Ingredients
100 g toasted black sesame seeds
100 g granulated sugar
50 g split mung bean
2 tbsp glutinous rice flour
30 g coconut oil
pinch of salt
Directions
Step 1
Rinse the mung beans in cool water, then cover with an ample amount of water (they can absorb 2-3x their volume in water) and let soak overnight. If you're in a time crunch you can speed up the process a bit by using hot water and soaking for a couple of hours.
50 g split mung bean
Step 2
The next day, drain the beans and place them in a heat proof container. Steam over medium heat until very soft/mushy in texture — about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until warm or room temperature.
Step 3
Place black sesame seeds, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Process until the sesame seeds are fairly fine in texture, no larger than medium sized pepper grounds.
100 g toasted black sesame seeds
100 g granulated sugar
pinch of salt
Step 4
Add the steamed mung beans, coconut oil, and glutinous rice flour. Pulse a few times to combine everything; the mixture will be very thick and ball up around the blade. With the processor running, slowly stream in a tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture is still thick, but flows freely around the blade as a paste. The goal is to add as little water as possible to achieve a thick paste texture.
2 tbsp glutinous rice flour
30 g coconut oil
Step 5
Transfer the smooth paste to a nonstick pan and heat over medium heat, constantly flipping and folding the mixture with a heatproof spatula. Once the mixture becomes very smooth and cohesive and can hold its shape like play doh, continue to cook for another 5 minutes to ensure you drive off as much moisture.
Step 6
Transfer paste to a container, cover with a loose fitting lid or plastic wrap with a little gap to let some steam out, and let cool to room temperature.
Step 7
This mixture can be used right away after cooling, or you can wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate it for up to a week. To wrap mooncakes, work small pieces of the dough in your hands to warm it up and make it pliable. Note that this paste does take on a shiny appearance and oily texture when you're working with it, but this is normal and necessary to ensure the proper texture once shaped into mooncakes. Use gloves when working with the mixture for easier handling and cleanup.
