#yam paste

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Likewise, for East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家), they are offering 35% off the mooncakes for early bird so we grabbed the chance to order a box of 8s Mini Snow Skin Assorted (迷你冰皮四色). The four flavours are White Lotus Paste (白莲蓉), Green Tea (绿茶), Custard (奶黄) and Yuzu (柚子). Opening the box, I was kind of dismayed that the chefs didn’t bother to make a different colour for each of the flavour. Other than the green tea one, the rest are a little hard to differentiate so it’s more like a blind tasting session. Glad to say that the glutinous rice skin is soft and chewy and the lotus seed paste velvety smooth yet not too sweet. After finishing the whole box of mooncakes 🥮 with sis and mum, we did not come across one that remotely tasted like yuzu. 🤔

We also bought the Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥) Teochew mooncakes. The restaurant sells mini version of the crispy yam mooncakes 🥮 too, but these comes without the salted egg yolk. We didn’t buy the latter as we find the yam paste to skin ratio not to our liking. Eaten on the day of purchase, the flaky pastry is shattering crispy, revealing a layer of sweetened, smooth yam (taro) paste surrounding a lovely rich eggy salted yolk.

Topmost image courtesy of East Ocean Teochew Restaurant.

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When we ordered our first round of mooncakes from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家), we also added a second order of the 4pcs Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥) mooncakes 🥮 for a delivery date closer to Mid-Autumn Festival. The early bird discount gave us a huge 35% off the S$79 selling price so we might as well take advantage of it. My colleagues’ order was delivered directly to office as they met the minimum purchase for free delivery. In addition to the big crispy mooncakes, they also bought the Mini Crispy Yam (迷你酥皮芋泥) mooncakes.

Best eaten fresh on the day the Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥) mooncakes are made. But if you can only eat it the next day, pop it into the oven at 180 °C for about 15 minutes to crisp up the pastry and warm up the yam paste inside. I know the instructions said to heat it at 130 °C for 5 minutes but that barely warm even up the inside of the mooncake 🥮. After that prepare a plate or kitchen towel because when you take that bite, the flaky pastry layers shattered into crumbles. As the velvety and sweet, fragrant yam paste with it lightly salted egg yolk takes you along through the mid-autumn night.

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I normally will buy breads for next day breakfast if it is a non-working day for me. Dropped in to Swee Heng 1989 Signature at Causeway Point and saw that they have this Taiwan Yam Pandan Chiffon (台湾芋泥香兰戚风) sitting in the chiller so I grabbed a box (S$5.20). Imagine two fluffy soft chiffon cake slices sandwiching a thick yet velvety paste of yam. The cake part is perfumed with the fragrance of pandan and the texture is so fluffy light. The yam or taro paste is smooth yet not too sweet. The only fault being that the yam paste is adulterated with too much cream that the yam flavour is muted.

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We have been buying either the big or mini crispy yam mooncakes from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家) over the years. This year is no difference, but we chose not to get the mini version as I find there is too much of the pastry dough to yam paste ratio. The big Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk Mooncake (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼) included a salted egg yolk in the middle and mum like that. Went down to Takashimaya shopping mall for the Mid-Autumn fair and collected it from their restaurant upstairs. Hmm…, they are using the same old square cardboard box again this year unlike their competitors with fancy eye-catching box designs which are factored into the selling price.

Last year the price was S$70 for a box of 4s but this year it went up to S$79. Luckily, they are offering a 30% early bird discount, so we paid S$55.30 for the Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk Mooncake (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼). The extra crispy and intricate layers of pastry demand careful handling. As you can see from the cross section, the egg yolk is well positioned in the centre of the yam/taro paste wrapped in a thin layer of pastry and deep-fried. As you bite into a piece, you felt the pastry shattering followed by the semi-sweet smooth yam paste and the slightly salty and rich yolk.

