With Mid-Autumn Festival upon us once again, we take a look at best spots to get the trademark treat for every palate and preference.
The full moon of the eight month in the Chinese calendar is a special one – the Mid-Autumn Festival, bearing age-old harvest tradition and the trademark sweet delights we know as mooncakes.
You’re probably accustomed to the traditional baked variation, but the snow skin mooncake has emerged as a cool, light and versatile alternative. We attended a session with the Tai Zi Heen chef at Pullman KLCC, where we learnt that it takes a little more than quick, nimble fingers to get the perfect mooncake.
The dough is delicately yet swiftly shaped into a ball around the paste, sealing it completely. With a thin Gao Fen (green been flour) skin stretching across your paste of choice, the middle of the mooncake should be thick as it becomes the flattened centre. Then, it is pressed into the mould, turned over and tapped around a little until the mooncake loosens out.
It may take a few tries to get right – after all, years of practice underscore the mooncake variations of professional chefs and pastry experts. For a taste of some of KL’s best seasonal bites, check these out from now till early October.
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Images courtesy of respective brands.