Pickled Mustard Greens and Fresh Pork Mooncakes — The Best Mooncakes You'll Ever Eat
During mooncake season, fresh meat mooncakes pop up in supermarkets and shops all over Hangzhou, and they're genuinely popular—often the go-to afternoon tea choice at this time of year. They're my favorite type of mooncake: layers of flaky pastry encase a savory filling of pickled mustard greens and fresh pork, easily beating out any other variety. They're also relatively easier to make and more forgiving for home bakers.
This tutorial skips detailed process photos because the pastry is identical to egg yolk pastry (蛋黄酥). Beginners can refer to the egg yolk pastry recipe on our WeChat account—that post includes plenty of animated GIFs and a guide to rendering lard. The lamination, rolling, and wrapping steps are the same; only the filling differs.
*Notes:
- This recipe yields 17 mooncakes.
- To make a pure pork filling, omit the pickled mustard greens and add extra meat and salt. Preserved vegetables (meigan cai) also work well for a preserved vegetable and pork filling.
- Adjust the salt to suit how salty your pickled mustard greens are. If unsure, cook a small spoonful of the mixed filling and taste.
- See the egg yolk pastry post for full details on lamination, rolling, wrapping, and tips—this guide won't repeat them.
Ingredients
#Water Dough
All-purpose flour
222 g
Lard
87 g
Sugar
36 g
Water
80 g
#Shortcrust
Cake flour
146 g
Lard
73 g
#Filling
Ground pork
250 g
Pickled mustard greens
100 g
Minced ginger
a pinch
Scallions
2
Light soy sauce
1小spoonful（5 ml)
Dark soy sauce
1小spoonful（5 ml)
Cooking wine
1小spoonful（5 ml)
Salt
1/4小spoonful
Thirteen-spice or five-spice powder
to taste
Sesame oil
1小spoonful
Instructions
1
Step 1
Knead the water dough and shortcrust into separate balls, wrap with plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.
2
Step 2
Prepare the filling. Add all seasonings except the sesame oil to the ground pork, and stir in one direction until it becomes sticky.
3
Step 3
Add the chopped pickled mustard greens and scallions, and mix well.
4
Step 4
Once mixed, add the sesame oil.
5
Step 5
Stir evenly, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for later use. If you're worried about wrapping being difficult, you can also divide the filling into portions of about 20g each at this point, shape into balls, and place in the freezer.
6
Step 6
Divide the water dough into portions of about 25g each and roll into balls. Divide the shortcrust into portions of about 13g each and roll into balls.
7
Step 7
Take a water dough ball, roll it out, and wrap a shortcrust ball inside.
8
Step 8
▲ After wrapping, roll and fold twice in one go. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes in between before the second roll and fold.
9
Step 9
After all are rolled and folded, let rest for 15 minutes. Then wrap each with the filling one by one, using the tiger's mouth technique to seal the opening. Be sure to pinch the seal tightly to prevent it from breaking.
10
Step 10
Place the wrapped mooncakes on a baking tray, press flat from the middle, cover with plastic wrap to rest, and preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) at the same time.
11
Step 11
Once preheated, place the mooncakes smooth-side down on the middle rack and bake with top and bottom heat for 15 minutes. Remove, flip over, and bake for another 15 minutes. Note: Baking the smooth side first will result in a more attractive surface on the finished mooncakes.
12
Step 12
Long-press the QR code to follow the "Sister Xiaokui" official account for more timely updates.
