Fruity mooncakes from Tai Thong
LIKE the many things in our lives, mooncakes have evolved with the times and now come in a wide range of fillings and crusts.
While many still prefer the traditional versions of the pastry, the newer and more unique versions are finding fans among those with an adventurous tastebud.
This year, Tai Thong Group of Restaurants has opted to give mooncakes lovers something different – four new flavours that come with a fruity taste – on top of its range of traditional mooncakes.
Under the direction of master chef Yiu Wing Keung, the 2015 collection of fruit-flavoured mooncakes offers a healthy combination of dried fruits, nuts and seeds that is full of protein, fibre and healthy fats – which will appeal to the health-conscious as well.
The fillings are also added with fresh fruits to ensure that the mooncakes retain the flavours of the fruit itself.
To create the four combinations, Yiu used a mixture of local and imported fruits such as the blueberry, Chinese gooseberry or better known as kiwifruit, orange, pineapple, and jackfruit for fillings.
The first of the four new flavours is the blueberry lotus with dried fruits and assorted seeds mooncake.
This will definitely be a hit with the young as it reminds us of a very delicious jam tart or blueberry granola bar.
The sweet and ripe blueberries also give the mooncake a very distinctive colour and go well with the crunchy mix of fruits and seeds.
The next flavour is the orange lotus with palm sugar and assorted seeds. It has a very rich caramel note as it uses pure coconut palm sugar, which perfectly complements the zesty citrus flavour of the orangeinfused lotus paste.
Both the orange and blueberry mooncakes come with the traditional baked crust, but for those who prefer the softer snow skin versions, the next two will be your piece of (moon)cake.
The snow skin mango kiwi with assorted dried fruits mooncake is easily the most refreshing of the lot, as the combination of sweet mangoes and tart kiwifruit produces quite a zing, and the assorted dried fruits also give it quite an interesting and chewy texture.
The snow skin pineapple lotus with jackfruit mochi mooncake will definitely delight those who love tropical fruits.
The pineapple lotus paste surrounds a chewy mochi centre filled with creamy jackfruit, and while the combination seems a bit weird at first, it actually makes a really good combination as the mooncake is deliciously tangy and sweet.
The four new flavours are priced at RM18.80 nett per piece and are available at all Tai Thong restaurants, major hypermarkets and shopping mall kiosks until Sept 27.