How to make lotus mooncake paste recipe

This year i’m going to try making lotus seed paste using lard or fatty pig oil. 100% render from pig fats.

Ingredients

1kg of lotus seeds (Lin Chi in cantonese) (Choose those without middle part, half splits – middle part must be removed because it’ll taste bitter.
2 tbsp of alkaline water / air abu
666g white granulated sugar
250g lard
3 tbsp of maltose / mak ngah tong
Pandan juice from 8-10 pandan leaves (Use pestle and mortar to extract juice)

Method

Rinse lotus seeds and boil it in a pot of water. Add alkaline water (Air Abu in Malay) and boil for 5 – 10 minutes.
Remove seeds and place into cold water.
Rub off skins and discard stems.
Make sure you clean the black area too around the lotus seeds.
After you’re done with cleaning the lotus seeds.
Use a pressure cooker to boil lotus seeds until softened. Pour 1 cm water above your lotus seeds. (Do not use too much water or else you’ll going to cook for a long long time in the next step)
Next step is to blend lotus seeds till smooth with a blender. (Blend when it’s hot to achieve very smooth paste)
Now, get ready a wok, always cook using lowest fire to prevent burnt, pour 5 tbsp of course sugar / granulated sugar into a wok (Make sure your sugar is fresh bought) – It should melt if its’ fresh bought sugar. At first i use my own sugar in my cabinet, it crystallize into hardened cubes after i tried to melt it under low fire. No choice have to throw it away or it’ll spoil my paste.
Below steps is non stop pushing upward motion using a wooden spatula using lowest fire.. there is NO resting or your sugar and paste will be burnt!!!
Use a wooden spatula, and push in upward motion to avoid sugar burnt (If sugar burnt, you’ll have no choice but to start again this step).
Stir till sugar become liquid then pour your half portion of blended lotus paste then remember push upward motion using spatula to avoid burnt.. no stopping.
Then pour the rest of the sugar in.
After a while, pour the rest of blended lotus paste in.
Stir and stir till it’s start to dry up. (Make sure it’s dry up a bit if not when you pour lard in, it’ll develop small pops up)
Add pandan juice.
Then add your lard portion by portion ( I use my homemade lard from fatty pig meat). You can use groundnut oil but it won’t taste good..( I remember i use cooking oil last time it turns hard once refrigerated.. bad choice. Therefore using lard is way better than using cooking oil)
(Add oil stir stir till combined, then after a while, add oil stir stir….)
When your lotus paste starts to dry, add maltose and continue stir.
You’re done when your paste stick to your wooden spatula without dropping.
Dish up to cool well.