Traditional Mooncake / Kue Bulan

Beberapa tahun belakangan ini,  tiap bulan September sampai awal Oktober, di Medan banyak dijual Mooncake atau kue bulan. Saya mencobanya dirumah teman Tianghoa yang menyajikan beberapa macam mooncake. 

Umumnya orang hanya membeli saja, jarang yang membuat sendiri. Karena kelihatannya sulit, ternyata setelah google-google ternyata tidak sesulit yang dibayangkan, hanya saja untuk membuat filling (isianya) memang harus membuat sendiri karena tidak tidak tersedia yang sudah jadi.

Saya meniru resep Traditional Mooncake - nya Christine dengan sedikit perubahan. 

Ini adalah yang pertama kalinya saya membuat, hasilnya lumayan..., tidak perfect tapi not bad for a beginner. Hanya saja, kalau saya membuat lagi mooncake dengan isi biji lotus, saya akan merubah sedikit cara membuatnya ( saya juga ikut resep Christine's Recipe yang saya modifikasi), dengan merebusnya langsung dengan air mendidih, seperti yang ditulis di blog Kitchen Tigres, karena saya ingin mendapat tekstur yang lebih lunak. Saya membuat dua macam isian, dari kacang hijau kupas (juga dari blog Kitchen Tigres) dan biji lotus atau teratai. Dari homemade filling, saya lebih menyukai kacang hijau, walaupun secara tradisional menggunakan biji teratai.

Cetakannya saya beli di Pajak Sambas Setelah keliling dibeberapa pasar dan tidak berhasil akhirnya dapat juga di Pajak Sambas. Cetakan ada yang besar dan kecil. Untuk resep yang saya buat ini menggunakan cetakan yang besar.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an official harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese peoples.^[1][2]The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar and Vietnamese calendar, during a full moon, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar, within 15 days to theautumnal equinox.^[1]

The Government of the People's Republic of China listed the festival as an "intangible cultural heritage" in 2006 and a public holiday in 2008.^[1] It is also a public holiday in Taiwan. Among the Vietnamese, it is considered the second-most important holiday tradition.

Mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅; pinyin: yuè bĭng) is a Chinese bakery producttraditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiujie). The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

Typical mooncakes are round pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 3–4 cm thick. This is the Cantonese mooncake, eaten in Southern China in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. A rich thick filling usually made from red bean or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin (2–3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea. Today, it is customary for businessmen and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents,^[1]helping to fuel a demand for high-end mooncake styles. The energy content of a mooncake is approximately 1,000 calories or 4,200 kilojoules (for a cake measuring 10 cm (3.9 in)), but energy content varies with filling and size. (compiled from Wikipedia)

Chinese people around the world are gearing up to celebrate harvest and family as part of the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 8.

The occasion takes place on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar.

It does not have a set date on the Gregorian calendar, but it always corresponds with a full moon, explains Chinese site Xinhua.

The second most important festival to Chinese people after the New Year, it is a time in which families meet, have dinner, gaze at the full moon and eat a food known asmoon cake, according to China Highlights.

It became a three-day festival under Han emperor Wu Di (156 to 87 B.C.), reports the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding.

The history of the Mid-Autumn Festival stretches back over 3,000 years to the Shang Dynasty (1600 to 1046 B.C.), when emperors worshipped the moon in the fall because they thought it would lead to a bountiful harvest.

Moon worship took the form of sacrifices to the lunar goddess in the succeeding Western Zhou Dynasty (1045 to 770 B.C.) and the practice has continued since then.

Sacrificial items have included moon cakes, plums, grapes, apples and watermelons.

But moon cake isn't just sacrificed; families eat it too. It's a food filled with ingredients such as egg yolk, nuts, lotus seed paste and various kinds of bean paste.

The tradition of consuming moon cake has been traced back to a revolutionary named Chu Yuan-chang, who lived during the Yuan Dynasty (1279 to 1368 B.C.), according to Taipei Times.

At that time, Chu was trying to lead the Han people in an uprising against the Mongols. He and a co-conspirator, Liu po-wen, told people that a plague was upon them and eating moon cakes was the only way to stop a disaster. The cakes actually held a message which told the Han people that a revolution would take place on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

Today, cakes are packaged in beautiful boxes (which sometimes cost more than the food itself), served with tea and shared by families as part of the festival, China Highlights explains. (Compiled from Huffington Post )

Ingredients: 

Untuk kulit / for the skin

100 gr plain flour

100 gr tepung terigu (saya pakai segitiga biru)

60 gr golden syrup, home made or store-bought (In Medan it is available in Mr.Ben)

60 gr golden syrup, home made atau beli (di Medan bisa dibeli di Mr. Ben)

½ tsp alkaline water (aka lye water), 

1/2 sdt air abu, dapat dibeli dipasar

30 gr vegetable oil

30 gr minyak

Untuk isi / Fillings

4 kuning telur asin

4 salted duck egg yolks

Isi dapat digunakan  kacang hijau atau atau biji lotus

For the filling use split mungbean puree or lotus seeds pure

Membuat isi dari kacang hijau dapat dilihat dalam post Kue Ku 

To make the mungbean filling please refer to my early post Ang Ku Kueh

Membuat isi dari biji lotus

To make the lotus seeds filling

Ingredients: 

200 gr lotus seeds

200 gr biji lotus

200 gr sugar

200 gr gula

100 ml vegetable oil

100 ml minyak

a pinch of salt

sedikit garam

Cara membuat / Method:

Rinse the lotus seeds and soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight. After the seeds swell, split and remove the germs/cores inside the seeds if any, as they taste bitter.

