut Oil, 70g
Sea Salt, Pinch
Cornstarch, 1.5 TBSP
Dough:
Black Sesame Seeds, 70g
Glutinous Rice Flour, 135g
Rice Flour, 20g
Water, 225g
Rock Sugar, 60g
Duck Fat, 45g
Mooncake:
Bean Curd Skin, For Steaming
Winter Melon Candy Finely Sliced, A Handful
Chinese Dried Dates Finely Sliced, A Handful
White Sesame Seeds, A Pinch
Equipment:
Steamer
Cast Iron Skillet / Pan
Non-Stick Pan
Spice Grinder
Sauce Pot
6" Pastry Ring / Cake Pan
Directions:
Prepare the Filling
Soak mung beans overnight.
The next day, soak in hot water and steam for 25–30 mins until soft.
Pass through a fine sieve into a nonstick pan.
Stir in sugar, coconut milk, and oil. Cook until the mixture thickens and liquid evaporates.
Season with salt.
Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook until paste thickens.
Cool slightly, then divide and roll into 200g balls.
Make the Dough
Blitz 160g black sesame seeds into a coarse paste (don’t over-blend or it’ll turn oily).
Toast glutinous rice flour and rice flour until lightly browned.
In a saucepan, boil water and sugar until dissolved.
Add to the toasted flour. Stir to combine.
Mix in sesame paste and duck fat.
Knead while still warm until dough is smooth.
Divide into 2 equal pieces.
Assemble the Mooncake
Line a pastry ring or cake pan with beancurd skin (let it overlap or overhang).
Press 1 portion of dough evenly across the base and sides.
Add mung bean filling in the center, shaping it into a flat disc. Leave a gap around the edge.
Flatten remaining dough and place over the top. Seal the edges gently.
Cover with foil or cling film.
Steam and Finish
Steam over medium-high heat for 45 mins.
While still hot, garnish with winter melon candy, dried dates, and sesame seeds.
Cool completely. Run a knife along the sides and unmold.
Slice and serve.
Every bite is heavenly...
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