This Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake is a type of no bake mooncake with a soft pinkish purple colour chewy skin and fragrant yam / taro paste filling. Extremely quick and simple to make too. The filling is a perfect flavour combination of sweet and savoury: homemade yam paste with toasted lotus seeds, wrapped with a piece of savoury salted egg yolk inside. Enjoy!
Watch How To Make Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake (Bing Pi) – Recipe Video
Let’s Make Yam Paste Snow Skin Bing Pi Mooncakes
Known as Bīng Pí Yuè Bǐng / 冰皮 in Chinese, snow skin mooncake is enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival. They are sometimes known as crystal mooncakes or ice skin mooncakes as they are no-bake mooncakes and are chilled in the refrigerator before consumed. Making Snow Skin Mooncakes is such a breeze, especially if you are using cooked glutinous rice flour (Koh Fun). It is so much easier compared to making traditional Chinese mooncakes.
This Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake is unique because of its Mochi-like soft snowy skin and smooth yam / taro filling (See our recipe on Homemade Yam Paste). It is a no-bake version mooncake made with cooked glutinous rice flour that stays so soft and chewy even after refrigeration. It is extremely quick and simple to make too. They are usually chilled in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
The best part is no artificial colouring is used at all for this recipe, as the pinkish purple colour of the snow skin is from purple sweet potato. With its smooth snow-like texture and pleasantly sweet yam paste filling, this Chinese traditional snack is a popular make-at-home snack. Serving this mooncake with a cup of hot Chinese tea is just perfect for an afternoon snack or dinner treat during this festive season. So let’s start making!
What is Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake?
This Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake is a type of Snow Skin Mooncake with a soft pinkish purple colour chewy skin and fragrant yam / taro paste filling. Made with the Homemade Yam Paste from our previous recipe here. This homemade yam paste is combined with toasted melon seeds for that extra texture and wrapped with a piece of savoury salted egg yolk inside. The perfect combination of sweet and savoury.
Ingredients You Need To Make Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake
Purple Sweet Potato Liquid
Purple Sweet Potato
Water
Pandan Leaf
Mooncake Skin
Cooked glutinous rice flour (koh fun)
Icing Sugar
Shortening
Purple Sweet Potato Liquid (water)
Mooncake Filling
Yam/Taro Paste
Salted Egg Yolks
Melon Seeds
Overview On How to Make Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake
Prepare salted egg yolks. Remove charcoal and clean salted eggs with water. Separate egg yolks from whites. Dip into rice wine to remove fishy smell, Dip into cooking oil to prevent drying of salted egg yolks. Steam the salted egg yolks till cooked. Leave to cool and cut each salted egg yolks into halves.
Toast melon seeds till golden brown.
Weigh each egg yolk and yam paste to be uniform in weight. Wrap the salted egg yolk in the yam paste and roll into a ball. Cover with a cling wrap and set aside.
Prepare Mooncake Skin:
Prepare colouring for the skin. Boil cut purple sweet potato with water. Then strain the purplish water and set aside to cool.
Add the liquid into sieved cooked glutinous rice flour and icing sugar. Form into a soft dough. Mix well with shortening and knead into a smooth dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into equal pieces and roll into balls. Cover with cling wrap to prevent the dough skin from drying.
Assemble Mooncakes:
Flatten the snow skin, wrap the yam/taro paste filling inside and roll with your palm to form into a ball.
Use mooncake mould to shape the mooncake balls.
Chill in refrigerator before serving.
How to Serve And Store Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncakes
These Snow Skin Mooncakes can be served immediately after they are assembled.
They can also be served chilled. Transfer into an air-tight container and keep chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours and they are ready to be served.
If you plan to eat them later, you can store either in the refrigerator or the freezer. If store in the refrigerator, arrange them in air-tight container and best to consume within 3-4 days. If store in the freezer, you need to freeze them as soon as they are assembled, in air-tight containers. Leave to thaw in the refrigerator before consuming, This can be stored for up to 1 month.
Important Tips When Making Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncakes
As the dough is a bit sticky, you can use a pair of food-grade gloves and plastic wrap on counter top when assembling the snow skin mooncakes.
Use a precision weighing scale to weigh the skin dough and filling according to the size of the mould. This is to ensure all the mooncakes are of the same and right size for the mould you are using.
