As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, our kitchen is always bustling with preparation. Growing up in a family of chefs in Sichuan, making pastries from scratch wasn’t just a chore; it was a deeply cherished holiday tradition. As I am currently in the preparation stage of writing my first cookbook, I have been standardizing a lot of these classic family recipes to make them accessible for everyday home cooks.
This year, I want to share a foolproof, beginner-friendly recipe: a rich, nutty paste made from roasted black sesame and small walnuts. My little boy absolutely loves helping me crush the walnuts with his own small rolling pin, making this a wonderful family activity. It comes together in just a few minutes, requires no extensive cooking times, and guarantees a perfect texture on your first try. Once you realize how simple it is, you will be using this filling for everything from mooncakes to pumpkin patties and sweet green rice balls (Qing Tuan).
What Is Zhi Ma He Tao Xian?
Zhi Ma He Tao Xian (芝麻小核桃馅) is a traditional Chinese sweet filling made from ground black sesame seeds, crushed walnuts, a sweetener like honey or maltose, and a starch-based binder. Unlike the perfectly smooth, commercially processed lotus seed paste, this homemade version retains a delightful crunch from the walnuts and boasts a deeply aromatic, roasted flavor profile. It is a highly versatile filling used in a variety of traditional desserts, functioning similarly to the sweet centers found in Yellow Millet Sticky Rice Cake or baked Traditional Chinese Shortbread Cookies.
Ingredients
- Roasted Black Sesame Seeds: 200 g (about 1 ½ cups). You can purchase these pre-roasted from an Asian supermarket, or toast raw seeds in a dry pan over low heat until fragrant.
- Roasted Small Walnuts (or Pecans): 80 g (about ¾ cup). Small hickory nuts (小核桃) are traditional and offer a fantastic flavor, but standard walnuts or pecans work perfectly.
- Neutral Cooking Oil: 40 g (about 3 tablespoons). Use a flavorless oil like canola or avocado. Avoid unrefined Sesame Oil here, as its intense savory flavor will overpower the sweet filling.
- Honey: 70 g (about ¼ cup). You can use standard clover honey, maltose syrup, or even Authentic Osmanthus Honey for a floral twist.
- Water: 100 g (about ½ cup).
- Glutinous Rice Flour (Shui Mo Nuo Mi Fen): 16 g (about 2 tablespoons). Also sold as sweet rice flour or tangyuan flour.
Ingredient Notes
- Glutinous Rice Flour: This is the secret to bringing the filling together without excessive amounts of fat. Standard all-purpose flour or cornstarch will not provide the necessary sticky, pliable texture required for shaping mooncake fillings.
Equipment Needed
- Food processor or high-speed blender
- Rolling pin
- Small saucepan
- Heat-proof silicone spatula
Prep & Mise en Place
- Crush the Walnuts: Place the roasted walnuts in a heavy-duty ziplock bag and crush them gently with a rolling pin. Do not use a food processor for this step; blending them will turn the nuts into fine dust, and you will lose the signature textural contrast of the filling.
- Measure Everything: Since the cooking process for the binder goes quickly, have your water and glutinous rice flour pre-measured and sitting right next to the stove.
Cooking Process
- Grind the Sesame Seeds: Place the 200 g of roasted black sesame seeds into a blender or food processor. Pulse for exactly 6 seconds on a high speed (around speed 8 if using a multi-speed machine) until ground into a coarse powder. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the 80 g of crushed walnuts into the bowl with the ground black sesame.
- Add Oil and Sweetener: Pour in the 40 g of neutral oil and 70 g of honey. Stir everything together. At this stage, the mixture will be crumbly and will not stick together. Set aside.
- Prepare the Binder: In a small saucepan, bring the 100 g of water to a rolling boil over high heat (212°F / 100°C).
- Cook the Flour Paste: Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Gradually sprinkle in the 16 g of glutinous rice flour in small increments, stirring constantly with a spatula.When the glutinous rice flour meets the hot water, the starches undergo rapid gelatinization. This process causes the starch granules to absorb water and swell, creating a highly sticky, viscous paste that will successfully bind the dry, crumbly sesame and walnuts together without the need for excessive fats.
- Incorporate the Filling: Continue stirring the flour mixture over low heat until it forms a thick, translucent paste. Pour the reserved sesame and walnut mixture directly into the saucepan.
- Final Stir-Fry: Fold the ingredients together constantly over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the mixture is cohesive and everything is evenly distributed. Do not use high heat, or the sesame will scorch and turn bitter.
- Portion and Shape: Remove from the heat. The recipe yields exactly 410 g of filling. While still warm, portion the filling into 14 equal balls (about 29 g each) and roll them smooth.
Why This Recipe Works
- The Starch Binder: Traditional commercial recipes often rely on vast amounts of lard or oil to hold the sesame paste together. By utilizing a cooked glutinous rice flour paste, we achieve the perfect structural integrity for wrapping, with a fraction of the heavy fats.
