Spiral Yam Mooncakes

A traditional chinese pastry.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 60

Ingredients

• Filling

• 740  g  mashed  yams
• 130  g sugar
• 140  g  oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2 -3  teaspoons  red food coloring

• Water dough

• 230  g all-purpose flour
• 28  g powdered sugar
• 70  g  corn oil
• 70  g water

• Oil dough

• 175  g cake flour
• 80  g shortening
• 1 -2  teaspoon  red food coloring

Directions

1. Place mashed yam in a pan/wok.
2. Add salt, sugar (Note 2) and oil gradually into yam paste, a small portion at a time.
3. Keep stirring at all times.
4. Cook until the paste leaves the sides of the wok clean when stirred.
5. Set aside to cool.
6. Measure 640g of yam paste for mooncakes with no yolks, OR 480g for mooncakes with yolks.
7. Add melon seeds (if using) and mix well.
8. Divide into 8 equal portions (Pic. 1) and roll each into a ball.
9. Wrap an egg yolk into each ball (if using yolks).
10. To prepare water dough: Sift flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl.
11. Make a well in the middle and gradually pour in the corn oil and water.
12. Mix well and lightly knead for about 1 minute until a non-sticky dough is formed.
13. Leave the dough aside and go on to prepare oil dough.
14. To prepare oil dough: Sift flour into another mixing bowl.
15. Mix shortening with flour well.
16. Do not knead this dough (Note 3).
17. Divide water and oil dough into 4 portions (Pic. 1).
18. Each water dough should weigh 100g while each oil dough should weigh 67g (Note 4).
19. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a water dough.
20. Wrap an oil dough with this water dough (Pic. 2) to form a ball (Pic. 3).
21. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough in Step 6 as shown in Pic.
22. 4 (Note 5).
23. Roll as swiss-roll (Pic. 5).
24. Give the dough a quarter turn and roll out the dough length wise again.
25. Roll as swiss-roll (Pic. 6-7).
26. Divide it into 2 equal portions (Pic. 8).
27. Repeat the same procedure for the remaining water and oil doughs.
28. These pastry skins are ready to be used.
29. Lightly flour (using cake flour) the working surface.
30. With the cut side face down, roll out the dough such that the edges are thinner than the centre (Pic. 9).
31. Wrap yam paste ball and seal the edges (Pic. 10, Note 6).
32. Repeat to shape remaining mooncakes.
33. Place mooncakes on a baking tray lined with grease-proof baking sheet.
34. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 25-30 minutes or until cooked (Pic 11).
35. Transfer mooncakes to a wire rack and let cool.