Healthy food

Mung Bean Desserts (綠豆糕) | Wholesome Nibbles by Lisa Lin

September 28, 2022

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A number of years in the past, Mama Lin visited my aunt in Oregon, who made scrumptious mung bean truffles (綠豆糕). In Chinese language, 綠豆糕 means “inexperienced bean cake” and is pronounced look dau go in Cantonese and lü dou gao in Mandarin. My mother loved the mung bean truffles a lot that she requested my aunt for a recipe, which she then handed on to me. I’ve made the mung bean truffles fairly just a few instances and not too long ago found that I just like the truffles much more once I add coconut oil to the recipe.

Though the mung bean truffles appear to be mooncakes (notably as a result of they’re formed with a mooncake press), they’re not conventional mooncakes. Conventional southern Chinese language mooncakes are baked pastries with a skinny layer of dough on the surface, encasing a bean paste and one or two salted egg yolks.

I nonetheless haven’t mustered the willpower to develop a standard mooncake recipe from scratch as a result of there are such a lot of steps concerned. Subsequently, these mung bean truffles are going to be the closest factor to a mooncake that I’ll be making to rejoice the Mid-Autumn Competition (中秋節/中秋节) this 12 months.

HOW TO MAKE MUNG BEAN CAKES

PREPARE BEANS

For this recipe, you’ll want break up mung beans (often known as moong dal or mung dal in Hindi). Rinse the beans with 2 to three modifications of water to scrub away a number of the yellow colour.

Soaking Beans — The beans on the left have been rinsed with just one change of water. The beans on the appropriate have been rinsed with 3 modifications of water.

Switch the beans to a bowl and fill the bowl with sufficient water in order that the water line is about 2 inches above the beans. Soak the beans in a single day.

STEAM BEANS

Add a steaming rack to a big wok. Fill the wok with water, till there’s a few 1/2-inch hole between the water stage and the highest of the steaming rack. Cowl the wok and convey the water to boil.

Drain the beans and unfold them over a big plate or pan that you need to use for steaming. Fastidiously place the plate or pan of beans over the steaming rack, cowl the wok, and steam the beans on medium-high warmth for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes of steaming, lots of the water contained in the wok could have evaporated. Fill a measuring cup with a spout (like a Pyrex) with about 3/4 cup of water. Fastidiously pour the water into the underside of the wok.

Steaming mung beans — Mung beans after 25 minutes of steaming, with sugar and butter (left). Mung beans after half-hour of steaming with butter and sugar melted (proper).

Sprinkle the sugar everywhere in the beans. Then, unfold out small cubes of butter over the sugar. Cowl the wok, and steam for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Flip off the warmth. The butter and sugar ought to have melted already. Test to verify the beans are performed cooking by crushing a bean along with your fingers. It ought to break down very simply.

SHAPE RED BEAN PASTE FILLING

The mung bean cake recipe that my aunt shared with Mama Lin used pink bean paste as a filling. You need to use my pink bean paste recipe right here to prepare dinner the bean paste or buy pink bean paste. In case you’re shopping for the paste, ensure the paste is agency sufficient to roll into balls. If not, pan fry the paste to cut back the liquid, till the paste is agency.

Whereas the beans are steaming, form the pink bean paste into small balls. You’ll want 14 to fifteen items of pink bean paste, every weighing 15 grams, about 1 flat tablespoon of bean paste. I like utilizing a small cookie scoop (affiliate hyperlink) for measuring this quantity. You’ll probably have pink bean paste leftover, which you’ll snack on or refrigerate/freeze for later use.

Mooncake press, red bean and mung bean paste

FINISH MAKING MUNG BEAN PASTE

Proper after you end steaming the beans, switch the cooked beans, melted butter and sugar, and coconut oil into the bowl of a meals processor. Chances are you’ll need to use an oven mitt or a tea towel to carry onto the recent plate or pan. Mix every little thing till clean.

Some recipes recommend straining the mung bean paste by a nice mesh strainer to make it smoother. I don’t discover it mandatory; I don’t thoughts chewing on just a few beans right here and there. Furthermore, the mung bean paste cracks simply as soon as it cools, so it’s higher to maneuver on to the subsequent step rapidly relatively than pressure the bean paste. Nevertheless, for those who resolve to pressure this paste, reheat it over a nonstick pan for a minute or two.

