Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes

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Authentic Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes are a must-have for the Mid-Autumn Festival. These flaky mooncakes are filled with juicy and flavorful meat, making them so delicious that you’ll want to lick your fingers.

What are Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes?

Shanghai savory pork mooncakes, also known as “Xian Rou Yue Bing” (鲜肉月饼) in Chinese, are a traditional Chinese pastry commonly enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival. These mooncakes are different from the familiar sweet varieties, as they feature a savory filling made primarily of minced or ground pork and seasoned with ground white pepper, soy sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine to enhance the flavors. The outer of the mooncakes is flaky while the inside remains juicy and tender meat.

Nowadays, the savory mooncake’s fillings are versatile and combined with various ingredients, such as mushrooms, pickled mustard, and even salted egg yolks. The unique and creative flavors make the savory mooncakes taste even more delicious and special.

Ingredients of Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes

The authentic Shanghai savory pork mooncakes are easier to prepare than you thought. They’re created with three main components: soft dough, pastry dough, and savory pork filling.

Soft Dough:

• All-purpose flour
• Bread flour
• Butter
• Honey- sugar or maltose are good honey substitutes.
• Hot water

Pastry Dough:

• All-purpose flour
• Butter- The pastry dough is traditionally made from lard (pork fat), which will create a decent flaky crust. The lard can also be substituted with butter, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil.

Savory Pork Filling:

• Minced or ground Pork
• Salt
• Black soy sauce
• Soy sauce
• Ground white pepper
• Caster sugar
• Ginger water (4 of 1-inch thick ginger slices soaked in 2 tablespoons of water)
• Chinese Shaoxing rice wine (or Japanese Mirin)
• Pickled mustard (optional)- You can get the pack from the Asian supermarket.

How To Make Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes?

Prepare soft dough by combining all-purpose flour, bread flour, butter, and honey in a bowl. Stir in hot water, mix thoroughly, and knead into a smooth dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Prepare pastry dough by mixing the all-purpose flour and butter in a bowl, then knead into a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator while preparing the pork filling.

The savory pork filling is made from ground pork and seasoned with salt, black soy sauce, soy sauce, ground white pepper, sugar, ginger water, and Shangxing rice wine (or mirin). Stir well with chopsticks, then add pickled mustard to enhance the flavor and bring a crunchy texture to the filling.

Assemble the mooncakes.

• Transfer the soft dough to a floured surface and knead it for 10 seconds until smooth. Press it into a round disc using your palm. Place the pastry dough in the center of the soft dough, fold the edges to the center, and pinch to seal.
• Evenly roll it out into a 7×13-inch rectangle using a pin roller, then roll it up tightly from the bottom to create an oblong. Cut the oblong into 10 equal pieces using a knife. Pinch both sides of each portion to seal well, and round into a ball. Press and roll out into a disc using a rolling pin.
• Place the filling (about 25 g) on the center of the disc and pinch to seal tightly. Place it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper with the seam side down. Gently press the mooncake to make a flat surface.

Finally, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Bake for 10 minutes, flip them over, and continue to bake for 10 minutes until both sides are golden brown.

Tips:

• The best way to enjoy the savory pork mooncakes are when they’re hot and out-of-the-oven.
• Good butter substitutes are peanut oil, grapeseed oil, or lard (pork fat).
• You may omit the pickled mustard if you can’t find it from a local Asian supermarket. It won’t hurt the final taste.

More Delicious Pastry Recipes You May Like

Snow Skin Mooncakes

Rainbow Layer Salted Egg Pastry

Cantonese-Style Mooncakes

Salted Egg Yolk Custard Lava Mooncakes

I’d love to know how you feel about this Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes recipe if you had a chance to try it. Leave me in the comment below, thank you. 

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Yield: 10 pieces

Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes

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Authentic Shanghai Savory Pork Mooncakes are a must-have for the Mid-Autumn Festival. These flaky mooncakes are filled with juicy and flavorful meat, making them so delicious that you'll want to lick your fingers.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Soft Dough

• 1/2 cup (55 g) All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (55 g) Bread Flour
• 3 tablespoons (35 g) Unsalted Butter
• 1 tablespoon (12 g) Honey
• 1/4 cup (55 ml) Hot Water

Pastry Dough

• 1/2 cup 1 tablespoon (60 g) All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) Unsalted Butter

Savory Pork Filling

• 250 g Ground Pork
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) Salt
• 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) Black Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon (8 g) Soy Sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon (4 g) Ground White Pepper
• 2 tablespoons (18 g) Caster Sugar
• 2 tablespoons (20 g) Ginger Water (4 slices gingers soak in 2 tablespoons of water)
• 1 teaspoon (4 g) Chinese Shaoxing Rice Wine (or Japanese Mirin)
• 1 cup (50 g) Pickled Mustard, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Soft Dough

Combine all-purpose flour, bread flour, butter, and honey in a bowl. Stir in hot water, mix thoroughly, and knead into a smooth dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Pastry Dough

Add all-purpose flour and butter in a bowl, then knead into a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator while preparing the pork filling.

Savory Pork Filling

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and set it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to get all the flavors.

Assembling

1. Transfer the soft dough to a floured surface and knead it for 10 seconds until smooth. Press it into a round disc using your palm. Place the pastry dough in the center of the soft dough, fold the edges to the center, and pinch to seal.
2. Evenly roll it out into a 7x13-inch rectangle using a pin roller. (Sprinkle flour on top of the dough before rolling it out if it's too sticky; it helps to prevent the dough from tearing off.) Then, roll it up tightly from the bottom to create an oblong. Cut the oblong into 10 equal pieces using a knife. Pinch both sides of each portion to seal well, and round it into a ball. Press and roll out into a disc using a rolling pin.
3. Place the filling (about 25 g) on the center of the disc and pinch to seal tightly. Place it on a baking pan lined with parchment paper with the seam side down. Gently press the mooncake to make a flat surface. (repeat the same for each mooncake).
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Bake for 10 minutes, flip them over, and continue to bake for 10 minutes until both sides are golden brown.

Notes

Tips:

• Savory pork mooncakes are enjoyed the best when they're hot and out-of-the-oven.
• The butter can be substituted with peanut oil, grapeseed oil, or lard (pork fat).
• You may omit the pickled mustard if you can't find it from a local Asian supermarket. It won't hurt the final taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

pieces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 149Total Fat: 3.4gSaturated Fat: 1.8gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 425mgCarbohydrates: 19.7gFiber: 0.5gSugar: 4.7gProtein: 8.6g