Dishing on the Lesser Known Shanghainese Mooncakes

Mina Yan theBeijinger

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There is perhaps no surer sign that autumn has come to Beijing than mooncakes dotting shop windows around town. Storefront after storefront eagerly shows off their unique designs, and in recent years some companies have even begun straying away from the traditional mooncake fillings, instead opting for more contemporary flavors that appeal to younger "foodie" crowds and international palettes.

For the uninitiated, mooncakes are the traditional dessert that’s eaten (and given to friends and family) for the Mid-Autumn Festival. In short, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time to celebrate one moon-dwelling girl's love affair with an earthly mortal, whom she can only see once a year: Sep 15 according to the lunar calendar. This year, that happens to fall on Oct 1, the same day as China's National Day.

But we’re not here to talk about Mid-Autumn Festival. We’re here to talk about mooncakes.

The classic salted duck egg mooncakes

The most common mooncakes sold across China are round baked pastries filled with ingredients meant to symbolize the moon or love, such as red bean, salted duck eggs, black sesame, and lotus seed paste. Chances are you've heard of, seen, and possibly even tasted these treats. Chances also are that you may not have loved what you tasted.

While these types of mooncakes are doubtlessly ubiquitous this time of year there’s another, lesser-known mooncake that, in my opinion, is far more delicious! The Shanghainese Mooncakes – also called 鲜肉月饼 (xiān ròu yuèbǐng). Unlike their far more famous cousin, the Shanghainese Mooncakes are savory, filled with fresh meat, and best eaten fresh out of the oven.

Unlike regular mooncakes, the Shanghainese Mooncakes have a layered and flakey dough that crumbles as you bite into it. While the outside tends to be a bit sweet, it’s balanced with the savory flavors of the meaty fillings inside. And although a sweet and savory combo might strike some folks as odd, it’s a common flavor profile for Southern China. Think dim sum pastries.

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In Shanghai, there are plenty of places selling their namesake mooncake all year round, but here in Beijing, they’re far less common. As such, if you’re looking for a taste, now is the time to enjoy them and there’s one traditional Chinese pastry store in Chongwenmen called Luxihe Pastry (泸溪河桃酥) that sells them all year round along with walnut cookies, classic mooncakes, green bean buns, and many other types of desserts.

Luxihe Pastry 泸溪河桃酥
1F, No. 5, Chongwenmenwai Street (near 85°C bakery)
崇文门外大街5号一层（近85°C）
Open daily from 8.30am – 9pm

Lastly, if you'd prefer to make your own at home, we’ve found a recipe courtesy of The Wok of Life.

For the meat filling:

1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 finely chopped scallion

For the soft dough:

2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2½ tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup lard (or vegetable shortening)
1/2 cup water

For the pastry dough:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup lard (or vegetable shortening)
Combine, knead and form a dough ball. Cover with clear plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Instructions

For the meat filling, mix and combine all the ingredients well. There’s no need to stir too much or whip the mixture in any way, or the filling will turn rubbery. Cover and set aside in the fridge.
For the soft dough, add the flour, sugar, and lard to a mixing bowl, and mix until thoroughly combined.
Slowly add the water in 3-4 batches and knead the dough to form a smooth dough ball. Set it aside and cover with a damp cloth. Make sure the dough is not too dry. To test for quality form a dough ball and press it flat. The edges should not crack.
For the pastry dough, combine the flour and lard and knead to form a dough ball. Cover with clear plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes.
To assemble the mooncakes, divide both the soft dough and the pastry dough into 24 pieces. You should have 48 bits of dough in total. Take the time to divide them equally and roll each into balls. We used a scale to help us out. Cover all the dough pieces with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you work.
Take one piece of soft dough and press into a small round disc. Put a piece of the pastry dough in the center of the soft dough, close to seal, and use your palms to flatten.
Then roll it out into a long oval shape. Roll that into a more uniform cigar shape. Roll the cigar out lengthwise into a longer rope, and then roll it into a tight, short bundle.
Stand the bundle up and press it flat. With a rolling pin, roll the dough bundle out into a 3½-inch disc (it should be slightly thinner around the outer edges and thicker in the middle).
Add about 1 tablespoon (about 20 grams) of meat filling to the center of the disc, and seal tightly. Be careful with the filling—you can’t overstuff these or they will burst open during the baking process.
Now lightly press the dough to shape it into a flat moon cake shape. Place it on a baking sheet seam side down. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling until you’ve used everything up. You will need two baking sheets for a total of 24 moon cakes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and position the baking rack in the middle of the oven.
Brush each cake with egg wash and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Once the oven is preheated, bake each pan of moon cakes for 25 minutes or until the cakes start to turn golden brown.