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The Teochew Yam Pastry with Single Yolk (潮州单黄芋泥月饼) is Paradise Group’s (樂天餐饮集团) rendition of a flaky Teochew mooncake. With smooth yam paste wrapped around pine nuts and salted egg yolk, the base is embedded with white sesame seeds for crunch and a nutty aroma. My finance department’s colleague pre-ordered a box and both my camera and I were invited to the photo taking and tasting sessions. :D They and one of my other colleagues have recommended this pastry to me but after the taste test…

The Teochew Yam Pastry with Single Yolk (潮州单黄芋泥月饼) came in a glossy royal blue box. Each of the four compartments contained a piece of the flaking spiral pastry packed in its own individual box. Lifting the pastry out of its container, there is this crust of white sesame seeds on the base and along the bottom edge. Sliced it in half and the outer crust shattered but the plastic knife met resistance when it reached the salted egg yolk inside, not a good sign though. Further dividing it to quarters just confirmed the truth. The salted egg yolk is over baked during the preparation stage that it had developed a tough outer layer around the yolk. Instead of a crumbly yolk, you get rubbery pieces of egg among the smooth yam paste. The pine nuts in the yam paste and sesame seeds crust on the outside lends a nutty fragrant to the flaking pastry shell. Overall, it was a good eat letdown by one of the main ingredients. This set me thinking if I want to take a risk and buy it next year.

Since the above cannot make the cut, I will just stick with East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家). The Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk Mooncake (酥皮单黄芋泥月饼) is best eaten within three days of purchase but if you can’t finish them in time, just store them in the fridge. To refresh the pastries, covered them loosely in aluminium foil and bake at 200 °C (392°F) for about 20-25 minutes direct from fridge. This cause the pastry to be crispy again and the warm yam paste tasted more mellow and fragrant than at room temperature.

Video shows the salted egg yolks preparation processes. Topmost image courtesy of Paradise Group.

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A yearly must buy mooncake from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家) is this Mini Crispy Yam Mooncakes (迷你酥皮芋泥月饼) or the bigger cousin Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥). As is everywhere, the price for it had gone up to S$70 for a box of 8s but the restaurant is offering a 30% discount for early bird buyers so we ended up paying S$49.

To get that spiral flaky pastry shell, two types of dough (water/oil) are need when making the Crispy Yam Mooncake. The yam or taro paste is smooth and velvety, sweetened with just a little sugar. As the filling contains moisture, I suggest toasting it to crisp up the pastry and to consume it with three days. It pairs well with a cup of Chinese tea or as I have it here, less sweet milk tea. In case some of you are interested in making it, I attached a how-to-make video (not mine).

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As Singapore economy started to revive from the COVID-19 pandemic, the once shuttered stalls at Yishun Bus Interchange get a new lease of life. Took noticed of this relatively new stall - Mei Kee Bakery (美記餅家) by Bakery Cuisine selling baked buns and pastries as I often walked pass it to board the bus home. The Portuguese Egg Tart (S$1) with the burnt surface of the custard was gorgeous looking. Like the taro tart above, the crust was buttery thin and filled with golden egg custard that filled the mouth with sweet creamy eggy taste and nutty caramel flavours.

I was attracted to their Ginkgo Taro Tart (S$1.50) filled with lavender coloured yam paste. The tart shell is thin and crumbly which fall apart as I sliced into it to reveal a single ginkgo nut. I enjoyed the buttery crust but the mildly sweet paste do seem to be creamy/floury and lack the prominent yam flavour I am expecting. Maybe replacing the ginkgo nut with a few cubes of yam would have make this a better yam tart.

The Apple Tart (S$1.50) with its cinnamon-scented apples that are sweet and carry hint of tartness came topped with sandy crumbles. I would enjoy this over a cup of hot tea for a late afternoon snack.

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We started our Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) early with the usual purchase of this classic Teochew Mooncake (潮州月饼) from East Ocean Teochew Restaurant (东海潮州酒家). As with almost everything in the market, the price had gone up from last year’s S$68 to S$75 for four pieces of Crispy Yam with Whole Egg Yolk (酥皮单黄芋泥). While at the same time, the early bird discount had been reduced from 30% to just 25% this year.

If you can resist and not eat this Teochew Mooncake (潮州月饼) on the day of purchase, it is best to reheat it in oven to crisp up the flaky crust. Make sure to consume it within 3 days else this deep-fried festival treat might go rancid. Trust me, it tasted so much better when warm and the aroma is divine.

With alternating layers of pastry that gives an illusion of infinite layers, it is no wonder that it’s nicknamed the Thousand Layered Mooncake (千层芋泥月饼). The below how-to video precisely showed you how this is alternating layers are achieved using water and oil doughs. Their impressive appearance makes them perfect for gifting on any occasion.