Mooncakes are the traditional Chinese food for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Hong Kong, as a part of China, has its own unique mooncake culture. In Hong Kong, mooncakes come in a wide variety of flavors. The history of mooncakes in Hong Kong can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty, when mooncakes were made in honor of national heroes who fought against foreign invasions. With the passage of time, the production process of mooncakes has been improved and the flavors have become more and more diversified. Nowadays, Hong Kong mooncakes have become an indispensable part of the Mid-Autumn Festival, attracting a large number of visitors every year.
Steps in making traditional Hong Kong mooncakes
The making of traditional Hong Kong mooncakes involves a number of steps, which include making the filling, making the crust, wrapping the filling and baking. Here are the steps to make traditional Hong Kong mooncakes:
1. Making the filling
The filling is the soul of the mooncake, and a well-made filling can make the mooncake more delicious. The filling of traditional Hong Kong mooncakes is usually made of lotus seed paste, five kernels, bean paste and other ingredients. Add ingredients such as lotus seed paste, five kernels, bean paste and other seasonings such as sugar, oil and sesame, mix well and put them into the refrigerator for freezing.
2. Make the crust
The crust of the mooncake is made of flour, oil, water and other ingredients. Mix the flour, oil, water and other ingredients, knead the dough and let it rest for some time before rolling it out. When rolling out the dough, you need to pay attention to the thickness of the crust, usually controlled at about 3-5 millimeters.
3. Filling
Divide the filling into small pieces and place them in the center of the rolled out pastry, then fold the pastry in half and pinch the mouth tightly with your hands so that the filling doesn't flow out.
4. Baking
Put the filled mooncakes into the oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes at 180-200 degrees. The surface of the baked mooncake is golden brown and gives off a rich flavor.
Innovation of Hong Kong mooncakes
With the change of time, the method of making Hong Kong mooncakes is also being innovated. Apart from the traditional mooncakes, there are now various flavors of mooncakes such as iced mooncakes, abalone mooncakes and coffee mooncakes. Here are the innovative ways to make Hong Kong mooncakes:
1. Making Ice Skin Mooncakes
Ice Skin Mooncakes are a kind of refreshing mooncakes, and the method of making them is different from that of traditional mooncakes. To make iced mooncakes, you need to use glutinous rice flour, powdered sugar, vegetable oil and other ingredients. Mix the glutinous rice flour, powdered sugar, vegetable oil and other ingredients, then knead the dough and make a small ball shape. Then roll the small ball into a thin skin and wrap it into various flavors of fillings to make iced mooncakes.
2. Making Abalone Mooncake
Abalone mooncake is a kind of luxury mooncake, the production of which requires high-grade raw materials such as abalone, scallop columns and duck meat. Cut the abalone, scallop column, duck meat and other ingredients into small pieces, add the appropriate amount of seasoning, mix well to make the filling. Then wrap the filling into the rolled out pastry and bake it.
3. Coffee mooncake
Coffee mooncake is a novel flavor of mooncake, the production of which requires the use of coffee powder, cream, sugar and other ingredients. Mix the coffee powder, cream, sugar and other ingredients and stir well to make the filling. The filling is then wrapped into a rolled out crust cake and baked.
End
Hong Kong mooncakes are an integral part of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and traditional Hong Kong mooncakes and innovative Hong Kong mooncakes each have their own characteristics. Whether traditional or innovative, Hong Kong mooncakes are an embodiment of culinary culture and an important way for people to pass on and promote Chinese culture.