August 22, 2010

Mid Autumn

In about a month’s time, it’ll be the Mid Autumn Festival. I still remember how it is back at home. Mom will be preparing dinner and dad’s friends would send box and boxes of moon cakes. After dinner, my siblings, cousins and me would so look forward to go around parading with lanterns and lighting up candles.

My parents would set up the tables and lazy chairs at the porch with trays of fruits (Pomelo is a must!), Chinese tea, peanuts, and of course moon cakes. Friends and neighbours would join us and chatting and laughing away with the charming tea scent filling the air. Mom says, it’s Mid Autumn, everyone has to get together and gaze at the beautiful moon. And so we gaze.

IMG_72621

An over the years, mid autumn festival has evolved into a multimillion business (there’s my favourite HK TVB drama too), reminding people about family ties, reunion and getting together chomping down moon cakes. And with the ever demanding consumerism, moon cakes are taking a bolder step forward.

I was at Golden Phoenix Restaurant, of Equatorial Hotel recently for their moon cake contemporary flavours launch. While maintaining the regular moon cake range, Equatorial also include a 6 new range of modern day flavours. There have the German Black Forest, Pumpkin Taro, Charcoal Baked Yam, Bamboo Hazelnut, Espresso Chestnut and Red Yeast Sweet Potato. Besides the new contemporary moon cakes, there is also the limited (only 20 boxes per day) puff pastry Gold Ingots for ordering. The bite size ingots makes lovely door gifts too.

IMG_72291

German Black Forest

11

Clockwise from top: Red Yeast Sweet Potato, Charcoal Baked Yam, Bamboo Hazelnut & Espresso Chestnut

 

IMG_72171

Pumpkin Taro

More often, people avoid having moon cake for it is to sweet. My take, if it is not sweet, it is not a moon cake. The German Black Forest in an immediate favourite. But the rest fares well too, with it’s innovative stint, pop it in your mouth and guess what you could taste. And to complete the gift festive, the packaging boxes are also crucial. Here, the bright oriental boxes comes with a set special edition of fork and knife. There’s a Chinese saying, gifts should look presentable and generous.

IMG_72421

IMG_72451

Now after a good chunk of moon cake, it is good to wash it down with a nice cup hot of jasmine tea.

7 comments:

JN said...

i prefer strong black pu-er than any other tea, immediate wash off the scent of the moon cake than i'm ready for another flavor. happy moon cake fest honey.

Nate @ House of Annie said...

I prefer jasmine tea as well, but some of those new filling flavors call for something stronger.

By the way, House of Annie has moved to its own domain, http://www.houseofannie.com. I'd appreciate it if you changed the link in your blogroll to point to the new site instead of the old ChezAnnies on BlogSpot. Thanks!

J said...

Wahhhh. That Black forest flavour looks really decadent! :)
*drool*

Chaokar said...

justin: pu-er a bit 'kao' for me. But that goes well with bakuteh.

nate @ haus of annie: oh, will update the link.

J: yeah, it's like eating a flourless choc cake actually.

Ciki said...

burp!

qwazymonkey said...

Tea's always the best to go with these moonies. I love em jasmine too

Chaokar said...

ciki: slurp.

jon: tea is good with bukuteh this friday too.