Seen as a symbol of abundance, harmony, and luck, the full moon holds special significance in Chinese culture. With the moon said to be at its brightest and fullest on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, Chinese communities around the world will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 10.
This joyous occasion is a time for people to reunite. In the Philippines, aside from sharing a delicious meal, many Chinese-Filipino families play the “dice game” – known in Hokkien as Pua Tiong Chiu. The game involves rolling six dice into a large bowl, and winning prizes based on certain combinations. Among the prizes to be won, in many celebrations, one delicacy usually stands out: mooncakes.
Mooncakes are synonymous with the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Chinese culture, these sweet and salty pastries are the product of a profound tradition that traces its roots back to ancient times when cakes and fruits were offered to the moon.
During the festival, mooncakes are shared among family members, and given to friends and relatives as an expression of love and best wishes. Usually consisting of a thin crust that houses a rich, thick filling, mooncake varieties have grown throughout the years. Aside from more traditional offerings made with mung beans (munggo), lotus seed paste, red bean paste, and salted duck egg yolk, nowadays, it isn’t uncommon to see mooncakes that incorporate chocolate, coffee, tiramisu, ube, and even pandan.
While there may be an abundance of mooncakes for sale during the Mid-Autumn Festival, making your own to share with friends and loved ones adds an extra personal touch to your celebrations. With the help of Philips Airfryers to help ensure healthy food that’s crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside – ensuring great tasting fries made with up to 90% less fat, here are four mooncake recipes to make in the comfort of your own home kitchen.
Here are four recipes:
| Sesame Mooncakes | Assorted Nuts Mooncakes |
| Pastry Dough 20g freshly ground black sesame powder 190g cake flour 100g unsalted butter 15g egg wash 45g icing sugar 20g whipping cream 10g coconut milk Black Sesame Filling 216g black sesame mooncake filling 24g black sesame seeds To make black sesame filling, wrap black sesame seeds in tin foil. Put into Airfryer and bake at 160˚C for 5 mins. Cool seeds before grinding them into powder with a food processor. Mix all filling ingredients. Divide into 20g pieces and roll into balls. Chill in refrigerator for later use. To make pastry dough, mix and sieve cake flour and sesame powder. Mix softened butter with sieved icing sugar. Stir in egg wash, whipping cream, and coconut milk. Add sifted cake flour and sesame powder, then knead mixture together. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for at least 1hr. Diving pastry dough into 28g portions. Roll into small balls and flatten out with palms. Place a portion of black sesame filling on a piece of flattened dough. Wrap dough around black sesame ball. Seal dough and softly roll into ball. Put dough into a lightly greased stamp mould. Press to release mooncake then cover with cling film and refrigerate for more than 1hr. Cut baking sheet into small squares and place mooncakes on top. Put mooncakes in the Airfryer basket. Pre-heat Airfryer at 200˚C for 10mins. Spray water on mooncakes before placing them on the baking tray. Bake at 200˚C for 4mins then bake at 180˚C for 2mins. Remove the baking tray along with mooncakes. Brush on some syrup and bake for 1min. Place mooncakes on plate and serve. | Dough 50g sugar 1 egg 150g unsalted butter (softened) 1/2 tsp baking powder 300g plain flour 30g custard powder 40g evaporated milk 10g olive oil 1 whisked egg Red Bean Filling 30g chopped macadamia nuts 10g pine nuts 50g red bean paste Lotus Filling 30g chopped American walnuts 50g lotus seed paste Combine macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and red bean paste. Divide into 20g pieces and roll into balls. Chill in refrigerator for later. Combine walnuts and lotus seed paste. Divide into 20g pieces and roll into balls. Chill in refrigerator for later. Make dough by mixing egg, sugar, butter, and baking powder. Add plain flour and custard powder, mix well and knead into dough. Add evaporated milk and olive oil, then knead to mix well. Divide dough into 40g portions. Roll each into a small ball and flatten out with palms. Place a portion of your filling of choice on the flattened dough. Wrap dough around filling, softly rolling into a ball. Put balls into a lightly greased stamp mould. Press to release mooncake then cover with cling film and refrigerate for more than 1hr. Cut baking sheet into small squares. Place mooncakes on top. Put into Airfryer and bake at 160˚C for 10mins. Take out and brush with egg wash. Return to Airfryer and bake at 150˚C for 5mins. Again, take out and brush with egg wash. Return to Airfryer and bake at 190˚C for another 2mins. Place mooncakes on a plate and serve. |
| Purple Sweet Potato Mooncakes | Matcha Red Bean Mooncakes |
| Dough 25g purple potato powder for baking 190g cake flour 100 unsalted butter 45g icing sugar15g egg wash 10g whipping cream 10g coconut milk Sweet Potato Filling 240g peeled purple sweet potatoes 10g butter30g granulated sugar 10g whipping cream To make sweet potato filling, cook sweet potatoes and mash with fork. Add sugar, butter, and whipping cream. Divide into 20g pieces and roll into balls. Chill in refrigerator for later use. To make dough, mix softened butter with sieved icing sugar. Stir in egg wash, whipping cream, and coconut milk. Add sifted cake flour and purple potato powder and knead mixture. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for at least 1hr. Divide pastry dough into 28g portions. Roll into small balls and flatten out with palms. Place a portion of sweet potato filling on a piece of flattened dough. Wrap dough around sweet potato ball. Seal dough and softly roll into balls. Put balls into a lightly greased stamp mould. Press to release mooncake then cover with cling film and refrigerate for more than 1hr. Pre-heat Airfryer at 200˚C for 10mins. Spray water on mooncakes before placing them on the baking tray. Bake at 200˚C for 4mins then bake at 180˚C for 2mins. Remove baking tray along with mooncakes. Brush on syrup and bake for 1min. Place mooncakes on a plate and serve. | 240g red bean paste 180g low-gluten flour 10g coconut milk 10g matcha powder 100g unsalted butter 20g whipping cream 15g eggs 45g icing sugar To make red bean filling, divide red bean paste into 20g portions. Gently roll each into a ball. Chill in refrigerator for later use. To make pastry dough, whisk together icing, sugar, softened butter, egg, whipping cream and coconut milk until well blended. Add sifted low-gluten flour and matcha powder and knead mixture into a dough. Wrap with cling film and refrigerate for more than 1hr. Divide pastry dough into 28g portions. Roll each into a small ball and flatten with palms. Place a portion of red bean filling on flattened dough. Wrap dough around red bean and softly roll into a ball. Put balls into a lightly greased stamp mould. Press to release mooncake then cover with cling film and refrigerate for more than 1hr. Cut baking sheet into small squares. Place mooncakes on top. Put mooncakes in the Airfryer basket. Switch on and set Airfryer at 160˚C for 9mins. Remove baking tray along with mooncakes. Brush on syrup and bake for 1min. Place mooncakes on a plate and serve. |
These mooncake recipes and more can be found on the Philips NutriU App. Launched in 2019, the Philips NutriU App contains thousands of nutritious recipes curated by nutritionists and chefs that don’t compromise on taste. It also comes equipped with tips and recommendations for meals that involve frying, baking, grilling and roasting – making it the perfect companion when used along the Philips Airfryer to create healthy, tasty, meals.
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