Choose one of the following fillings to make: White Bean Paste
2 15-oz cans white kidney/cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar, or to taste
pinch of salt
1 tsp matcha powder (optional)
4 tbsp refined coconut oil
Purple Sweet Potato Paste
400g (2 large) purple sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
pinch of salt
3 tbsp refined coconut oil
White Lotus Paste
2 cans lotus seeds in water, drained (2 cups)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar, or to taste
pinch of salt
2 tbsp refined coconut oil
Dusting flour:
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
Instructions
Make wrapper dough:
Combine sweet rice flour, white rice flour, wheat starch, and sugar in a shallow, heat-proof bowl. Add soy milk and oil, and stir with a whisk until no lumps remain. Let rest for 30 minutes. Steam in a steamer over boiling water for 25-30 minutes (depending on the depth of the bowl), until dough becomes slightly translucent.*
Remove from heat and stir vigorously, then invert onto an oiled surface or a piece of parchment paper, and knead (either folding with a spatula or with gloved hands) until smooth and elastic. Place in the refrigerator to harden for at least two hours.
To make filling:
White bean matcha paste: drain the cooked beans and place in a food processor, blending until smooth. You may need to add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water in this step. Pour the purée into a medium saucepan, add the sugar and a pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until most of the water has been cooked away and the purée has thickened to a consistency similar to hummus. Add coconut oil and matcha powder and stir well, continuing to cook over medium heat until the purée becomes glossy and forms a soft dough that sticks to the spoon in one mass, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and chill until ready to use.
Purple sweet potato paste: steam purple sweet potatoes until tender. I used my Instant Pot to cook them (set to 15 minutes on HIGH + natural pressure release). Peel and cut into small cubes, then place in a food processor with a few tablespoons of water, blending until smooth. Pour the sweet potato purée into a medium saucepan, add sugar and a pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until most of the water has been cooked away. Add coconut oil and stir well, continuing to cook over medium heat until the purée becomes glossy and forms a soft dough that sticks to the spoon in one mass, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and chill until ready to use.
White lotus seed paste: drain the cooked lotus seeds and place in a food processor, blending until smooth. You may need to add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water in this step. Pour the purée into a medium saucepan, add the sugar and a pinch of salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until most of the water has been cooked away and the purée has thickened to a consistency similar to hummus. Add coconut oil and stir well, continuing to cook over medium heat until the purée becomes glossy and forms a soft dough that sticks to the spoon in one mass, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and chill until ready to use.
Make dusting flour:
In a medium pan, toast the sweet rice flour on medium-low heat until the flour turns light yellow. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
To assemble mooncake:
Divide the cold mochi dough into 12 equal pieces, 25g each. Shape the cooled filling into 12 balls of equal size, 25g each (you will have filling leftover). I use a small kitchen scale to weigh each portion for consistency.
Flatten a piece of dough onto a sheet of parchment paper, place another piece of parchment paper on top, and roll out gently into a round. Uncover and place a ball of filling in the center of the round, then gently wrap the dough upwards and around the filling, pinching edges at the top to seal. (Coat your fingertips liberally with the dusting flour to prevent sticking!)
Dust the mooncake stamp (the mini mooncake size is for 50g) with flour, then shake to remove excess. Place the ball into the mooncake mould, stamp firmly, and push gently to remove. If you find the mooncake is sticking, you may need to dust the stamp with more flour, especially in the crevices.
The mooncakes taste best after being chilled in the fridge. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze them for long-term storage (enjoy after thawing).
Notes
*Wheat starch is also called cheng fen (澄粉) and can be found in most Asian grocery stores. Despite the name, it’s actually gluten-free, as wheat starch is the pure starch that’s left over when you isolate and remove all the wheat gluten from wheat flour. You can also substitute potato starch or cornstarch if you can’t find it.
To make pink mooncakes: grate half a fresh beet (or blend in a food processor) and press the juice into a small dish. Measure out almond milk as written, but remove 1 tbsp and replace it with the beet juice to color the milk before adding it to the batter.
To make green mooncakes: you can either add 1 tsp matcha powder or use pandan leaves: cut up 4 fresh (or thawed from frozen) pandan leaves and pulse in a food processor with 2-3 tbsp of almond milk, then strain this mixture to remove the pulp from the leaves. This will serve as the green food coloring. Measure out almond milk for the recipe as written, but replace 2-3 tbsp of the milk with the green coloring.
*Instant Pot cooking option for mochi dough: place bowl on steamer rack in an Instant Pot and set to HIGH for 1 minute, and let natural release.