You can work on the ratio of 4:6 (40% skin and 60% filling); or for thicker skin, a ratio of 1:1 (50% skin and 50% filling).
Do not over knead the dough. Just knead till it is soft and smooth. Otherwise maybe difficult to wrap.
Always keep mooncake dough skin covered to prevent drying out
The yam paste filling must be thick enough with no moisture in it. Otherwise the mooncakes may lose its shape.
After weighing the yam paste, it is advisable to chill them in the refrigerator so it will be easier to wrap with the snow skin.
Before assemble, roll the mooncake balls in cooked glutinous rice flour to form a thin layer. This can prevent the mooncake from sticking to the mould. Dust of excess flour if any..
Wrap up the filling once the mooncake skin is ready (after resting dough for 15 to 30 minutes) to avoid difficulty in wrapping.
The imprint on the mooncake may fade over time which is unavoidable for snow skin mooncakes. So, if you need to keep the mooncakes for longer time, you can freeze them to preserve the mooncake design.
This Yam Paste Snow Skin Mooncake is a type of Snow Skin Mooncake with a soft pinkish purple colour chewy skin and fragrant yam / taro paste filling. This is a no-bake version mooncake made with cooked glutinous rice flour that stays so soft and chewy even after refrigeration. Extremely quick and simple to make too. The filling is a perfect combination of sweet and savoury: homemade yam paste wrapped wrapped with a piece of savoury salted egg yolk inside. Enjoy!
150gramspurple sweet potatoes, cut into small pieces
400mlwater
1pandan leaf, knotted
Ingredients: (Mooncake Skin)
120gramscooked glutinous rice flour, koh fun
110gramsicing sugar, sieved
20gramsshortening
175mlpurple sweet potato liquid
Ingredients: (Mooncake Filling)
250gramsyam paste
5salted egg yolks, baked / steamed
20gramsmelon seeds, baked / toasted
Ingredients: (Dusting)
2tbspcooked glutinous rice flour, koh fun
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Instructions
Preparing Mooncake Filling :
First prepare the yam paste filling. Set aside to cool.
Then prepare salted egg yolks. Remove charcoal from salted eggs, then rinse with water. Separate salted egg yolks from the whites, making sure to remove egg white membranes. Dip the egg yolk in rice wine to remove fishy smell. Then dip in cooking oil to prevent the egg yolk from drying. Next place the salted egg yolks on a oiled steaming plate. Steam the egg yolks in a steamer till cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from steamer and set aside to cool.
Cut the cooled egg yolks in halves. Add toasted melon seeds into yam paste and mix well.
Using a weighing scale, weigh egg yolk and yam paste together to be about 25g each. Wrap the egg yolk in the yam paste and roll into a ball. Continue to weigh and wrap for all the egg yolks and yam paste. Place on a plate and cover with cling wrap to prevent drying. And we are done making the mooncake filling.
Preparing Mooncake Skin:
First prepare the purple sweet potato liquid. Cut purple sweet potatoes into small pieces. Place in a pot together with a knotted pandan leaf and add in water. Allow to boil in a small pot for 15 minutes. Then strain the purple liquid into a measuring cup and set aside to cool.
Sieve cooked glutinous rice flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Stir to mix well.
Make a well in the centre and gradually pour in the purple liquid, mixing together at the same time. Mix to form into a soft dough. Switch to a scrapper to continue to mix the dough. Then add in the shortening.
Mix to combine shortening into flour mixture. Then using your hand, lightly knead into a soft and smooth dough. Wrap the kneaded dough tightly with cling wrap. Set aside for at least 30 minutes before using the mooncake skin.
Divide the dough into equal pieces of about 25g (a kitchen scale helps). Roll each into a ball. Cover the balls with a cling wrap to prevent dough from drying.
Assembling Snow Skin Mooncakes:
Flatten a piece of the mooncake dough into a disc. Then place a piece of filling in the centre and wrap the filling in it. Gently push the wrapper upwards to tightly cover the entire filling. Seal well on the top.
Dust the mooncake ball with cooked glutinous rice flour. Gently place the ball inside the mooncake mould. With slight pressure, gently press down the spring bar on the mould until you feel resistance. Lift up the mould, gently press the spring bar to push the mooncake out of the mould. And we are done!
