Get tips to make snowskin mooncakes

WATCHING sifu Seow Chee Wai deftly making a snowskin mooncake would leave onlookers in awe.

Those who have attempted to make their own mooncakes will know it is no easy feat. So if you are looking for pointers, head down to O?Gourmet at Bangsar Shopping Centre and look for sifu Ah Wai, as he is known.

He began with the dough; 225gm of Koh Fan (cooked glutinous rice flour), 55gm of shortening, 300 to 330ml water, 225gm icing sugar, 20gm of wheat starch and colouring.

Master: Sifu Ah Wai with his delectable snowskin mooncakes.

As he rolled out the dough, it did not stick to his gloved hands but gently followed the direction of his fingers.

He then broke them into 12 small balls weighing 25gm each and set them aside. Next came the filling which was purchased from a confectionary shop.

?You can always add in nuts or melon seeds to give the filling a crunchy taste when you bite into it,? he said.

He prepared the lotus filling with melon seeds and broke it into 12 rolls weighing 28 gm each.

1) Ingredients: The dough is made with cooked glutinous rice flour, shortening, water, icing sugar and wheat starch.
2)Cool hands: He carefully rolls out the dough that has been mixed with green colouring.
3) Precise: He then breaks them into 12 small balls weighing 25gm each.

The mooncakes he was preparing were mini ones while regular-sized mooncakes required different portions. For that, the dough must weigh 65gm while the filling weighed 100gms (inclusive of an egg yolk and melon seeds if required).

With 10 years of experience, he easily filled the flattened dough with the filling and pushed it into a wooden mould.

?After closing the snowskin dough with the filling inside, remember to place the closed end into the mould so the imprint of the pattern will hide the closed end,? he said.

4) Extra kick: The lotus filling is mixed with melon seeds to give it a real crunch.
5) The goodies: The filling is carefully wrapped with the dough before being placed in the mould.
6) Almost ready: The mould is knocked on the table to remove the mooncake nicely.

To remove the mooncake out of its mould, he knocked it on the table and the mooncake fell right out onto his palm.

The result was a mini delectable snowskin lotus mooncake with intricate patterns on top and a smooth bottom.

He said the mooncake needs two hours of refrigeration before consuming.

The demonstrations are held from 10am to 7pm, Tuesdays to Sundays until Sept 24.

World of Recipes