It’s coming up to that time of year in China – Mid-Autumn Festival (aka Moon Festival). I did a post on this two years ago while I was living in Hunan province: Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival
This year, the holiday falls on September 30th.
Teacher’s Day just passed, and this year, I received two gift cards that I am able to redeem for moon cakes.
Now there are okay moon cakes, and there nasty moon cakes. And this has nothing to do with how expensive they are. It is just my Western taste preferences. These pastries are filled with a variety of things. Some have a fruity filling, which will fall at the ‘okay’ end of my scale. Some have nuts and meat in them, which can be hit or miss. And some have a strange meat mixture with a hard lump of egg yolk in them. These are the nasty ones. They also vary in size.
Regardless, if you receive/buy some higher quality ones (again, these can be nasty), they will be very nicely packaged, and the sculpting of the pastry itself can be quite lovely. Check out one of my ritzy boxes below. (I sampled and I will be giving the remainder of the cakes to the security guards manning the gates of my apartment complex.)
gorgeous box. I use to see a lot of these filling shops and stores in nyc.
There is a gorgeous matching carry bag that it came in. From the Sheraton Hotel, actually.
Did you ever try these things back on the home front?
I had some very lovely red bean ones. I also saw a recipe on another blog for a emi translucent one with a pink filling.. it was so gorgeous.
Yes, the bean ones can be good. Wow, I’d love to see that semi-translucent one. Do you have the link still, by any chance?
I can’t seem to locate that particular link off hand. (I will keep looking though) They are called snow skin moon cakes pronounced bing pei; 冰皮月饼 Perhaps these might be more to your taste? http://smallsmallbaker.blogspot.com/2011/09/aspiring-bakers-11-mocha-oreo-snowskin.html or these http://thebakingbiatch.blogspot.com/2012/09/snowskin-mooncake-1-passionfruit-paste.html
Oh my goodness! Those look fantastic!!! I will pass these links on to my local ex-pats who have been lately commenting on moon cake season. And what a lovely name: “snow skin”. Thank you!
The snowskin are similar to mochi (from Japan). There are also jelly mooncakes in fun flavors like dragon fruit with bits of longan inside. I use to research this incessantly, among other sweet things. Now I want some mochi!
Yum! Me too! Have you lived in Japan?
No I have not. Just quite enamored of mochi
Thank you for passing it on to me. I am always looking for new things to fall for
If ever anyone wants to gift me a mooncake.. I am requesting this one: http://awayofmind.blogspot.com/2011/08/pink-guava-red-bean-snow-skin-mooncake.html
lol
Delectable! I need to search the local bakeries more thoroughly. There has got to be something other than yolk and pork around here! ty
Looks delicious!!
Sadly, it was more beautiful than tasty. There are good ones out there though
I miss the mooncakes! Enjoy one for me!
- Nicole
If you ever want me to send you any (or any of the other delicacies – I have found those ‘fruit roll ups’, the squishy blobs of goo with the coloured centres, and more), let me know!
Yes, I agree that it has everything to do with personal preference.
I’m probably one of the few ex-pats who actually like the moon cakes with the egg centre! Even I grew up in London, I think my taste buds have been shaped by Chinese, Vietnamese and British cuisine. May be it has something to do with growing up in a Chinese family
I hope you get more of the moon cakes that you like this year
Thanks for your great comment! Personal taste is an fascinating, hard-to-explain thing – not just with food. Music, clothes, decorating, etc. I love trying new things, even if I don’t end up liking them.
So, do you have a taste for the uniquely British marmite? And if so, do you think it would be nice in a mooncake? Britain meets China
I LOVE marmite and, yes, I think it would be perfect in a moon cake
There are three things I always stock up on whenever I pop into Beijing (I live 3 hours away): marmite, mustard and balsamic vinegar.
Balsamic vinegar moon cake would also be awesome. Not sure about mustard moon cake tho…
I actually have never tried marmite. Love vinegar, and actually, when you mentioned mustard (which I love – especially something spicy), I envisioned a savoury mooncake dipping sauce… Hmmmm and yummm