Beijing-Style Mung Bean Cake

Name: Beijing-Style Mung Bean Cake
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 26 kg Mung bean flour (boiled, rinsed, sun-dried, coarsely ground to remove the shells, then ground into powder and sifted through a 100-mesh sieve); 0.5 kg Sugar osmanthus (diluted with a little water); 23.5 kg Soft white sugar or powdered white sugar; 0.5 kg Clean water; Edible red food coloring (properly diluted and dissolved), to taste

A celebrated traditional pastry from Beijing, this mung bean cake has a pale yellow hue, a delicate fragrance, and a soft, tender crumb that does not stick to the teeth. It is prized as a refreshing treat for hot summer days.

2h 15m

Easy

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Ingredients

Mung bean flour (boiled, rinsed, sun-dried, coarsely ground to remove the shells, then ground into powder and sifted through a 100-mesh sieve) 26 kg

Sugar osmanthus (diluted with a little water) 0.5 kg

Soft white sugar or powdered white sugar 23.5 kg

Clean water 0.5 kg

Edible red food coloring (properly diluted and dissolved) to taste

Instructions

Preparing the Mung Bean Flour

Boil raw mung beans until cooked, scoop them out, rinse thoroughly with cold water, sun-dry, and coarsely grind. Remove the bean shells, then grind into powder, sift through a 100-mesh sieve, and set aside.

Mixing the Cake Flour

Place the powdered sugar into a dough mixer, add the sugar osmanthus that has been diluted with a little water, and stir. Add the mung bean flour, mix evenly, then pour through an 80-mesh sieve to produce the cake flour.

Shaping

Line a steaming tray with paper and evenly spread the cake flour on the tray. Gently flatten the surface with a flat board to about 1 cm thick. Sift another layer of cake flour on top, cover with a sheet of smooth paper slightly larger than the tray, and press smooth with a cake mirror (a bronze mirror or bronze smoother). Remove the smooth paper, lightly brush away the loose flour from the edges of the tray frame, and cut into 4 cm x 4 cm squares with a knife.

Steaming

Prop up the four corners of each tray filled with cake flour, stack the trays one on top of another, place them into a special steamer, and seal tightly. Bring the water to a boil (do not let it boil too vigorously, to prevent the cake from turning red), steam for 15 minutes, then remove. Dab a small red dot in the center of the top of each small piece using the properly diluted edible red food coloring. Flip each tray flat onto the work surface, and the cake is ready once cooled.