How to Make Delicious and Aromatic Mixed Mooncakes with Barbecued Pork

How to prepare Mixed Mooncake with Char Siu

• 1

  Prepare the pork

  First, wash the pork thoroughly with diluted salt water, then rinse again with clean water. Next, remove any excess fat from the pork.

  Then, place a pot of water on the stove, add the pork and blanch it with a little salt over medium heat until the water boils vigorously for about 1 – 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Remove the pork and rinse it again with clean water to eliminate any odors and make it cleaner.

  Next, slice the pork along the grain, avoiding cutting against it as this will cause the meat to break easily when making char siu.

  Each slice of pork should be about the thickness of a finger, and after cutting, place the pork in a bowl to prepare for marinating.

  How to prepare pork without a fishy smell:

  • You can briefly blanch the pork in boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes to remove the fishy smell.
  • Soaking the pork in diluted salt water is also a common method to eliminate the meat’s odor.
  • Alternatively, you can use ingredients like shallots, white wine, vinegar, ginger, lemongrass, etc., as odor neutralizers for the meat.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Make the sauce and marinate the char siu

  Put the following ingredients into a bowl: 30ml malt syrup, 15ml honey, 30ml soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Mai Que Lo wine.

  Stir the mixture well until it thickens and combines. Next, place the meat strips into a zip bag, then add the marinating sauce and massage it evenly for 2 – 3 minutes to let the meat absorb the spices.

  [tip] Tip: If you don’t have a zip bag, you can use a bowl or container, mix the spices with the meat, then cover tightly and marinate the meat for 7 – 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator refrigerator for the meat to absorb the flavors deeply.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Grilling Char Siu

  Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes to stabilize the temperature.

  After marinating the meat overnight, let it sit outside for a bit to warm up. Then, place the meat on a baking tray lined with foil and put it in the oven, grilling the meat for 15 – 17 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius.

  While grilling the meat, pour the marinade sauce into a pot and heat the mixture over medium heat until it boils.

  After 15 – 17 minutes of grilling, take the meat out and use a brush to apply the boiled sauce onto the meat to enhance its color, making it shinier and more flavorful. Then, return the meat to the oven and grill for another 10 – 12 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius.

  Once the meat is done grilling, let it cool completely before slicing it into char siu to avoid drying it out when stir-frying.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Mixing and Stir-frying Char Siu Meat

  After the meat has completely cooled, use a knife to cut off the burnt pieces, then put on gloves and tear the meat into long, thin strands.

  Next, prepare the char siu sauce mixture consisting of 30ml malt syrup, 15ml honey, 5ml soy sauce, 15ml oyster sauce, 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Mai Que Lo wine.

  Stir the mixture well to combine all the ingredients.

  Then, place a pan on the stove, add the torn meat to the pan. Add 2 teaspoons of char siu sauce to the pan and mix well; the remaining sauce will be saved for mixing the filling.

  Turn the stove on to low heat and stir-fry the meat until it is relatively dry and the sauce is absorbed into the meat. Do not let the meat be too wet as it will spoil the filling. On the contrary, do not let the meat be too dry as it will make the filling crumbly and less tasty.

  When the pieces of meat are relatively dry and the pan no longer has sauce sticking to it, turn off the heat and let the meat cool down a bit.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Mixing the cake filling

  The sausage you have should be diced into small cubes. Nuts like cashews, watermelon seeds, and pumpkin seeds should be crushed slightly if they are too large to make them easier to mix with the cake filling.

  Add all 120g of lotus seed jam, 20g of sesame seeds, 50g of lard, and 30g of diced sausage into a bowl. Then add the cooled char siu meat and mix well.

  Next, add 30g of char siu sauce and 90g of water, then continue to mix thoroughly. Slowly add 45g of sticky rice flour. Mix again until the filling can stick together as a mass.

  

  

  
• 6

  Mixing the cake dough

  In a bowl, add 160g of syrup for making baked cakes, 30g of peanut butter or regular cooking oil, 1 egg yolk (18 – 20g), 10g of peanut butter (about 2 full teaspoons – can be omitted), 1/4 teaspoon of five-spice powder, then use a whisk to mix well until the mixture is combined.

  Next, add 120g of type 8 flour and 120g of type 11 flour into the bowl, using a whisk to mix well so that the flour absorbs all the oil-egg mixture. Then, use your hands to knead the dough until it forms a cohesive mass, then stop.

  Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 – 40 minutes. Do not knead the dough too much, as over-kneading will make your cake crust chewy.

  

  
• 7

  Wrap the filling and shape the cake

  After letting the dough rest, divide the dough into pieces weighing 60g each. The filling should be divided into pieces weighing 90g each.

  After dividing the dough, use plastic wrap or a clean cloth to cover the dough to prevent it from drying out. Next, take each piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten it into a moderately sized circle.

  Then, place the barbecued pork filling in the center, and use your hands to gather the edges of the dough together. Roll the dough to form a uniform ball.

  Dust a thin layer of flour into the mold, the cake tray, and the work surface. Then place each piece of dough into the mold, and cover any unshaped dough with a cloth or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

  Press the mold firmly against the work surface, keep the mold steady with your left hand, and with your right hand, press down firmly on the spring, then gently lift the cake out of the mold. Repeat the same process with the remaining pieces of dough.

  Gently place the cakes onto the baking tray, avoiding the use of black baking trays commonly found in ovens, as black trays absorb heat and can easily burn the bottom of the cakes.

  How to divide the cake ratio:

  • 50g mold: Divide in the ratio of 20g dough : 30g filling.
  • 75g mold: Divide in the ratio of 30g dough : 45g filling.
  • 125g mold: Divide in the ratio of 50g dough : 75g filling.
  • 150g mold: Divide in the ratio of 60g dough : 90g filling

  

  

  

  
• 8

  Bake the cake

  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, then gently place the cake on the baking tray and put it in the oven. Bake the cake at 180 – 190 degrees Celsius for 8 – 10 minutes in the middle rack of the oven.

  While baking, prepare a brushing mixture consisting of egg yolk, fresh milk, cooking oil, and a bit of honey or food coloring. Then stir well to combine the mixture.

  After the first brushing, take the cake out and spray water on the surface to prevent cracking and drying. Then wait for the cake to cool and use a brush to apply a thin layer on the surface of the cake.

  Put the cake back into the oven and continue to bake a second time for 5 – 7 minutes at 190 – 200 degrees Celsius (slightly higher temperature and slightly shorter time). After baking, continue to spray water on the cake as you did in the first time.

  For the third time, bake the cake at 110 degrees Celsius for 5 – 7 minutes to help the cake dry out more and the surface to turn a nice golden color. If the cake is not dry and golden as desired, you can increase the baking time for the third time. After the third baking, take the cake out to cool on a rack.

  Small tip:

  • During the baking process, you need to prepare a spray bottle and a bowl of egg yolk to brush the surface of the cake.
  • You can use a mixture of 1 egg yolk, a little fresh milk, and a little cooking oil to brush the surface of the cake. This mixture will help the surface of the cake to be shinier and more fragrant.
  • You can use a little honey mixed with the brushing mixture, but do not use too much as it may cause the cake to stick after baking.

  

  
• 9

  Finished Product

  The cake after baking will have a golden color and be slightly firm. Once cooled, you should put the cake in a sealed bag. At room temperature for about 1 – 2 days, the surface of the cake will glisten with oil, enhancing its appearance, deepening its color, and making the crust chewy and delicious.

  The mooncake with mixed fillings and char siu has a uniquely fragrant and delicious flavor from the char siu meat combined with the traditional mixed filling, making the taste of the cake even better.