When I went to get my mooncake ingredients at Kwong Cheong Thye 2 weekends ago, I was suprised to see the little alley way along Geylang Lorong 27 jammed with vehicles and the shop house corridor blocked by a long queue leading to a traditional Teochew pastry shop. The shop, Thye Moh Chan Cake House has been selling traditional Teochew pastry and mooncake for almost 70 years and they have decided to close down the business as no one in the family was interested to inherit and continue with this traditional craft.
I have never eaten any pastry from Thye Moh Chan so I have little attachment to the shop. Nevertheless, it was still sad to see something so steep in heritage die in our fast paced, modern world. I had mentioned before how I hope our younger generation will not grow up only knowing how to make muffins, macarons and cupcakes. With pretty images of these western treats galore on the internet, everyone dreams of creating treats ala Pierre Herme, Adriano Zumbo.... However,I believe the internet can still cast its influences in many ways. Take for example, I would never ever have dreamt of making my own mooncake last year, if not for this little space which I call my food blog. Just like what I had mentioned in my last Durian Snowskin Mooncake post, baking these pastries is not as difficult as what it seems. True, we don't take the trouble to cook the lotus paste from scratch nowadays but if that is the little compromise we choose to make to connect with our heritage, it is, in my opinion, a harmless little indulgence.
So I promise you that you will continue to see my mooncake features for the many many Mid Autumn Festivals (mooncake festival) to come. Happy Mid Autumn Festival to all Asians who will be celebrating this day of reunion.
I am submitting this entry to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baker.
Recipe :
Dough (from Kowng Cheong Thye)
300g Hong Kong Flour
180g Golden syrup
60g Peanut Oil
1 tbs Alkaline Water
For rest of ingredients and method, please refer here.
very nice! Thumb up! Happy mid autumn festival to u n ur family.
ReplyDelete你的摄影真的是一流的，太美了！
ReplyDelete祝你和家人中秋节快乐！
Nice one! I love the traditional one also. Happy Mid Autumn Festival to you and your family!
ReplyDeletefantastic!! I did not have time to make them this year! yours look perfect
ReplyDeleteThese are just gorgeous, Shirley! I wanted to try making my own mooncakes this year but was overwhelmed with gifted boxes of mooncakes I couldn't bear the thought of eating, what more making, more. I definitely have to give them a shot next year!
ReplyDeleteHappy mid autumn festival to you, Shirley!
中秋节快乐！
ReplyDeleteBeautifully done! Very even color and I too love plain mooncakes rather than those with yolks. Happy Mid Autumn Festival to you too:)
ReplyDeleteHappy mid autumn festival to you too!! Memories of the lovely mooncakes. I think that looks fabulous and whoever eats it will savour it for sure.
ReplyDeleteI felt so sad now after reading your post. I was just there on Sat to get my last round of mooncake supplies, and of course I witnessed an unbelieveable queue. No wonder, all are going for their last fix of traditional teochew moonies. A real pity.
ReplyDeleteI saw the long queue too. Today will be their last day of business. Feel sad too.
ReplyDeleteYour mooncakes look perfect! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you and your family!
Happy Mid Autumn Festival to you Shirley. You do everything to perfection! This is the only moon cake that I am crazy about, the traditional one. Yours look so professional done. Your photos? aah! lovely composition as always!
ReplyDeletepretty mooncakes! 祝你中秋节快乐!
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe these are homemade - you are so talented, and must have extreme patience!
ReplyDeleteShirley, your moon cake looks great! Can I ask where did you get the single tin box?
ReplyDeleteYour mooncakes are always so perfect Shirley. :) Happy mid Autumn Festival!
ReplyDeleteShirley, your baked mooncakes look gorgeous and thanks for recommending KTC. I was there a couple of weeks ago and there was a very long queque at the Teochew pastry shop. Surprisingly when I was at KTC in mid Aug, there was no one at all. But once the news came out of it's closing, everyone was flocking to that place. Makes me think if such news could turn a business around!
ReplyDeleteThe moon cakes look fabulous. I was lucky to taste a few of them at work today when a kind colleague got some for all of us. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you!
ReplyDeletelook so pretty! what a wonderful mooncakes :)
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: Hi, I bought a few mini mooncakes for a charity drive in Hong Kong... and they came in those boxes..:)
ReplyDeleteHi Shirley, your baking, styling and photographing skills are getting better each day. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI like the ones with york. and I love your skin. So nice and thin.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the title of this post, I was excited. Even though mooncakes are not something I've grown up with (British-Australian), they are nevertheless something I'm now very familiar with living here in Brisbane. I was keen to learn more about the tradition of the mooncake in your post. I then read about the story of the store closing, and reminded me of a Nordic bakery closing here in Brisbane after 40 years with no one picking up and carrying on the tradition. My fear was the same as yours. That the more popular, 'western' baked goods are winning over tradition. It's a shame. But at least bloggers can keep that tradition alive, no?
ReplyDeleteI read that very same article with a sinking sort of feeling - it is really sad that a little part of our heritage is dying and that the younger generations simply do not see the uniqueness of our mixed heritage. I for one am guilty of baking muffins and cupcakes and other western confectioneries instead of learning the traditional kuehs from my mom and grandma. But thanks to my blog, i'm experimenting and embracing our unique kuehs and such once more :D
ReplyDelete