Making mooncakes with Chef Lester Wang from Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant

By Staff Writer | September 25, 2015 0 Comments

Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant’s Head Chef Lester Wang, shares about his culinary background as well as the interesting techniques and ingredients used in the preparation of the restaurant’s specialty mooncakes.

As everyone scrambles to purchase their favourite mooncakes for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, why not take some time this festive season to understand what really goes on in the preparation of a mooncake? We interviewed Head Chef Lester Wang (LW) from Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy’s Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant to shed some light on the techniques and combination of ingredients used to prepare their specialty Black Bean Paste Baked mooncake and Ying Yang Snowskin mooncake.

AA: Chef Lester, can you share with us your background and how you came to specialize in this area or cuisine?

LW: I was very interested in baking and making pastries since my younger days. To further hone my culinary knowledge in pastries, I enrolled into Shatec and graduated with a Diploma in Pastry and Baking. It was through a (training attachment stint) at the Westin Stamford (now Swissotel the Stamford) and participating in numerous local and overseas competitions that my culinary career and interest grew. This led to my progression into a Pastry Chef and eventually to Head Chef at Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy. It was not easy to start from scratch but I enjoy my career so far and have no regrets.

AA: Does the mid-autumn Festival have any personal significance to you?

LW: Yes, it is significant to me and my career. Just like any child, one of the simple joys in life was being able to enjoy some delicious mooncakes and carry traditional lanterns with my childhood friends. However, due to my busy work schedule nowadays, every family gathering during the Mid-Autumn festival is a precious opportunity for me to catch up with them. As for my career, having loyal fans returning for our handmade mooncakes, and producing more than 10,000 pieces of mooncakes for last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival was a personal achievement for my team and me.

AA: How long does it take to train to be a master chef?

LW: In my opinion, it really depends on the individual’s commitment towards their allocated tasks. He should also be a willing learner and be receptive to new culinary styles. A Head Chef should also be open to sharing knowledge with his team for improvement. Of course, everyone wants to be a Head Chef but ultimately it’s the working attitude that is key for all aspiring chefs.

AA: Coming to the topic on mooncakes, given that Singaporeans are very used to traditional lotus paste mooncakes, what was the inspiration behind your specialties – the Black Bean Paste Baked mooncake and the Ying Yang Snowskin mooncake?

LW: In the olden times, black bean paste used to be the norm for mooncake fillings as it was cheaper than lotus paste then. We feel that the black bean paste flavour is in line with the SG50 theme and appeals to our customers’ palates with its sweet and slightly dry texture. As for the Ying Yang Snowskin, it is both pleasing to the eyes and taste buds and appeals to people of all ages. For the filling, we use a combination of sugarless lotus paste to give it a smooth texture and a black bean paste for sweetness. The result is a seamless combination, just like coffee and tea in the popular “yuanyang” beverage.

AA: Can you share some highlights about the technique you used to make the ingredients and flavours blend together?

 

LW: For our mooncakes, we make the dough and let it sit overnight so that the peanut oil can be better absorbed. We also add a bit of lemon juice to the dough mixture to further soften the dough. When you leave it overnight, the filling inside the dough will start to release the oil from within. So after two to three days, you’ll start to notice the dough getting softer and shinier. The reason why mooncakes always have a very shiny finish is actually due to the oil, and not because of the glaze. After baking the dough mixture, the oil will dry up and be as hard as a cookie. That’s when you let it cool to room temperature.

For the Black Bean Paste Baked mooncake, we boil some common syrup together with some lemon juice to give an enhanced flavour. As an additional touch, I use a very small amount of sesame oil, which gives off a very fragrant aroma the moment you bake it. We use bamboo charcoal powder imported from Japan to give the black bean paste its colour, and mix in some macadamia nuts for the filling. An important technique when making the mooncakes is the mixing part. The shorter time spent mixing, the better, and I judge how much time based on what I see. If you over-mix, the wordings on the mooncakes will appear faded and less visible after baking.

Finally, the most important step of the process is the baking part. The mooncakes are very sensitive to temperature and any changes in the temperature would cause the mooncakes to collapse. So we have to watch the temperature of the oven very closely.

As for the Ying Yang Snowskin Mooncake, I use only four ingredients – glutinous rice flour, warm water, icing sugar and shortening. Try to use only warm water and not hot. The amount of water added is dependent on how much flour is added. As for the shortening, you must put just the right amount so that the mooncakes don’t get too hard when you freeze them. The more shortening added, the harder the mooncakes will be, and they will turn dry and crack.

For the filling, the lotus paste and the black bean paste are combined in a 50-50 ratio. The black bean paste is drier and has a stronger flavour, while the lotus paste has a smoother, softer texture and a lighter flavour. When you add these two together it gives a very good combination, just like coffee and tea.

These techniques can only be achieved through experimenting and relying on your trusty taste buds. For example, grilled beef with chocolate sauce may not sound seem to complement due to their intense flavours. However, the sauce will instead enhance the taste of the beef and awaken your senses. Sometimes you might get fascinating surprises, like how our mooncakes turned out to be a hit among our customers.

AA: How did you know that the specific combination of ingredients would work well?

LW: Information is readily available from a variety of media sources nowadays. I also improve my knowledge through books and tips from friends. Always keep trying and do not despair if something does not work out. Of course, thinking out of the box and mustering the courage to execute new ideas and techniques should be the key values of a Master Chef.

AA: In your opinion, what is the best way to enjoy the Black Bean paste baked mooncakes and the Ying Yang Snowskin mooncake?

LW: My personal preference is actually coffee with milk paired with mooncakes! But nothing beats a pot of hot Pu-Er or black tea to enjoy mooncakes in a less sinful way!

 

Comments

comments