Qiong-style Mooncakes

Qiong-style Mooncakes

　　Features: A seasonal delicacy from Hainan with distinct local characteristics:

　　First, the crust is made of syrupy flaky pastry, which differs from the syrupy crust of Cantonese mooncakes and the water-based dough flaky crust of Suzhou-style mooncakes — it is soft yet not tough, and flaky yet not crisp.

　　Second, in terms of filling preparation, whether it's lotus seed paste, red bean paste, or five-nut filling, the sugar and oil content is lower than that of Cantonese mooncakes.

　　Third, the ratio of crust to filling is 2:3 (compared to 1:5 in Cantonese mooncakes), making the thickness moderate, scientifically sound, and well-suited to the taste preferences of Hainan people.

　　In the 1940s, Qiong-style mooncakes produced by bakeries in Haikou such as Zhuang Qiongzhen, Cai Quanji, and Guan Quanzhen had already gained significant fame.

　　In the 1970s, Haikou Hongxing Food Factory, Haikou Biscuit Factory, and the Municipal Sugar, Tobacco, Liquor, and Pastry Factory also dominated the Hainan market with their Qiong-style mooncakes.

　　In the late 1980s, Haikou Yexiang Super Pastry Shop emerged and dedicated itself to developing Qiong-style mooncakes. While preserving tradition, it absorbed advanced techniques from Guangdong and Hong Kong, strengthened quality control, and made Qiong-style mooncakes even more charming and appealing.

　　Ingredients: (for 50 kg of finished product, excluding filling) Low-gluten flour 11 kg, syrup 5 kg, raw oil 1.25 kg, cooked lard 2 kg, pure alkaline water 15 g.

　　Preparation:

　　1. Sift 4 kg of flour onto the work surface, add the cooked lard, mix and rub until fully incorporated to make the shortcrust pastry.

　　2. Sift 7 kg of flour onto the work surface, make a well in the center, pour in the syrup, raw oil, and alkaline water, and stir until well mixed. Gradually expand the well and incorporate the flour until all the flour is evenly combined with the liquid to form the syrupy crust. (Note: Do not develop gluten.)

　　3. Separate the shortcrust pastry and syrupy crust into individual pieces weighing about 15 g and 35 g respectively, until all the dough is used. Take one piece of syrupy crust and wrap it with one piece of shortcrust pastry, fold twice and roll out to form the mooncake crust.

　　4. Flatten the mooncake crust, shape a well, fill with 75 g of filling, press into a mooncake mold, flatten and compact, then remove from the mold to form the raw mooncake. Arrange neatly on a baking tray, bake for 20 minutes, remove from the oven, brush the surface with egg wash, then bake for another 10 minutes. Remove and the mooncakes are ready.

　　Features: The mooncakes are uniformly plump with a golden, glossy surface and clear patterns. The crust and filling are well-balanced and tightly integrated, making them easy to chew, flavorful, and pleasantly sweet. (Note: Main types of Qiong-style mooncakes include white lotus seed paste, red lotus seed paste, red bean paste, five-nut coconut paste, egg yolk lotus seed paste, roast pork, and ham.)