Kitchen scale, mooncake mold, rolling pin, silicone brush, bowl, basin, oven, flour, invert sugar syrup, soap water, cooking oil, sugar, and various fillings, all the materials and tools needed to make mooncakes are ready.
Su Tiantian slept very soundly during this nap, so when she woke up in the afternoon, packed up, and arrived at the farm, it was already past two in the afternoon.
Siqi Farm has a kitchen specifically for making snacks. When Liu Jingze and Su Tiantian arrived, they saw Liu Liangjie was already there.
Su Tiantian looked at it curiously.
Liu Liangjie said kindly, "Tiantian, I remember you like eating five-nut and egg yolk mooncakes. It seems I should make more for you."
Su Tiantian smiled brightly: "Dad, I like to eat five-nut and egg yolk mooncakes, but I want a mooncake with two egg yolks."
Liu Liangjie said: "That's called double yolk five-nut mooncake. Go and choose a mooncake mold. Choose the type of mooncake you like, or you can choose a few."
Su Tiantian said: "Okay, thank you Dad, I'll take a look first."
Liu Jingze said coquettishly: "Dad, you only care about asking Tiantian, you didn't even ask me what kind of mooncake I want to eat."
Liu Liangjie poured invert sugar syrup, soapy water, and peanut oil into a bowl and stirred them evenly with a whisk. Without even looking up, he said, "Do I need to ask what you want to eat? I always make what you like according to your taste. I'll make some low-sugar red bean paste mooncakes for your grandma first."
Liu Jingze watched as Liu Liangjie skillfully added all-purpose flour to the evenly mixed ingredients, stirred it into dough with a spatula, and then put the dough into a plastic bag.
What Liu Liangjie said was true. Not to mention mooncakes, he would always find a way to let Liu Jingze eat anything else he wanted to eat. There was a nanny at home, but Liu Liangjie would always cook several times a month to prepare the meals Liu Jingze wanted.
Su Tiantian saw that there were many styles of mooncake molds, some of which were wooden ones. They looked simple and heavy, and the carved patterns were delicate and exquisite, with several floral patterns.
There are metal mooncake molds, both round and square. These molds come in large and small sizes. Small mooncake molds are used to make mini mooncakes, medium-sized mooncake molds are common specifications on the market, and large mooncake molds are of course used to make large mooncakes.
The patterns are even more diverse. Some are engraved with words such as "Dragon and Phoenix Bring Good Luck", "Flowers and Full Moon", "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival", "Blessings", "Prosperity", "Longevity", "Joy", "Mid-Autumn Festival", and "Reunion", which symbolize good wishes such as reunion, good luck, and happiness. Some have patterns with animal images such as rabbits, kittens, and bears, which are very cute.
There are also four mooncake molds with floral patterns: peony, rose, chrysanthemum, and lotus.
Su Tiantian said, "Dad, I like the four mooncake molds with flower patterns. I also want the one with the words 'Dragon and Phoenix Bring Good Luck'."
Liu Liangjie said: "Okay, sit down first, don't stand for too long."
After Su Tiantian sat down, she asked, "Dad, is there anything I can help you with? I've made mooncakes before, but they were snow-skin mooncakes with simpler fillings."
Liu Liangjie looked up at Su Tiantian and said, "I don't want to let you do it now. Why don't you come over here and watch me make it? You like five-nut fillings, come and watch me make them."
Su Tiantian stood up, took Liu Jingze's arm and walked over, saying as she walked: "Brother Jing, won't you help?"
Liu Jingze said: "If I help now, my father will kick me out because I am too busy and my cooking skills are not good. I will do it later when we make mooncakes."
Liu Liangjie sighed and said, "Tiantian, don't hold too high hopes for your brother Jing's cooking skills. He can only cook porridge, noodles, and fried rice."
Su Tiantian said, "That's not bad. If he's willing to work hard, he won't starve."
Liu Jingze admitted that he was happy. He had a father who was a good cook, a wife who was a good cook, and the farm's chefs were also recognized for their good cooking skills. He would never go hungry.
Su Tiantian watched intently as Liu Liangjie roasted walnuts, almonds, peanuts, melon seeds, and sesame seeds, then chopped them and set them aside. He then added sugar, maltose, cooking oil, and white wine to a pot, heating it over low heat until the sugar melted. He then stirred the mixture, added the chopped nuts, and finally the cooked flour, stirring thoroughly.
Su Tiantian asked, "Dad, how many mooncakes do you want to make?"
Liu Liangjie said, "My mom likes mooncakes with red bean paste filling, Zhao Ge likes mooncakes with lotus seed paste filling, Jingze likes mooncakes with custard filling, and you and I both like mooncakes with five nuts and egg yolk filling. So, if each person wants to eat one, we should make at least 12. Try to make more, and also some with jujube paste filling and fresh meat filling. We should also make a few large mooncakes weighing one pound. Your dad likes mooncakes with five nuts, so we should make him a box too."
Su Tiantian said: "Dad, you have worked hard."
Liu Jingze said, "It's definitely hard work. Some fillings aren't bought directly from the market. For example, for the lotus seed paste, my father selects plump, fine-grained lotus seeds, removes the cores, and soaks them in clean water for three to four hours. He then steams the lotus seeds in a steamer over high heat, blends them into a paste in a blender, filters them through a fine sieve, and stir-fries them. He stirs constantly to thoroughly mix the lotus seed paste with the oil and sugar. This way, the lotus seed paste has a uniform and delicate texture."
Liu Jingze is not a good cook, but he can talk about the ingredients and production process very well. After all, he manages such a large farm. Although he is not a good cook, he is still good at talking on paper.
Liu Liangjie said, "It's not too hard. Ah Xi used to come over to help, but today he was accompanying his children to a school activity, so he didn't come. And don't you guys help later?"
Liu Liangjie really doesn't feel it's hard work. Over the past ten years, he has been accustomed to making mooncakes himself before the Mid-Autumn Festival every year. He buys brand-name mooncakes as gifts, but his family likes to eat the mooncakes he makes.
Liu Jingze and Su Tiantian helped to make mooncakes, which meant taking out the relaxed dough, dividing it into small portions, and dividing the filling into small portions. If you want to add egg yolks, then the filling should be less. For example, Su Tiantian likes to add two egg yolks, so the filling should be even less. Flatten the dough, wrap the filling in, slowly close the edge, and roll it into a ball.
Su Tiantian said, "Dad, the mooncakes made with those small mooncake molds are probably very cute. Can you make some? Sometimes I can't finish a regular mooncake, so these small mooncakes are just right."
Liu Liangjie said, "Sure, but I guess you can only add half an egg yolk. Let me cut some yolks. We have enough ingredients, so we can make more mooncakes."
Put the dough wrapped with fillings into the mooncake mold and press out patterns or designs. Su Tiantian looked at the mooncakes arranged one by one, feeling very accomplished, and said happily: "Brother Jing, go wash your hands and take some pictures of these mooncakes."
Liu Jingze said: "Okay."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