- Textural Contrast: Manually crushing the walnuts rather than blitzing them ensures small, crunchy pockets of flavor that break up the richness of the dark sesame.
- Controlled Sweetness: Unlike store-bought pastes which often rely heavily on cheap Sugar, this recipe balances the mild sweetness of honey with the natural, roasted bitterness of the seeds.
Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting
- Mistake: Letting the filling cool completely before shaping.
- Why it happens: The starch binder firms up significantly as the temperature drops.
- Solution: Roll the filling into your 29 g portion balls while the mixture is still warm and pliable. Because the walnuts are hard, this filling is naturally firmer than lotus paste, making it incredibly easy to wrap inside dough—but only if shaped before it sets completely.
- Mistake: The filling tastes burnt or bitter.
- Why it happens: Sesame seeds contain delicate oils that scorch easily when exposed to high, direct heat during the final mixing stage.
- Solution: Ensure the stove is turned to the absolute lowest setting when folding the nuts into the hot flour paste, and remove the pan from the heat immediately once combined.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I substitute the honey? Yes. Maltose syrup is the most traditional substitute and will yield an even shinier, chewier filling. Maple syrup can be used but will alter the flavor profile significantly.
- Can I make this ahead of time? Yes. You can prepare the filling, roll it into balls, and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them come to room temperature before attempting to wrap them in pastry dough.
- Why is this filling harder than store-bought red bean paste? This is entirely normal! The physical pieces of walnuts give the filling a firmer structure. The filling will soften beautifully during the baking process and the subsequent resting period.
- What is “Hui You” (Oil Return)? When making traditional baked mooncakes, the pastry skin is initially dry and hard right out of the oven. Over 2 to 5 days of resting at room temperature, the moisture and oils from this filling migrate outward into the crust, softening it and bringing everything together perfectly.
How to Serve
This filling is strictly an ingredient rather than a standalone dish. Use it as the sweet center for baked Mid-Autumn mooncakes, steamed buns (Baozi), or deep-fried sesame balls (Jian Dui). It pairs wonderfully with a warm, comforting bowl of Red Bean and Black Rice Porridge or alongside a slice of soft Chinese Jujube Cake for an elaborate afternoon tea.
Storage & Reheat
- Refrigerator: Store pre-portioned filling balls in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze on a parchment-lined baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Allergen Notice
- Contains: Tree Nuts (Walnuts), Sesame.
- Gluten-Free: Glutinous rice flour does not contain gluten (the “glutinous” simply refers to its sticky texture). Ensure your honey or maltose is processed in a certified gluten-free facility if required.
Nutrition Disclaimer
💡 Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only. The exact nutritional value will vary depending on the specific brands of ingredients used.
About the Author & Recipe Development
This recipe was developed in the Woks of Love test kitchen to provide a reliable, low-stress alternative to store-bought pastry fillings. To ensure the highest level of reliability, I tested this filling in various pastry applications, comparing it directly against traditional red bean and egg yolk fillings to monitor bake times and structural stability. The specific ratio of water to glutinous rice flour was meticulously adjusted so that the filling remains perfectly round without cracking, leaking, or collapsing inside the oven, while maintaining a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture after the necessary resting period.
Authoritative References
- Starch Gelatinization: To understand the science behind why our glutinous rice flour creates such an effective binder without adding fat, refer to this detailed explanation of Starch Gelatinization from ScienceDirect.
- Nut Storage: Because walnuts and sesame seeds contain high amounts of natural oils, they are prone to rancidity. Proper storage is critical. Read the guidelines on Storing Nuts Properly provided by the Utah State University Extension.
Homemade Black Sesame Walnut Filling (Zhi Ma He Tao Xian)
Equipment
- Food Processor or Blender
- Small Saucepan
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 200 g roasted black sesame seeds about 1 1/2 cups
- 80 g roasted small walnuts or pecans about 3/4 cup
Wet Ingredients & Binder
- 40 g neutral oil about 3 tbsp
- 70 g honey about 1/4 cup; can substitute maltose syrup
- 100 g water about 1/2 cup
- 16 g glutinous rice flour about 2 tbsp; tangyuan flour
Instructions
- Place the roasted walnuts in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Do not use a blender, as you want to maintain small chunks for texture.
- Add the roasted black sesame seeds to a blender and pulse for 6 seconds on high speed until coarsely ground.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ground black sesame, crushed walnuts, neutral oil, and honey. Stir until evenly distributed. The mixture will not hold together yet.
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
- Gradually sprinkle the glutinous rice flour into the simmering water, stirring constantly until it forms a thick, sticky paste.
- Pour the sesame and walnut mixture into the saucepan with the flour paste. Gently stir-fry over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until everything is evenly combined into a cohesive filling.
- Remove from heat. While the filling is still warm, portion it out into 14 equal balls (about 29g each) and roll them smooth for wrapping into mooncakes or pastries.
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