Black Sesame Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake

First, make the black sesame filling: Soak the skinless green peas for over 5 hours and rinse clean.

Place in the GOURMETmaxx steamer basket, and add water to the main bowl.

Steam at 120°C/30 minutes until the peas are cooked through.

The steamed green peas.

Alternatively, skip the soaking step and cook the green peas in a pressure cooker with minimal water. PS: Use a little less water; for my pressure cooker, adding water to rice cooking level 4 for 500g of skinless green peas works fine.

Install the main bowl with the stirring blade, and place the cooked sesame seeds and sugar inside. If you bought raw sesame seeds, roast them first before use.

Pulse for 5-10 seconds to grind into powder.

Add the cooked/steamed green peas, maltose, and peanut oil.

Blend at speed 10 for one minute per run until smooth. I mixed three 1-minute sessions. PS: Other blending tools like food processors or immersion blenders with adequate water can achieve the same result.

When the filling reaches this consistency, start stirring.

Set to 105°C/30 minutes/Speed 1 and stir. If 30 minutes isn't enough, you can add more time. Stir until the filling has some resistance when scraping and appears glossy. Boiled green peas have low water content, so this goes fast, about 30 minutes. If you are using steamed green peas, this time can be reduced. PS: ① Since the machine's main bowl is stainless steel, fillings like this might stick a bit during cooking, but soaking and cleaning after use solve the problem. ② Without an all-in-one machine, you can use a non-stick pan over medium-low flame. Stir and cook until the desired consistency is reached.

Once done, scrape out the filling to cool. Portion, seal, and refrigerate. Use it up quickly or freeze for extended storage. This batch resulted in about 900g+ of filling (rough estimate since I forgot to weigh the final result).

To make the mooncake skin: Weigh and combine invert sugar syrup, lye water, and peanut oil in a container. Stir clockwise until fully incorporated. The final mixture should be shiny and form ribbons when dragged.

Sift in Queens Chinese style pastry flour.

This is the flour brand. It can also be used for other Chinese pastries.

Mix into a dough with a scraper or gloved hands. Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature.

Weigh out 60g of sesame filling and egg yolk together.

Flatten the sesame filling, place the yolk on it, and wrap it up. Seal and roll it gently into a ball. PS: Fresh yolks straight from eggs can be wrapped as is. If sensitive to the eggy smell, spritz a bit of high-proof alcohol before wrapping.

Divide the rested dough into 25g portions and roll each into a ball.

Flatten the dough thinly for easier wrapping.

Wrap the filling with the dough.

Hold the filling with your right hand and slowly push the dough upwards with your left-hand thumb near the joint. Use your thumbs to push gently to fully close. Once sealed, gently roll into a ball.

Lightly dust the dough ball with starch to prevent sticking. Alternatively, dust the mooncake mold with flour to prevent sticking and shake off excess. Place the mooncake directly on a flat baking tray, press the mold gently, and release the mooncake form.

Lightly spray water on the surface and bake for 6 minutes at 190°C in a pre-heated convection oven for a preliminary set.

Remove to brush with egg wash. PS: ① The egg wash is made by mixing 1 yolk with 1 spoon of water and straining it. ② Use a soft-bristle brush for a smoother finish. ③ Lightly dip the brush in egg wash and remove excess by scraping against the edge of the container, ensuring no extra residue on both sides of the bristles. ④ You can skip this step and substitute with milk for a natural shine. Bake again at 150°C for 13 minutes until finished.

Cool down after baking. Seal or package and let it rest for a day for optimal texture.

Usually, they reach their best texture by the next day.