Easy Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes

Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes with Lotus Seed Paste - An easy, no bake variation of a Chinese traditional sweet treat that is popular during Mid-Autumn Festival.

We are 3 days away from Mid-Autumn Festival which is on September 13 2019. Fortunately, it falls on a Friday this year. And since Bella and Jamie get to stay up a little later on Fridays, we will have more time for a traditional Chinese meal at home. Kian also returns home from his work trip in time for the festivities. So, it is perfecting timing as the family reunite over a Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. It is also our family tradition to light lanterns and enjoy mooncakes in our backyard after dinner.

Apart from buying my favorite Hong Kong brand baked mooncakes, I have also been making Snow Skin Mooncakes with Mung Bean Paste and Snow Skin Mooncakes with Red Bean Paste every year for the last couple of years now. However, this year, it is most unfortunate that my local Asian supermarket did not have any peeled split mung beans available. They were out of stock for 2 weeks! But when a door closes, another one opens. I actually found ready made red bean paste and lotus seed paste at the store. So I decided to make my snow skin mooncakes with ready made red bean paste instead. They worked out well and tasted pretty good.

I also bought the lotus seed paste and decided to try out another snow skin mooncake recipe - Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes with Lotus Seed Paste. This recipe does not require any steam cooking and hence, is a lot easier and less time consuming to make. They also seem to refrigerate better too. I also receive extremely positive reviews from Bella and Jamie. They have been enjoying the Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes with Lotus Seed Paste as an after school snack.

As with my other snow skin mooncake recipes, I recommend measuring the ingredients with a digital scale for food. All of the ingredients can be found at your local Asian supermarket.

Pandan Snow Skin Mooncakes
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, inspired by Singapore Hawker Food

Recipe
Ingredients
200g (7oz) Glutinous Rice Flour (divided)
200g (7oz) Powdered Sugar
30g (1.8oz) Shortening
A few drops of Pandan Essence
A few drops of Green Food Coloring (optional)
180ml (6 fl oz) Water
A few pieces of Pandan Leaves
1 500g (17.6oz) pkt Lotus Seed Paste

Equipment
1 50g size mooncake mold

Cooking Method
1. Divide the lotus seed paste into 30g (1oz) portions and roll them into balls. Set aside.
2. Bring water and Pandan leaves to a boil and then allow it to cool. Discard the Pandan leaves and add in Pandan essence. Mix well.
3. In a non stick pan, toast the glutinous rice flour until it turns light yellow. Divide them into 150g 5.3oz) and 50g (1.7oz) portions and set aside to cool.
4. Once glutinous rice flour is cooled, mix together 150g (5.3oz) flour, sugar and shortening. Add in Pandan water slowly and knead until a soft dough (snow skin wrap) is formed. You may use an electric mixer with a dough hook and add a few drops of green food coloring if you prefer a more intense color.
5. Divide the dough into 25g (0.88oz) portions.
6. Dust your hands, counter top and mooncake mold with the remaining 50g (1.7oz) toasted glutinous rice flour.
7. Wrap each lotus seed paste ball with snow skin wrap and seal completely. Shape it into a ball first then gently mold it into an oval.
8. Place the oval into the mooncake mold, place it on the counter top and gently push the shaping tool to shape the mooncake into the mold. Remove from mold gently.

​Makes 16 pieces