The main ingredient, lotus paste, can be readily bought from stores during this time of the year, but you can make it yourself too.
Making your own lotus paste is a game-changer for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Not only is it more cost-effective, but you can also control the sweetness and oil levels for a much cleaner taste. In this tutorial, I’ll guide you through the process of prepping the lotus seeds, achieving that perfect caramelized color, and reaching the ideal fudge-like consistency for easy molding.
White lotus paste is one of the most popular mooncake fillings. It is smooth, rich, lightly sweet, and perfect for traditional baked mooncakes and snow skin mooncakes.
If you prefer a darker caramelized lotus paste for your mooncakes similar to those store bought ones, follow these steps:
1. The Alkaline Boil: Boil soaked lotus seeds with alkaline water (kansui) for 20 minutes to chemically darken the seeds, then rinse thoroughly.
2. Caramelize the Base: Melt white sugar in a skillet until it turns a deep amber caramel, then immediately stir in the puree to absorb the dark color.
3. Reduce and Incorporate Fats: Stir in dark brown sugar and golden syrup, then gradually mix in the oil in three separate batches until fully absorbed.
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/H_koK9ZWjc8
White Lotus Paste Filling for Mooncakes
Ingredients
- 300 g peeled lotus seeds
- 200 g sugar
- 200 g vegetable oil
- 30 g maltose
Instructions
- Pour hot water into a bowl of peeled lotus seeds
- Soak the seeds for an hour or so until they expand
- Drain out the water and remove the center core from every seed
- Boil in a pot for an hour and remove the foam
- Drain out the liquid and blend the cooked lotus seeds into a fine puree
- Pour 50g sugar into a pan with some oil and stir until dissolved
- Add in the lotus seed puree over low flame and stir continously until almost dry
- Add in the remaining 150g sugar and mix thoroughly
- Pour in about 1/3 of oil at a time and stir until the paste slowly thickens
- Finally add in maltose to the mixture and stir until it is evenly distributed
- Stir lotus paste until it thickens and no longer sticks to the sides of the pan
- Set it aside to cool down and keep in the fridge until ready to use
