THE STORY WHICH MY MOTHER TOLD ME

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone(19/9/2013).  

I remember my mother telling us the story/legend behind the celebration of this festival and so now I am telling just to put on record for the future generation. 

According to the Chinese mythology, the festival and its offerings are made to Chang'e aka The Moon Goddess.  

In the past there was a hunter named Hou Yi who was a sharp shooter and Sheong Ngor is his wife.  One year ten suns suddenly appeared in the sky.  This caused a lot of hardship to the people- there were no harvest and no water and people were dying.  So Hou Yi went to shoot down the nine Suns.   For his bravery, he was made Emperor.   But soon he became ruthless and tyrannical. He was scared of dying and ordered his advisers to produce a elixir for him so that he can become  immortal. These advisers in order to please the Emperor told him to kill and boil the blood of all the young children to make the elixir.  His wife was saddened by the evil doings of the Emperor and stole his elixir so that he would not harmed the people any more.  When the Emperor found out, he demanded  Sheong Ngor to return it to him.  She swallowed the elixir instead and he was so angry that he try to shoot her.  But she was slowly ascending towards the heaven due to the effect of the elixir.   She then took up residence in the moon and hence become a diety.  The people were grateful to her and made offerings and  worshipped to her on the15th day of the 8th lunar moon.

Already there are many posts/blogs on making mooncakes - snow-skinned mooncakes tinged with the colour of Bunga Telang, wholesome mixed nuts traditional mooncake (my favourite and yet I have not make one personally!) to exotic durian and champagne mooncakes!

I did my humble Shanghai Mooncakes instead.   

Roasting melon seeds 

Prepared Salted Egg Yolks

I used store bought White Lotus Paste-less sweet.

At the end of it all, I forgot to take a photo of my Shanghai Mooncakes! 

I also made these Yam Mooncakes with my homecooked yam paste in flaky pastry. Recipe adapted from The Nasi Lemak Lover.

creamy yam filling

Love the swirls of the pastry and of course the yam filling.  

I had made 2 lots of the yam filling. However, one of the lot was too soft and moist so I forego the yam and used the extra pastry to make these Red Bean Paste Mooncake

 I also made some Green Tea Paste Mooncakes.

Green Tea Paste with Red Bean Paste filling Mooncake.

Our family had gathered to celebrate the festival last weekend and it was a great day of gathering and thanksgiving and food of course.

Musical lanterns 

The BIG mixed nuts mooncake from Guangzhou, China.

Thanks to cousin Lai Ying and family.

Yan Yuet Leong Tin Yuen - gathering of family and friends and the Moon in perfect harmony.

Enjoy the day.