Fragrant and Smooth Yam Paste Mooncake Filling Recipe | Perfect for Snow Skin

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Learn how to make fragrant and smooth Yam Paste right at home! This recipe is specifically crafted as a delicious filling for snow skin mooncakes, ensuring a texture that is both creamy and easy to work with for your Mid-Autumn Festival preparations.

In this recipe, I walk you through the entire process of transforming fresh yam into a rich, fragrant paste. We’ll cover everything from steaming to achieving that signature silky consistency without the lumps.

What makes this recipe extra special is the use of shallot oil. It adds a wonderful savoury aroma that balances the sweetness of the yam, giving the filling a richer, more traditional flavour.

This fragrant shallot-oil yam paste is smooth, flavourful, and perfect for homemade snow skin mooncakes. The pandan, yam, and savoury shallot oil come together beautifully in every bite.

This recipe is specifically crafted as a delicious filling for snow skin mooncakes, ensuring a texture that is both creamy and easy to work with for your Mid-Autumn Festival preparations.

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/zULCGer40V8

https://youtu.be/zULCGer40V8
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Fragrant Yam Paste for Snow Skin Mooncakes

What makes this recipe extra special is the use of shallot oil.
Course Moncakes
Cuisine Chinese
Author Shiokman Eddie

Ingredients

  • 5 – 7 pandan leaves
  • 600 g yam
  • 120 g sugar to taste
  • 150 ml water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • melon seeds toasted (optional)

Shallot Oil

  • 5 small onions peeled and sliced
  • cooking oil (enough to fry shallots)

Instructions

Shallot Oil

  • Slice the shallots thinly, so they fry evenly.
  • Add the shallots and cooking oil to a pan. Fry over low to medium-low heat until the shallots turn light golden brown.
  • Keep an eye on them, as shallots can brown quickly towards the end.
  • Remove the crispy fried shallots and set them aside. We will be using the fragrant shallot oil to fry the yam paste.
  • This is an important step. Don’t replace it with plain oil if you can help it. The shallot oil gives the yam paste its signature aroma and a subtle savoury flavour.

Yam Paste

  • Peel the yam and cut it into thin slices. Thin slices steam more quickly and evenly.
  • Place the yam in a steaming tray together with the pandan leaves. Steam for about 45 minutes, or until the yam is completely soft and easy to mash.
  • Once the yam is cooked, remove the pandan leaves. While the yam is still hot, mash it together with about one-third of the sugar.
  • Transfer the mashed yam into a blender. Add the water and another one-third of the sugar.
  • Blend until completely smooth. If needed, stop once or twice to scrape down the sides of the blender.
  • A smooth blend will give you a silky yam paste, which is especially important when using it as a mooncake filling.
  • Pour the blended yam into a wide frying pan or non-stick wok. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of the prepared shallot oil.
  • Add salt and remaining sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continuously to prevent the mixture from sticking or burning.
  • As the moisture evaporates, the yam paste will become thicker, smoother, and easier to shape. This takes a little patience, but it is what gives you a good mooncake filling texture.
  • The paste is ready when it looks drier, holds its shape, and comes away cleanly from the pan.
  • Transfer the yam paste to a bowl and leave it to cool completely.
  • If you like, fold in some toasted melon seeds once the paste has cooled. They add a light crunch and are a lovely contrast to the creamy yam filling.
  • Store the yam paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will firm up further after chilling, making it easier to portion and wrap in snow skin mooncake dough.

Notes

Pro tips:

  • Use small to medium yam pieces so they steam faster and cook evenly; softer yam gives a smoother paste.
  • Don’t over-fry the shallots. Stop when they turn light golden brown, because the shallot oil is what you want, not deeply browned bits.
  • Mash the yam while it is still hot for a smoother texture with fewer lumps.
  • Add the sugar in stages so you can control the sweetness more easily and avoid making the paste too wet.
  • Fry the blended yam over low to medium-low heat and stir continuously so it thickens without sticking or scorching.
  • The paste should look dry enough to hold its shape before you remove it from the pan; this helps the mooncakes stay neat after chilling.
  • Chill the finished paste before wrapping so it firms up and is easier to portion.
  • If using melon seeds, fold them in only after the paste has cooled a little so they stay crunchy.