Chill the Snow Skin Mooncakes for a few hours before serving.
These Snow Skin Mooncakes can be stored in an airtight container, lined with clear plastic wrap to prevent sticking and keep in refrigerator for about 3 days.
Enjoy with a cup of chinese tea to complete the experience.
For snow skin mooncakes, you can work on the ratio of 4:6 (40% skin and 60% filling); or for thicker skin, a ratio of 1:1 (50% skin and 50% filling).
You will need a mooncake mould to shape the mooncakes. Can use the plastic mooncake moulds to the traditional wooden moulds.
Do not over knead the dough. Just knead till it is soft and smooth. Otherwise maybe difficult to wrap.
Always keep mooncake dough skin covered to prevent drying out.
Use a precision weighing scale to weigh the skin dough and filling according to the size of the mould. This is to ensure all the mooncakes are of the same and right size for the mould you are using.
The yam paste filling must be thick enough with no moisture in it. Otherwise the mooncakes may not hold its shape.
After weighing the yam paste filling, it is advisable to chill them in the refrigerator first so it will be easier to wrap with the snow skin.
Roll the assembled mooncake balls in cooked glutinous rice flour to form a thin layer. This can prevent the mooncake from sticking to the mould. Dust of excess flour if any.
Wrap up the filling once the mooncake dough skin is ready (after resting dough for 15 to 30 minutes) to avoid difficulty in wrapping.
The imprint on the mooncake may fade over time which is unavoidable for these snow skin mooncakes. So, if you need to keep the mooncakes for longer time, you can freeze them to preserve the mooncake design.
Angie Liew (known as Huang) has a strong love for cooking from a young age. Being a self taught chef, she focuses on improving cooking recipes, simplifying and documenting cooking methods so that her great home cooked dishes can be served and shared among family and friends.
First prepare the yam paste filling. Set aside to cool.
Then prepare salted egg yolks. Remove charcoal from salted eggs, then rinse with water. Separate salted egg yolks from the whites, making sure to remove egg white membranes. Dip the egg yolk in rice wine to remove fishy smell. Then dip in cooking oil to prevent the egg yolk from drying. Next place the salted egg yolks on a oiled steaming plate. Steam the egg yolks in a steamer till cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from steamer and set aside to cool.
Cut the cooled egg yolks in halves. Add toasted melon seeds into yam paste and mix well.
Using a weighing scale, weigh egg yolk and yam paste together to be about 25g each. Wrap the egg yolk in the yam paste and roll into a ball. Continue to weigh and wrap for all the egg yolks and yam paste. Place on a plate and cover with cling wrap to prevent drying. And we are done making the mooncake filling.
First prepare the purple sweet potato liquid. Cut purple sweet potatoes into small pieces. Place in a pot together with a knotted pandan leaf and add in water. Allow to boil in a small pot for 15 minutes. Then strain the purple liquid into a measuring cup and set aside to cool.
Sieve cooked glutinous rice flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Stir to mix well.
Make a well in the centre and gradually pour in the purple liquid, mixing together at the same time. Mix to form into a soft dough. Switch to a scrapper to continue to mix the dough. Then add in the shortening.
Mix to combine shortening into flour mixture. Then using your hand, lightly knead into a soft and smooth dough. Wrap the kneaded dough tightly with cling wrap. Set aside for at least 30 minutes before using the mooncake skin.
Divide the dough into equal pieces of about 25g (a kitchen scale helps). Roll each into a ball. Cover the balls with a cling wrap to prevent dough from drying.
Flatten a piece of the mooncake dough into a disc. Then place a piece of filling in the centre and wrap the filling in it. Gently push the wrapper upwards to tightly cover the entire filling. Seal well on the top.
Dust the mooncake ball with cooked glutinous rice flour. Gently place the ball inside the mooncake mould. With slight pressure, gently press down the spring bar on the mould until you feel resistance. Lift up the mould, gently press the spring bar to push the mooncake out of the mould. And we are done!
Chill the Snow Skin Mooncakes for a few hours before serving.
These Snow Skin Mooncakes can be stored in an airtight container, lined with clear plastic wrap to prevent sticking and keep in refrigerator for about 3 days.
Enjoy with a cup of chinese tea to complete the experience.