Measure out seven (7) 30-gram items of the mung bean paste, which is about 1 1/2 heaping tablespoons of paste. I like utilizing a medium cookie scoop (affiliate hyperlink) to measure this quantity. Cowl the remainder of the mung bean paste with a moist towel, giant plate, or a lid to maintain the paste heat.

COMBINE MUNG BEAN PASTE AND RED BEAN PASTE

Take one piece of mung bean paste and roll it right into a ball. Utilizing your fingers, form the paste right into a shallow bowl, about 2 to 2 1/2 inches extensive (see photograph above). In case you discover it tough to form the paste right into a bowl, simply form it right into a flat disc, about 2 1/2 inches extensive.

Take a bit of the pink bean paste and place it onto the middle of the mung bean bowl/disc. Wrap the mung bean paste across the ball of pink bean paste. I like to make use of the criminal of my proper hand to mildew the mung bean layer across the pink bean paste.

Pinch the mung bean layer collectively in order that the pink bean paste is totally encased. Roll the ball of dough in your palms till the floor is clean. Set the ball of dough apart. Proceed wrapping the remaining 6 items of mung bean paste across the pink bean paste balls.

SHAPE MUNG BEAN CAKES IN MOONCAKE PRESS

You’ll want a 50-gram round or sq. mooncake press to form the mung bean truffles. The spring-release mooncake press is the best to make use of. I bought my mooncake presses on Amazon (affiliate hyperlink), however you could find them on Etsy as properly.

Take one of many giant balls of dough and place it into the mooncake press. Use your fingers to softly press the dough into the mildew so it doesn’t slip out once you flip the mooncake press over onto your work floor.

Press down on the mooncake press with medium strain after which launch the cake. Switch the mung bean cake to a plate. Proceed shaping the remaining giant balls of dough with the mooncake press.

FINISH SHAPING REMAINING PASTE TO MUNG BEAN CAKES

Uncover the remaining mung bean paste, divide into 30-gram items, wrap across the balls of pink bean paste, and form into truffles with the mooncake press.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS

Mung Bean Dough Retains Cracking: Like I discussed above, it’s crucial that you just form the mung bean layer whereas it’s nonetheless heat. Nevertheless, if the dough remains to be cracking quite a bit, combine in 1 or 2 teaspoons of water to moisten the mung bean dough. I must also observe that for those who cut back the quantity of sugar for the mung bean paste, this can improve the probability of cracking. That’s as a result of sugar liquifies because it dissolves. In case you cut back the quantity of sugar within the mung bean paste considerably, the paste can be much less moist, thereby growing the probabilities for cracking.

Cake Getting Caught to Mooncake Press: If the mung bean cake is caught to the press as you launch the cake, take away the cake fully. Then, use a toothpick to scrub out the crevices of the mooncake stamp. Earlier than you form the subsequent mung bean cake, rub a skinny layer of oil over the big dough balls earlier than inserting into the mooncake press. You need to use any neutral-flavored oil like sunflower or vegetable oil.

Utilizing Sq. Mooncake Presses: The big dough balls won’t match simply right into a sq. mildew. Form the big ball of dough into an rectangular oval form, like a thick log. Now, once you insert the dough into the mooncake press, the dough received’t scrape towards the perimeters of the press.

EATING AND STORING MUNG BEAN CAKES

Benefit from the mung bean truffles instantly or save for later. You’ll be able to depart them out at room temperature for just a few hours. As a result of the tops of the cake crust over simply, ensure to cowl them up. In case you’re not going to eat them within the subsequent few hours, refrigerate them in a container. The truffles are additionally nice to eat once they’re chilled.

Eat the mung bean truffles inside 3 to 4 days as they’ll develop mildew over time.

MAKING CAKES WITHOUT FILLING

Though my aunt’s recipe makes use of pink bean filling, you may make the truffles with mung bean paste solely! Simply measure out 30-gram items of the mung bean paste and form them with the mooncake press.

Servings: 14 truffles

Creator: Lisa Lin