Moon Cakes

The Moon Festival is the second grandest after the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year.  This year it falls on September 15th which corresponds to the 15th day of the eighth month of the chinese calendar. The moon will be roundest and brightest that night.

I am practising on my moon cakes.  I love these two toned ones. They look like jade ornaments. I put one salted duck yolk inside and wrapped it with red bean paste. Then I wrapped that with some "snow skin" dough and used a special mold to get these beautiful shape and design.  So pretty and yummy.

There are many stories and legends surrounding the origin of the Moon Festival. From figures living in the moon to secret messages in the cake.  Today they are given as gifts to one another and eaten with loved ones (or thoughts of them) while viewing the beauty of the moon. Preferably with a cup of tea :)

Pulut Inti (Glutinous Rice With Sweet Coconut Topping)

Decided to make some snacks today.  I have always wanted to make pulut inti.  Steamed glutinous rice enriched with coconut milk and screwpine leaf.  And topped with grated coconut that has been sweetened with palm sugar.  All wrapped in a piece of banana leaf.  To me everything tastes better on a piece of banana leaf.  This is my first attempt.

The moment of truth.  Well, nothing can be perfect the first time. The rice was too soft and the filling too loose and not sweet enough. Not tooooo bad for a first try. When I have tweaked the recipe I will share it here.

I shared some with my neighbor and she gave me fruits from her garden. Fair exchange. Barter trading lolll....it is great to have a neighbor with a huge garden of fruit trees!

This is one of her many dogs. Super adventurous. She burrows holes in her fence and squeezes her way into my garden through any small gap she can find. She climbs over four feet high fences. She dunks herself in muddy ditches and roams far and wide. She makes me go round and round my house with a stick. She is not named Naughty for nothing. Stop trespassing, ok?  Go home.