Suzhou-Style Pork Mooncakes
Shatteringly flaky, layered lard pastry wraps a juicy, savory pork filling scented with scallion, ginger and soy. These Shanghai and Suzhou-style savory mooncakes are best eaten warm from the oven.
- Prep
- 1 hr 40 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Wait
- 1 hr 10 min
- Total
- 3 hr 15 min
- Makes
- 12 mooncakes (about 55 g / 2 oz each)
Steps
Before you start
- Use ground pork with 20–30% fat. Lean pork gives a dry, crumbly filling.
- Take the lard out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so it is soft but not melted. Keep the pork filling cold, because it is easier to wrap when firm.
- The pastry needs two rests (10 and 15 minutes) and the filling needs to chill for about 1 hour. Start the filling first and let it chill while you make the dough.
- Position an oven rack in the center and preheat to 375°F (190°C) during the last rest in step 6. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Mix pork filling
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground pork, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, white pepper, grated ginger and cornstarch.
- Using a spatula or chopsticks, stir in one direction only for about 2 minutes until the meat looks sticky and clings together.
- Add the ice-cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until each addition is fully absorbed before adding the next.
- Stir in the scallions and sesame oil.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until the filling is firm and scoopable.
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Ready when: The mixture is sticky, cohesive and holds together when pinched, with no pooled liquid.
Tip: Stirring in one direction and adding the water gradually is what makes the filling juicy and bouncy rather than crumbly.
Make water dough
- In a large bowl, whisk 150 g flour and the sugar.
- Add 30 g soft lard and the warm water.
- Mix with your hands or a spatula until it forms a shaggy mass, then knead on the counter for 3 minutes until smooth and soft like an earlobe.
- Shape into a ball, cover with the bowl or plastic wrap, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough is smooth, soft and springs back slowly when poked.
Tip: If the dough feels sticky, knead it a bit longer rather than adding flour. It will firm up as it rests.
Make oil dough
- While the water dough rests, rub 100 g flour and 50 g soft lard together with your fingertips, then press and knead for about 1 minute until a smooth, soft, pliable paste forms with no dry patches.
- Cover and set aside at room temperature.
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Ready when: The dough is soft like thick modeling clay and holds a shape without sticking to your hands.
Tip: If it is too greasy and loose because your kitchen is warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes.
Divide and enclose
- Weigh the water dough (about 252 g) and divide into 12 pieces of about 21 g each.
- Weigh the oil dough (about 150 g) and divide into 12 pieces of about 12.5 g each.
- Roll all pieces into balls and keep them covered.
- Flatten one water-dough ball into a 2½-inch (6 cm) disc, set an oil-dough ball in the center, pull the edges up around it and pinch the seam fully closed.
- Repeat with all 12 and keep covered.
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Ready when: Each ball is smooth with the oil dough completely sealed inside and no leaks.
Tip: Keep unused dough covered with a damp towel so the surfaces do not form a dry skin.
First roll and fold
- Place one ball seam side down and press it flat.
- Roll it with a small rolling pin into a long oval about 5 inches (13 cm) long and ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
- Starting from a short end, roll it up snugly like a small jelly roll.
- Repeat with the remaining balls, setting the rolls on a tray under a cloth.
- Rest for 10 minutes.
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Ready when: The rolls are tight with no gaps, and the oval sheets did not tear or show oil breaking through.
Tip: Light, even pressure matters. If the oil dough breaks through, the layers will not separate.
Second roll and foldOven 375°F / 190°C
- Turn each roll 90° so a short end faces you, press it flat with your palm, and roll again into an oval about 5 inches (13 cm) long.
- Roll up snugly from the short end again.
- Cover the rolls and rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) near the end of this rest.
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Ready when: Each roll is a small plump spiral about 1½ inches (4 cm) long.
Tip: Rolling twice gives many thin layers. Do not roll a third time, which makes the layers merge.
Roll pastry discs
- Stand a roll on its cut end with the spiral facing up, press it flat with your palm, and roll it into a 3½-inch (9 cm) disc.
- Keep the center slightly thicker than the edges so the filling does not break through.
- Repeat with all rolls, leaving the finished discs covered.
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Ready when: The spiral pattern is visible on the surface and the disc is about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
Tip: Roll from the center outward and avoid pressing so hard that the spiral smears.
Fill and shape
- Weigh the chilled filling into 12 portions of 30 g each.
- Hold a disc spiral side down in your palm, set a portion of filling in the center, then gather the edges up and over, pinching and twisting to seal.
- Place it seam side down on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spiral side up, and gently press into a 2¼-inch (6 cm) round, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) high.
- Space the mooncakes 1½ inches (4 cm) apart.
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Ready when: Each mooncake is sealed with no filling visible and the spiral pattern shows on top.
Tip: Keep unfilled portions in the fridge while working. Warm filling gets sticky and is hard to seal.
Glaze and bakeOven 375°F / 190°C
- Whisk the egg yolk with the water.
- Brush the tops of the mooncakes with a thin layer, then sprinkle each with a pinch of black sesame seeds.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) on the center rack for 12 minutes, rotate the sheet(s) front to back, and bake 12–13 minutes longer, for 25 minutes total.
- If baking two sheets, swap their positions at the turn.
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Ready when: The pastry is pale golden with lightly browned edges, and the center of the filling reads 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Tip: Brush the egg wash lightly, and avoid letting it run down the sides, as it can glue the layers together and stop them opening.
Cool and serve
- Transfer the mooncakes to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes before serving.
- The pastry will crisp up as it cools, and the filling will settle so it is juicy rather than runny.
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Ready when: The mooncakes are warm, not hot, and the crust feels crisp and dry.
Tip: Eat them within a couple of hours for the flakiest layers.
Good to know
Tips
- Weigh the dough and filling portions. Even portions mean all mooncakes bake in the same time and wrap neatly.
- Keep the filling cold and the dough covered while you work. Cold filling is easier to seal, and dry dough tears.
- If a few layers do not open, it is usually because the dough was rolled too thick or the egg wash dripped down the sides. It will still taste great.
- Check doneness with a thermometer in the thickest mooncake. Pork must reach 160°F (71°C), and the color of the crust alone is not a reliable guide.
Make ahead
"Freeze shaped, unglazed mooncakes on a tray until solid (about 2 hours), then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen: brush with egg wash, add sesame, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30–33 minutes until the center reaches 160°F (71°C). The filling can also be made and refrigerated up to 24 hours ahead."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: up to 2 hours after baking. Refrigerator: in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezer: baked and cooled mooncakes, well wrapped, up to 1 month. Reheat from the fridge or freezer on a baking sheet at 325°F (160°C) for 10–12 minutes (15–18 minutes from frozen) until hot in the center and crisp outside."
Substitutions
- lard → Unsalted butter or neutral oil (such as vegetable or peanut oil). Lard gives the most authentic flakiness and flavor. Butter makes a slightly richer, less crisp crust, and use the same weight of oil for the water dough only.
- lard → Vegetable shortening. Use the same weight. Shortening gives clean, distinct layers and is easy to handle in warm kitchens.
- Shaoxing wine → Dry sherry. Use the same amount. For an alcohol-free version, use chicken stock.
- black sesame seeds → White sesame seeds. Use the same amount. The flavor is nearly identical.