Crystal mooncakes are the vegan and gluten-free mooncakes you need to make this Mid-Autumn festival (easy recipe)

crystal skin mooncakes by Kat Lieu with sweet potato and salted egg yolk filling

dear friend, let’s make some crystal mooncakes today, using tapioca or sago pearls to create a chewy, clear skin that’s both vegan and gluten-free. If you're looking to keep your mooncakes entirely plant-based, be sure to opt for fruity fillings like strawberries or sweetened roasted sweet potatoes.

Now, let's clear up a common confusion in the mooncake world: don’t mistake crystal skin mooncakes for snowy skin mooncakes. Both are actually quite different. Snowy skin mooncakes are made with glutinous rice flour, giving them that tender, and soft., mochi-like texture. On the other hand, crystal skin mooncakes get their unique chewiness from tapioca starches and sago pearls, making them more akin to boba than mochi. This makes them a fun, toothsome treat that's perfect for anyone seeking a vegan or gluten-free option for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

You will need mooncake molds and something to steam your mooncakes with and I have steaming tips in both my cookbooks, Modern Asian Baking and Modern Asian Kitchen <3

xoxoxo,

Kat Lieu

#VeganDesserts #GlutenFreeRecipes #CrystalMooncakes #MidAutumnFestival #MooncakeRecipe #AsianDesserts

Modern Asian Baking at Home: Essential Sweet and Savory Recipes for Milk Bread, Mochi, Mooncakes, and More; Inspired by the Subtle Asian Baking Community

By Lieu, Kat

Buy on Amazon

Yield 12 mooncakes

Author Kat Lieu

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Total time

50 Min

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Crystal Mooncakes Recipe

Using tapioca or sago pearls, we'll make crystal mooncakes with a chewy and clear skin that is vegan and gluten-free. Keep the whole mooncake vegan if you need to using fruits or sweetened roasted sweet potatoes as the filling.Note that crystal skin mooncakes, while similar to snowy skin mooncakes, are a different pastry. Snowy skin mooncakes are made with glutinous rice flour to give it a tender mochi texture, where as tapioca starches and sago pearls made crystal skin mooncakes chewy and toothsome like boba rather than mochi.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 160 g tapioca or sago pearls
• 172 g hot water
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

For the filling

• Any juicy fruits
• or try roasted sweet potato filling - roast the sweet potatoes first, then mash with condensed milk and miso, to taste (I used about 2 to 3 medium Okinawan purple sweet potatoes)

Instructions

To make the skin

1. Mix all the skin ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl until a uniform pasty dough forms. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes for the pearls to soak up the water.

To make the filling

1. For Paste Filling: Wash and dry 12 pieces of fruit, such as strawberries, or use about 30 grams of lotus seed paste, red bean paste, or roasted mashed sweet potato paste. If wrapping a salted duck egg yolk, use 25 grams or less of the paste. Shape the paste into balls. To make shaping easier, refrigerate the paste and dust it with cornstarch.
2. For Fruit Filling: Use fruit the size of a strawberry, such as a small kiwi or mango cut into a ball. Alternatively, simply use whole strawberries for convenience.

Assemble and steam the mooncakes

1. Knead the tapioca dough, then divide it into 11 to 12 pieces, each weighing about 33-35 grams. If the dough sticks to your hands, dust it with cornstarch.
2. Shape each piece into a smooth ball, then flatten it into a thin disc to wrap around the filling. Close the seams and shape the dough into a smooth ovoid.
3. Mold and Prepare the Mooncakes: Dust the shaped dough with cornstarch. Use a mooncake mold (50 to 75 grams is ideal, though the smaller mold may require trimming some of the dough and filling).
4. Place the filled dough ball into the mooncake mold and press down to stamp the design. Place each prepared mooncake on a small square of parchment paper.
5. Steam the Mooncakes: Bring a wok or pot of water to a rolling boil. Use a steamer basket or a steamer rack with a plate.
6. Steam the mooncakes over high heat for 30 minutes, ensuring to replenish the water as needed.
7. Remove the mooncakes from heat and allow the skin to cool. Brush them with a bit of oil for a nice sheen and to reduce stickiness. Be careful, as the filling will be very hot!
8. Enjoy the mooncakes with tea and have a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Recommended Products

Mooncake Molds

Modern Asian Baking at Home Cookbook

Mochiko Rice Flour

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