Happy Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year! One of the most festive times for our family is among us, and, though it’s scaled down by a lot this year, I’m still determined to get in the spirit. These mung bean cakes give me a lot of nostalgia, and they’re such a staple dessert in Chinese cuisine. I’ve been planning out our menu for our new year’s dinner–we’re having a little Zoom call dinner sort of thing with my relatives in China–and we’ll finish out the night with these cute little cakes!
The red bean filling comes from dried adzuki red bean, which I got from Hmart, and all you really do is boil them, blend them in a food processor, and add sugar. Same goes for the mung bean exterior! Then, you use a special little mooncake mold press to make the shapes (I’ve provided the amazon link a couple of my favorites–the one I bought is sold out!)
I made almost everything from scratch; honestly, the process was sort of messy and time consuming, but it’s wayyy easier than making mooncakes and much more straightforward. It’s all worth it in the end! It’s just a lot of waiting, and I get impatient, haha.