Mooncakes
I subscribe to the Asian Food Grocer newsletter and today there was a big announcement about Mooncakes, which I guess means the Chinese mid-autumn festival is coming. I've never had a mooncake, but I'm thinking about shilling out the $35 to try one. They come in packages of two and some of the "flavors" being offered are lotus seed paste with salted duck egg, regular lotus seed paste, lotus seed with pecans, jujube paste with pecans, mixed nut mooncakes, and red bean paste.
Has anyone ever had a mooncake before? I understand you're only supposed to have a small wedge because they're so rich. Do they taste good? What flavor should I get?
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11 Comments:
Hmm, they're definitely an acquired taste. I like all the flavors, but I prefer the white ones (snow skin?) with lotus seed paste. I encounter them in packages of 4 usually. Yes, they're really rich.
There are newfangled ones being offered too. They're typically smaller and have cooler flavors like mango with sago cream, green tea with almonds, lychee, durian, etc. In my experience, they're a lot smaller than your traditional moon cakes, less rich, and pretty damn delicious too.
If you have an Asian grocer nearby, you should have more (and cheaper) options. You can probably get a variety-flavor pack too.
hungryhungryhippo at 1:08AM on 08/22/09
They are definitely worth a try just for the experience.
In my experience the prepackaged ones are pretty bad, very dry and processed tasting (if that makes sense). For your first time I would recommend lotus seed paste or juju filled ones. They are pretty tasty and not completely foreign to the pallet. The salted egg yolk on the other hand......
penn00 at 1:45AM on 08/22/09
Yum. Mooncakes are the best. I agree with @penn00, definitely go with the plain lotus seed one for your first try; and don't eat the salted egg yolk on your first try. As much as they add flavors and different nuts to the mooncake, the best is the plain lotus seed. Mmm...delish...looking forward to the harvest moon!
pequenalooloo at 5:41AM on 08/22/09
Get the lotus seed paste plain, salted eggs are gross. :D
ag3208 at 10:43AM on 08/22/09
Mooncakes are an acquired taste. I personally love them, but I'm Chinese and grew up in a traditional home. My husband is American and hates them. I'd go with the lotus seed or red bean ones. I am not a fan of the salted egg yolk or nut ones. I usually buy the little ones for more variety, and the "trendy" ones in pineapple, green tea, etc., are really good. The giant ones (I'm assuming that's what the $35 one is) are often used for engagement announcements and stuff.
fanghsing at 10:54AM on 08/22/09
The salted egg is an acquired taste but it is my favorite part!!! I also grew up with them so I've had time to let them grow on me. It's a great sweet/salty combo and I think the saltiness makes the sweetness more complex and less cloying. The mix of textures is also nice since the paste is very dense and smooth but the egg has almost a thick pie crust-like texture. I think it's worth a try if you're going to buy them anyway. It's all in the fun of trying new things! See if you can get a mixed pack of with and without duck egg so you can have both?
An interesting factoid, the duck egg in the lotus paste is supposed to resemble the moon in a dark sky! Thought that was cool.
bigfatmouth at 1:19PM on 08/22/09
When it comes to the salted egg yolk, I like getting a piece of the lotus paste wedge that has just a small bit of the egg yolk. We always cut our moon cake into a lot of wedges. Its really heavy. I cant imagine just biting into one (I've seen people do this). It would make me sick. I'm not a fan of the nut ones.
My dad once brought home a box of individual-sized durian flavored ones. They were really gross. I LOVE durian, but durian-flavored things are just not good.
FYI, moon festival on the chinese calendar this year is October 3. Usually, the moonfestival is supposed to line up with the autumn equinox (when the moon would be brightest and fullest). This year, it doesn't line up because of the differences between the lunar calendar and solar calendar. (This year, the chinese calendar has a "leap month". It's all very confusing to me...)
engmcmuffin at 3:13PM on 08/22/09
Yep, start with the lotus paste one, and slice it up in wedges. I always like to have a nice hot cup of green tea with mooncake.
chlamers at 4:37PM on 08/22/09
It's not really a mooncake without the egg yolks...although I'm not a big fan of them either. I tend to stick to the traditional 2 egg-yolk white lotus paste variety.
Got some Wing Wah mooncakes in the post last week. Not sure they're going to remain uneaten until Oct 3rd!
FP
foolishpoolish at 5:16PM on 08/22/09
The proper way to eat a mooncake involves a mid-autumn moon and a lover. During the full moon of the mid-autumn festival, grab your lover and share some mooncake together while enjoying the moonlight in a serene setting and discussing your romantic dreams.
Mooncake is great with a hot cup of oolong tea. It helps with the richness and the sweetness.
mercuryhime at 2:03PM on 08/29/09
Definitely try and find an Asian grocery or better yet Asian bakery to find fresher, reasonable priced mooncakes. Though mooncakes are usually made and packaged to be able to last a long time, fresher ones have a very different taste because of the skin. The filling flavor and texture doesn't change too much over time, but in a fresh mooncake the skin is tender and rich in taste. As the skin ages it gets gummy, and all I taste is overwhelming sweetness.
tinat at 2:49PM on 08/29/09