
(And if you’re looking for some strong tea or fine china to serve with your moon cake, check out our list of AAPI-owned businesses to support. (When they brought home anything with dates or nuts, however, I was completely uninterested.) If you don’t have the good fortune of living near an Asian bakery or grocery store, we’ve chatted with various cool people about their favorite moon cakes that are available to purchase online. I have a personal fondness for the lotus-paste moon cakes containing as many eggs as possible, and when I was growing up, my parents would slip me extra yolk from their own slices. Moon-cake variations are endless, and everyone has their own fiercely held opinion on which styles and flavors are the best. Use a colander to drain the seeds and use your hands to rub off the lotus seed skin. Cover and allow the seeds to soak for another 15 mins. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Add sufficient boiling water (about 2 inches or 2.5 cm above the surface of the seeds) into the treated seeds. Option 1 Cook on the stove: Add the split seeds to a pot and cover with an inch (2.5 cm) of water.

The cakes are often stuffed with salted egg yolks, which symbolize the moon - the more yolks inside the cake, the greater the prosperity. While soaking, boil a large pot of adequate water. As a gesture of auspiciousness, moon cakes are commonly exchanged and enjoyed among friends and family.

Buy lotus seed paste. plus#
In the weeks leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, stocking up on moon cakes - petite, dense pastries packed with sweet or savory fillings - is a tradition synonymous with the festival itself.įalling on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar (which takes place on September 21 this year), the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important Asian holidays, celebrating the bounty of the autumn harvest when the moon is at its brightest and most beautiful. It is possible to buy ready-made lotus seed paste in some Asian grocery stores, but making your own means that it is fresher and with no preservatives added, plus you can control the sweetness of the paste. Walk into any Asian grocery store right now, and you can’t miss it: rows and rows of red-and-gold boxes, bearing labels like lotus seed, red bean, mixed nuts, and egg yolk.