Cuci biji lotus dan rendam sekurangnya 4 jam, atau satu malam. Setelah biji mengembang,  buang tunas didalamnya jika ada, karena rasanya pahit.

Boil the lotus seeds to 15 minutes and then simmer until tender, add hot water if necessary until the seeds are tender (or use pressure cooker)

Didihkan biji lotus selama 15 menit, lanjutkan memasak dengan api kecil sampai biji lotus lunak, tambahkan air panas jika perlu sampai biji benar2 lunak (atau dapat digunakan pressure cooker)

Drain the water and transfer into a food processor and grind into a smooth paste. Put some water if necessary. Pass through a fine sieve if you want the finest texture.

Tiriskan biji lotus dan masukkan ke dalam blender sampai halus, tambahkan air jika diperlukan. Jika menyukai hasil yang lebih halus, bisa digunakan saringan. 

Use a frying pan, combine the lotus puree and sugar. Cook over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves completely. Add the oil gradually, keep stirring until the oil is incorporated and the lotus puree is thickened. 

Masak gula dan biji lotus halus dengan api sedang sampai gula benar-benar larut. Tambahkan minyak sedikit demi sedikit sambil terus diaduk sampai menjadi adonan kalis.

Remove from the heat. Set aside and let cool completely. It’s ready to use. 

Matikan api, sisikan dan biarkan benar-benar dingin. Sudah dapat digunakan.

Untuk olesan / the egg wash

1 telur

1 egg

1/2 sdm susu

1/2 tbsp milk

Method: 

Aduk rata, golden syrup, air abu dan minyak dalam mangkok

Mix the golden syrup, alkaline water and oil well in small bowl.

Saring campuran tepung, dalam wadah. Gunakan spatula atau sendok kayu untuk mencampur, setelah menyatu uleni sebentar menjadi adonan. Tutupi dan sisihkan selama 40 menit.

Sift  the flour mix flour on a large bowl. Use a spatula to combine all ingredients. Knead into a dough. Cover and set aside to rest for 40 minutes.

Pisahkan kuning telur asin, cuci perlahan-lahan dengan air kemudian lap sampai kering dengan tissue.

Separate the salted egg yolk from the white, wash gently with water and wipe dry  with kitchen paper. 

Panaskan oven 180 C

Preheat oven to 180 C. 

Siapkan olesan : kocok  telur dan susu sampai tercampur, sisihkan

Prepare the egg wash: whisk the egg with the milk, set aside

Ambil 80 gr isi (kacang hijau atau biji lotus), bentuk seperti bola, pipihkan dan letakkan kuning telur ditengahnya dan bungkus, hingga menjadi seperti bola. Tekan-tekan sedikit supaya padat. 

Take 80 gr of filling and shape into a ball, flatten a little bit, put the egg yolk in the middle and wrap it around to shape a ball. Gently press it to avoid any air pocket.

Ambil 50 gr adonan kulit dan bentuk seperti bola. Letakkan diantara dua lembar plastik atau bisa gunakan cling film dan kemudian giling dengan ketebalan 2 -3 mm kira-kira 12 cm diameternya atau cukup besar untuk membungkus isi.

Take  50 gr of skin dough and shape into a ball. Put the dough ball between two plastic sheets or you can use cling film and then roll to a disc 2-3 mm thick, around 12 cm diameter or just  big enough to wrap around the filling

Sekarang bungkus isi dengan kulit, sedikit ditekan agar tidak ada gelembung udara.

Now wrap the filling ball with the dough disc, gently press it to avoid any air pocket

Letakkan moon cake kedalam cetakan dan langsung letakkan di atas loyang yang  telah dialasi kertas roti, Sedikit tekan tapi agak kuat pegangan cetakan, kira-kira cukup untuk mendapat bentuk gambarnya.

Place the moon cake into the mould and put it straight into a lined baking tray, lightly press (but firm) the mould spring, enough pressure to make the pattern. 

Ulangi proses ini sampai adonan habis.

Repeat this step to finish the remaining dough

Olesi moon cake dengan telur.

Brush the moon cakes with the egg wash

Panggang dalam oven yang telah dipanaskan, kira-kira 15 menit. Olesi sekali lagi mooncake dengan telur kira-kira 5 menit sebelum dikeluarkan dari oven (masak). Lanjutkan memanggang sampai kulit tampak kecoklatan dan mengkilat. Keluarkan dari oven dan dinginkan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Brush the moon cakes once again with egg wash, at about 5 minutes before removing from the oven. Continue to bake until the pastry turns golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Simpan dalam tempat yang kedap udara. Kulit akan menjadi lembut dan makin mengkilat setelah dua atau tiga hari.

Store in an air-tight container. The pastry will become soft and shiny the next day or two days