Chinese tea-time cakes · Steam and shape
Turn pale-yellow peeled mung beans into a smooth paste and shape it into small, unfilled cakes. There is no oven baking, matcha or milk powder. Use 200 g from a Xianyitang 300 g pack.
Allow about 40–50 minutes of hands-on work: steam for roughly 35–50 minutes and cook the paste for 15–25 minutes. Shaping, cooling and at least 1 hour of chilling are additional. Bean size, steamer and moisture affect the timing.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Pick out debris and rinse the beans in 2–3 changes of water. Place in a bowl of at least 1.5-litre capacity with 800 ml cold drinking water, roughly 4 cm above the beans. Cover and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. The beans should swell evenly; if still dry and hard, change the water and continue soaking in the fridge. Do not soak overnight in a warm kitchen.
Discard the soaking water, rinse and drain thoroughly. Spread the beans in a steam-safe rimmed plate no deeper than about 2 cm; use two plates if needed. Keep the water below the steaming rack so the plate is not immersed. Add the plate once the water is boiling, cover and steam steadily for about 35–50 minutes. Test beans from the middle and edges with the back of a spoon: every bean should crush easily into paste without a chalky, hard centre. If not, keep steaming and check every 5–10 minutes. Replenish the base with boiling water as needed; do not let it boil dry. Soaking does not replace cooking.
Use oven gloves to remove the plate. Mash the hot cooked beans finely, then press through a fine sieve with a spoon for a smoother texture. Do not substitute ground raw beans for cooked beans. If the cooked beans are too dry to mash, add hot drinking water 5 ml at a time, usually no more than 15–30 ml; use only enough to work the paste, not turn it into soup.
Melt the butter over low heat in a non-stick pan. Mix in 20 ml oil and the mashed beans, then add sugar and salt. Push, press and fold continuously for about 15–25 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the smooth paste gathers into a soft dough that comes away from the pan. A spatula track should hold briefly. Stop before it browns or cracks; moisture, rather than the clock, determines when it is ready.
Let the dough stand for about 10 minutes until warm enough to handle, covering the remainder to prevent drying. Weigh the batch and divide into about 16 equal portions; portion weight depends on moisture. Lightly oil the mould, press in a portion firmly and release. Alternatively, press into a small baking-paper-lined container about 2 cm deep and cut into roughly 16 pieces. No further baking is needed.
Cool the separated cakes on a shallow plate, then chill in a sealed container for at least 1 hour for a firmer texture. Shape and cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours of finishing the paste. Serve chilled, or briefly take out only the portions you will eat.
Contains milk (butter). The Xianyitang pack states that it is packed in a facility that also handles peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check the actual pack for anyone with allergies.
Keep sealed in the fridge at 5°C or below and eat within 48 hours. Do not leave on a warm worktop or store at room temperature for days. Take out only what you will eat and keep the rest refrigerated.
