These mooncakes use sago pearls instead of flour for the outer layer, giving them a translucent, slightly chewy texture. The dough is made by soaking and kneading sago until smooth, then wrapping it around sweet red bean paste. After shaping in a mooncake mold, they are steamed until glossy and soft. The result is a light, tender mooncake with a chewy, almost mochi-like bite, balanced by the earthy sweetness of red bean filling. Best enjoyed fresh, they showcase the delicate side of traditional steamed desserts.
Ingredients (Yield: 10 pieces (each 30 g dough + 15 g filling))
Outer Layer (Dough):
- 160 g sago pearls
- 10 g sugar
- 150 g warm water
Filling:
- 150 g red bean paste
Instructions
1. Prepare the dough and Filling:
- In a bowl, combine the sago pearls, sugar, and warm water.
- Mix well and let the mixture rest for 20 minutes to soften.
- Knead until the sago forms a smooth and pliable dough.
- Portion the dough and filling
- Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces (about 30 g each).
- Divide the red bean paste into 10 balls (about 15 g each).
2. Assemble the mooncakes
- Flatten one piece of dough into a disc.
- Place a red bean ball in the center.
- Wrap the dough around the filling, sealing it completely.
- Roll gently into a smooth ball.
- Press into a mooncake mold to form the traditional shape.
3. Steam the mooncakes
- Arrange the shaped mooncakes in a steamer lined with parchment or banana leaf to prevent sticking.
- Steam over medium heat for 30 minutes.
4. Serve
- Allow the mooncakes to cool slightly before removing from the mold.
Red bean baozi, or steamed buns with red bean filling, are a classic Asian treat, loved for their soft, fluffy dough and sweet, creamy filling. They make a delightful snack or dessert and are perfect with a cup of tea.
The dough is soft, slightly sweet, and made from a simple mix of flour, yeast, sugar, and water. After kneading and proofing, it becomes light and pillowy, ideal for encasing the sweet filling.
The filling features smooth red bean paste, traditionally made from adzuki beans cooked and sweetened with sugar. You can use store-bought paste for convenience or make your own for a more authentic touch. Adjust the sweetness to your preference.
Serve warm for the best texture and flavor. These buns can also be stored and reheated, making them a convenient treat for later.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 270g red bean paste
For the Dough:
- 240g cake flour
- 4g instant dry yeast
- 10g sugar
- 10g cooking oil
- 120g lukewarm water
Instructions
1. Prepare the Dough:
- Add all the ingredients to the mixer bowl.
- Knead on low speed for 8–10 minutes until smooth.
- Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and let it rest for 1–1.5 hours until doubled in size.
2. Assemble the Buns:
- Divide the red bean paste into 9 even portions and roll them into balls.
- Once the dough has risen, deflate it.
- Roll the dough into a rope and divide it into 9 equal pieces.
- Flatten each piece into a 10 cm disc, making the edges thinner and the center thicker.
- Place a portion of red bean paste in the center of each wrapper.
- Seal the edges completely, ensuring no gaps.
3. Proof the Buns:
- Place the buns on parchment-lined steamer trays or plates, leaving space between each bun to prevent sticking.
- Let them rest for 30 minutes until light and plump.
4. Steam the Buns:
- Boil water in a wok or pot.
- Place the steamer trays or plate with buns over the boiling water.
- Steam over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
5. Storage and Reheating:
- Keep in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Steam frozen buns for 6 minutes or defrost first and steam for 3 minutes.
Flaky mooncakes are a type of Chinese pastry known for their delicate, multi-layered crust that crumbles beautifully when bitten into. The flaky texture is achieved by incorporating lard or shortening into the dough (or oil as in my version), creating thin, crisp layers. These mooncakes are often filled with sweet or savory ingredients, such as red bean paste, lotus seed paste, or minced meat. The contrast between the light, crisp pastry and the rich, flavorful fillings makes flaky mooncakes a beloved treat during the Mid-Autumn Festival and other festive occasions.
I personally prefer Hong Kong Style Mooncakes, which I have also prepared before with a non-traditional filling—cheesecake.
Ingredients (15 Mooncakes)
Water Dough:
- 85g all-purpose flour
- 10g icing sugar
- 30g cooking oil
- 35g water
- Pinch of salt
Oil Dough:
- 90g all-purpose flour
- 40g cooking oil
- 3g matcha powder
Filling:
- 225g sweet red bean paste
Instructions
1. Prepare the Filling:
- Portion red bean paste into 15 equal parts and roll into balls.
2. Make the Water Dough:
- Place all ingredients for the water dough in a mixing bowl, except for the water.
- Start with half the amount of water first. Gradually add more as needed to knead into a soft, non-sticky dough.
- Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Make the Oil Dough:
- Mix the oil and flour in a small mixing bowl and knead into a smooth, non-sticky dough.
- Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
4. Rolling and Wrapping:
- Flatten the water dough into a disc.
- Place the oil dough ball in the middle and wrap the water dough around it.
- Cover and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle, about 30 x 40 cm.
- Fold 1/3 from the left, then another 1/3 from the right, keeping the edges as rectangular as possible.
- Roll it out again into a rectangle, about 30 x 40 cm.
- Roll it up tightly from the side near you into a Swiss roll.
