Now that we’ve made our salted egg yolks, the question is – what filling to make for our mooncakes?

Mung bean, azuki bean, and lotus seed pastes are some of the most common fillings, and I love them all. Personally, I’m especially partial to lotus seed – which is your favorite?

But I’ve also seen some more modern interpretations – black sesame, chocolate, fererro rocher… if you could put any filling in a mooncake, what would you try?

Pumpkin pie might be good. Pecan pie? Or… what about the flavors of che ba mau, the Vietnamese three bean dessert – azuki bean, mung bean, and pandan?

Mooncake Fillings

from Two Red Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried red beans, mung beans, or lotus seeds
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (to taste)
• pinch of salt (optional)
• 6 tbsp coconut oil, or other solid fat of your choice (i.e. lard or shortening)

Cooking Directions

1. Soak the beans overnight in plenty of water.
2. Drain and place in a medium pot with enough water to submerge the beans or seeds by at least an inch. Simmer on medium-low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, adding water as necessary to keep the beans or seeds covered, until the bean mashes easily between your fingers or the seed is fork-tender.
3. Drain and place in a food processor or blender with the sugar and a slight pinch of salt, if desired. If you don’t have a processor or blender, you can make the red bean paste simply by mashing with a spoon or potato masher, but I wouldn’t recommend making lotus paste without one. Blend until smooth and about the consistency of hummus.
4. Return the paste to a saucepan and combine with the coconut oil over medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, until the paste thickens considerably and turns glossy. When it resembles very soft cookie dough and sticks to your spoon in one mass, you’re done. Chill the filling in the refrigerator while you make the mooncake skin — ideally, the filling should be firm and cold by the time you assemble the cakes.

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