Durian Jelly Mooncake

FROM FRONT: Soya Bean Jelly Mooncake, Red Dates Jelly Mooncake, Durian Jelly Mooncake and Lotus Paste Jelly Mooncake

Filling ingredients:

100g mashed durian flesh

300ml coconut milk

100g castor sugar

1 tbsp agar-agar powder

A pinch of salt

A tinge of yellow colouring

200ml evaporated milk

Method:
COMBINE durian flesh and coconut milk together in a blender and process until smooth. Strain and discard the impurities. Add sugar, agar-agar powder, salt and colouring then bring to a boil. Cook until agar-agar and sugar are completely dissolved.

Bring mixture away from the heat and add in milk and mix well. Leave aside for 2 to 3 minutes to cool slightly.

Rinse well patty tins and pour in agar-agar mixture. Leave aside to set.

Remove the durian filling from the patty tins and cut out neatly with a 5cm (2ins) round cutter.

Pastry:

150ml thick coconut milk

250ml water

75g castor sugar

2 tsp agar-agar powder

2 tsp instant jelly

A pinch of salt

2 pandan leaves, knotted

2 tbsp UHT milk

Green food colouring (for durian jelly mooncake)

Red food colouring (for red dates jelly mooncake)

Method:
COMBINE agar-agar powder, instant jelly, sugar, thick coconut milk, water, salt and pandan leaves in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Turn off the stove after the mixture has boiled then add the milk and colouring.

Keep stirring the mixture until it feels just warm to the touch before poring into chilled mooncake moulds.

Preparing the moulds: Brush a little corn oil onto the wooden mooncake moulds. You may find two tiny holes at the sides of the mould (these are air vents) -- stuff them with rolled bits of absorbent kitchen paper towel to prevent the warm jelly from seeping out. Keep the moulds well chilled in the freezer compartment for a couple of hours or preferably overnight. These moulds have to be really cold before the agar-agar mixture is poured in.

Assembling the mooncake: Pour the just warm agar-agar mixture into the prepared moulds to two-thirds full. Carefully immerse a piece of filling (either red dates or durian) into the warm mixture. Pour in more mixture to fill up the mould to the brim.

Leave the mould to set for 5 minutes then let it set completely in the freezer. Knock out the jelly mooncakes from the moulds. Keep the mooncakes chilled in the refrigerator before serving or packing them into boxes as gifts to relatives and friends.

Footnote: To obtain good results, the agar-agar mixture should be just warm and not hot when you pour it into the cold moulds.

You can also use plastic mooncake moulds if they are available. They need to be chilled in the freezer before use as well. Plastic moulds are convenient to use and yield excellent results.