- Divide the dough into equal pieces. Cover tightly with cling wrap and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
5. Shaping:
- Take one piece of dough, flatten it in the middle, and gather the two sides up to meet. Flatten with your palm.
- Use a rolling pin to roll it out into a disc, slightly thicker in the middle.
- Place a ball of red bean paste in the middle.
- Wrap the dough around the filling, pinch to seal, and place seam side down.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Baking:
- Bake in the preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool completely on a rack.
This year, for the first time ever, I attempted to make zongzi. Instead of the traditional sticky rice with a usually savory filling, which looked like several hours of work, I made a sweet, novel version of zongzi using sago with sweet fillings.
I must say, they still take plenty of time and practice, as wrapping them was not easy and I didn't fully succeed. I feel like two hands aren't enough for this! Why? I wrapped them, but once I tried to tie them with twine, they loosened up, ending up with the corners opening during steaming and leaking out. Although they didn't look perfect, they still tasted super delicious. I really love them!
The second time, I made custard-filled zongzi (RECIPE HERE). Although they were assembled better with nearly no leakage, I must say I love the red bean filling a lot more. Maybe because it was store-bought, so there was more sugar than in the homemade custard with reduced sugar.
If you cannot find bamboo leaves but still want to enjoy zongzi, you can make them in a mold. Just remember to grease the mold so they will not stick to it. If you can find the leaves, it's better as they add some extra aroma!
Ingredients
- 250g sago pearls (small size)
- 30g sugar
- 20g cooking oil
- 300g red bean paste
- Water (enough to soak the sago pearls)
Supplies:
- 20 bamboo leaves
- Kitchen twine
Instructions
1. Preparing Bamboo Leaves:
- Place the bamboo leaves in a large bowl or container.
- Cover the leaves with warm water and let them soak for 5-10 minutes. This helps soften the leaves and remove any impurities.
- After soaking, transfer the leaves to a cooking pot.
- Cover the leaves with clean water in the pot.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the leaves simmer for about 15 minutes. This further softens the leaves and ensures they are clean.
- After cooking, keep the leaves in the water until they have cooled down to room temperature.
- Once cooled, use clean water and a mop or cloth to gently clean the leaves, removing any excess dust or residue.
- Rinse each leaf thoroughly under running water and pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.
2. Soaking the Sago Pearls:
- Place the sago pearls in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour enough water to cover the sago pearls and let them soak for 30 minutes.
- After soaking, drain off the water using a strainer and squeeze out any excess water. Excess water can affect the texture of the zongzi.
3. Preparing bean paste:
- In the meantime, divide the red bean paste into 10 even portions.
- Shape each portion into a small ball.
4. Mixing Sago Pearls with Other Ingredients:
- Mix the soaked sago pearls with sugar and cooking oil until well combined.
- If desired, add food coloring at this stage and mix thoroughly.
5. Wrapping the Sago Pearls with Bamboo Leaves:
- Stack two bamboo leaves on top of each other and fold them at the middle to create a cone shape.
- Fill the cone with some soaked sago pearls, spreading them towards the sides.
- Place red bean paste balls in the center, then cover with more soaked sago pearls, pressing them in tightly with the back of a spoon.
- Fold both sides of the bamboo leaves over the filling, then fold the top over and secure with kitchen twine.
6. Steaming on the Stove:
- Bring water in a steamer to a rolling boil.
- Arrange the wrapped dumplings in the steamer and steam over high heat for 30 minutes.
- Let the dumplings cool for about 10 minutes before removing them from the steamer.
7. Serving:
- Zongzi are best served the next day at room temperature.
- Serve with palm sugar syrup on the side for dipping. Enjoy your homemade zongzi!
Because I still had some red bean paste leftover in the freezer, I had to find a way to use it up. I have searched for some cookies cakes ideas, but not much could be found. I have seen one red bean paste crinkle cookies recipe and adjusted it to make it into chocolate chip red bean paste cookies instead. The flavour of red bean paste isn't strong, maybe you won't even notice it inside. Cookies are moist, but as everything else best eaten fresh, The longer kep, the crunchier they will get. Recipe is simple and doesn't make much time to make, except for the chilling dough time.
Since Lunar New Year was approaching, I decided to prepare cookies as gifts for my husband's family, thinking they would appreciate the Asian flavor. To my surprise, nobody noticed the red bean paste inside and they thought they were regular chocolate chip cookies. You can bake them for a shorter time to achieve a more fudgy interior.
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 80g sugar
- 140g red bean paste
- 230g flour
- 5g baking powder
- 80ml oil
- 150g chocolate chips
Instructions
1. Preparing the Cookie Dough:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the egg and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the oil and red bean paste to the mixture and mix until well combined.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the wet mixture and fold gently until just combined. Avoid overmixing the dough.
- Stir in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Cover the cookie dough and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight for best results.
2. Shaping the Cookies:
- Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
- Scoop about 20 grams of the chilled cookie dough and roll it into a round ball.
- Place the dough balls on a lined baking sheet, leaving some space between each cookie.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to crisp and the center is still soft.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool.
Hi! I'm Żaneta, a Polish girl living in Taiwan :) I love cooking and baking. I have both a travel blog and a cooking blog, as well as a YouTube channel. You're welcome to find me on my social media - feel free to ask questions or just chat! ~
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