Mooncake for beginners

And a must-try roster of mooncakes in Manila

By Poch Eulalia

The Teochew-style Mooncakes come as a surprise with their crispy surface. Imagine biting into a crisp pastry before having the burst of egg yolks wrapped in soft taro paste or fragrant ube paste fill your chops.

Once I was having lunch with a dear friend when she pulled out a peculiar treat that caught my eye. What was this delight whose aroma had invaded my senses? My friend, having noticed the curiosity in my eyes, offered me a piece.

As I took a bite, I felt a burst of flavors in my mouth. I didn’t expect something with such a flaky exterior to be filled with chewy goodness. That was my first taste of the mooncake.

I proceeded to ask about the delicious fare, which she explained was a special type of Chinese delicacy often prepared for the Mid-Autumn Festival, an annual carnival that takes place on the eighth month of the lunar calendar, where families would gather to celebrate and recall the legend of Hou Yi and Chang’e.

According to the legend, Hou Yi is the reason we only have one sun. The mortal, Hou Yi, shot down nine other suns to help make planting easier in ancient times. He would later meet with Wangmu, the queen of heaven, who offered him an elixir that would let him become a god.

Not wanting to leave his wife Chang’e alone, Hou Yi decided to leave the potion with her for safekeeping. Unfortunately, an apprentice of his found out and tried to steal the tonic from his wife. She ended up drinking the entire elixir, which sent her flying to the moon, said to be the closest place to heaven from earth.

Upon learning of her fate, Hou Yi called out to the night sky until he saw a figure resembling his wife on the moon. He took this as a sign and decided to start offering the favorite food of Chang’e as a sacrifice. People began to follow suit, offering the pastry to the Chinese goddess of the Moon, as they prayed for peace and good luck.

Since learning the story behind the mooncake, I’ve had quite a fondness for them, always keeping an eye out for new takes on the baked goodie.

One intriguing spin on mooncakes now is Solaire’s special sets that consist of 11 different flavors.

Front and foremost are the traditional baked mooncakes that come in four variations, from the velvety red bean paste with pistachio nuts to silken white lotus paste with almonds. Those who want something richer should consider the double egg yolks enveloped in red bean paste with pumpkin seeds as well as the double egg yolks with white lotus paste.

The Snow Skin Mooncakes, meanwhile provides a playful twist. Five sumptuous flavors are presented in the form of a lollipop, including mango, papaya, strawberry, blueberry, and dragon fruit.

Finally, the Teochew-style Mooncakes come as a surprise with their crispy surface. Imagine biting into a crisp pastry before having the burst of egg yolks wrapped in soft taro paste or fragrant ube paste fill your chops.

Solaire’s homemade mooncakes are available until Sept. 10 at Red Lantern, House of Zhou, Fresh, The Patisserie, and Food Court. Traditional Baked and Teochew-style Mooncakes come in boxes of two, four, and eight. mooncakefestival@solaireresort.com | www.solaireresort.com/mooncakefestival | 8888-8888