If you walked into an Asian supermarket near the end of September, chances are you would have seen boxes upon boxes of mooncake. This Mid-Autumn Festival delicacy pops up around the same time every year to celebrate the wonderful harvest. This year, the Festival was October 4th. Even though it has passed, you can still enjoy mooncake whenever you want.
Each metal box contains about four pieces, each individually wrapped. The wrapping of this Oversea's "Golden Starlight" mooncake itself has a beautiful illustration of flowers. The mooncake is centered in the circle printed on the wrapper. Inside, there is a silica packet to keep the sweet fresh.
Once out of the plastic wrap, the exterior of the mooncake is simply breathtaking. The thin crust's intricate details and its golden sheen just makes your mouth water. It is very buttery just on its own and its firmness complements the other parts of the dessert. Different mooncake brands have words imprinted onto the crust's center. This one has the characters for "jade", which is an important symbol of beauty in Chinese culture, and "ring" or "loop", which is a symbol of completeness and unity, on it.
Inside, there is a thick paste that fills the crust. This particular one has a layer infused with the pandan leaf, which is commonly used in Southeast Asian desserts and is what gives that portion a green color, and a layer of green bean paste. The layer of bean paste actually has some lotus seeds dispersed throughout, adding extra crunch to each bite. The more traditional pastes are made from red beans or lotus seed. Generally, this is the sweetest, most flavorful part of the mooncake and has the same consistency of a fudgy brownie
In the center of it all is a bright orange dried duck egg yolk. The combination of the slightly salty yolk and the sweet paste works together to heighten the flavors. This dried yolk has a firm exterior but inside it is very powdery, contrasting with the dense paste around it. If having one yolk isn't enough, you can have up to four yolks in one mooncake. Likewise, if you would prefer not to have any, you can buy a box filled with just paste.
Families buy boxes of these delicious desserts and send them as gifts to people they know. The mooncake is best enjoyed with others. So go out, bring some friends, and grab a mooncake while you can!