ZUAN YUAN TOUTS LOW SUGAR MOONCAKES

Melon seeds embedded within the Snow Skin Mooncake with Red Bean Paste with Melon Seed (RM21.50 per piece) from One World Hotel are evocative of the traditional versions I ate as a child. It’s a nice touch as the seeds are noticeably missing in many of this Mid-Autumn Festival treat lately.

 

Another recommended snowskin variant is Durian Lotus Paste (RM23 per piece) – the durian aroma is discernible in the lotus paste; its subtle sweetness a perfect balance to complement the astringency of Chinese tea. Other snow skin, low sugar variants available include White Lotus Paste (RM23), Pandan Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM25) and White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (RM25).

 
This year, One World Hotel Dim Sum Chef Jordan Chin Chee Hong has decided on 12 varieties of mooncakes to offer for the traditional celebration. Available now until 1^st October, Chef Chin said “A good mooncake will not stick to the teeth”. Having travelled to many Asian countries to taste different mooncakes, Chin is adamant Malaysia’s is the best.

 

He also offers a classic Deep Fried Teo Chew Yam Paste with Single Yolk (RM26 per piece), a tricky to make but scrumptious creation for the occasion. The crisp, swirly pastry is airy-light and generously filled with a savoury-sweet yam paste and salted egg yolk.

The mooncakes come in an Oriental themed gift box with a magnetic flap. Maroon with floral and lantern motifs, it holds four boxes of your choice of baked or snow skin mooncakes snugly.

 

As for the baked versions, the mooncakes are low sugar to cater to health-conscious market demand. We can vouch for the White Lotus Paste with Double Yolks (RM26) which taste great despite the reduced sweetness. Other enticing flavours in the selection include White Lotus Paste, Red Bean Paste, Pandan Lotus Paste and Supreme Mixed Nuts.

For further enquiries or orders, please call Zuan Yuan at 603 7681 1159 or email: zuanyuan@oneworldhotel.com.my

I ATE 60 MOONCAKES AND SURVIVED TO TELL THE TALE

There’s always a first time for everything, including sampling close to 60 different mooncakes in one session last week. As one of the external judging panel members invited by The Star along with veteran food writer Marian Eu Hooi Khaw, I had the chance to taste the Mid-Autumn Festival creations submitted by participating hotels and restaurants for The Star Mooncake Awards 2019.

Kudos to Metro Deputy News Editor Esther Chandran (centre) and the Star team who worked hard to co-ordinate and organise the event. The judging room was nicely set-up with participating hotels invited to showcase their own creativity in presenting their Mid-Autumn treats and packaging.

 

Competition between the various entries was stiff. As judges Marian and I had a hard time trying to cram in all that mooncakes so we had to resort to sampling a tiny piece of each; just enough to ascertain the taste and texture for scoring purpose.

We also rinsed our mouths with Chinese tea and water when the going got too cloying. A few of the newer variants caught our imagination whilst others were too over the top in the inventiveness stake.

 

Nice packaging is increasingly the name of the Mid-Autumn Festival gifting game as well. From pretty and practical tiffin carrier to fashionable designer tote, the sky’s no longer the limit for mooncake boxes now.

Red and orange hues seem to dominate possibly because the perceived auspicious symbolism evoked by these colours. Reusable packaging is also increasingly popular.

 

The Star should be lauded for holding this friendly competition as it shows Malaysian hoteliers and restaurateurs continue to raise their mooncake-making and marketing game yearly. It’s also good to know traditional baked variants still have a place in the marketplace without any compromise on quality and taste.

Read the full story in The Star here:

https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/eat-and-drink/2019/08/30/crowning-delights-of-mid-autumnfestival?fbclid=IwAR0eO3bJ0vjbQjvMDpznYMdVWB8BOOSnG2gKZsoSyoTQak4v_toeWEocqFA