HAMLET Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in the shape of a camel?
POLONIUS By th’Mass and ’tis, like a camel indeed.
HAMLET Methinks it is a weasel.
POLONIUS It is backed like a weasel.
HAMLET Or a whale.
POLONIUS Very like a whale.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. 3.3.367-73
I have a new word for you. Pareidolia: the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist, or in the words of scholar Emily James, “the impulse to extract meaning from the seemingly random–from clustering illusions to mondegreens* and constellations.”
(*A mondegreen, in case you were wondering, is a misinterpretation of a word or phrase we hear, often in a song or poem. An example from my own childhood would be the song “Orinoco Flow” by Enya. The chorus repeats the phrase “sail away,” but to my young francophone ears, it sounded like they were singing “c’est Noël” (it’s Christmas). The “c’est Noël” contagion quickly spread to the rest of the family and the song became a Christmas classic.)
She goes on to explain:
Marrying the Greek roots para- (beside, alongside–but, in this case, faulty or wrong) and eidolon (image, form, shape, representation), the term’s etymology itself suggests a haunted mirror image. In fact, the term eidolon is historically intermingled with spectral narratives. Pareidolic tendencies are sometimes hierophantic, such as the Man in the Moon or urban legends about a prophet likeness arising from a toaster. If it seems that our yearnings for meaning-making favor the lunar and stellar, this is perhaps because the world above is as foreign as it is familiar.
Indeed, Perhaps the most ubiquitous example of our pareidolic tendencies, after spotting (or pretending to spot) shapes in the clouds, à la Hamlet, are the cultural characterizations of the face of the moon. Is it the man who was found gathering firewood on a Sunday (Germany)? Is it the famished woman who asked the moon to give her fruit (Samoa)? A pair of children bearing a pail of water (Sweden)? A frog (parts of Africa and Asia)?
What do you see when you look at the moon? Given my culinary predilections, it may not come as a surprise that I’ve always been fond of the idea that the moon is just a big wheel of cheese, tempting us from that shelf that we’ll never reach, no matter how grown up we consider ourselves to be.
It seems I’m not the only one who gazed at the moon primed by an empty stomach. When the Japanese and Koreans look at the moon, they see a rabbit pounding rice cakes — mochi (餅) and tteok (떡), respectively. This imagery is accompanied by folktales that have their origins in Buddhist ideology, featuring virtuous rabbits being sent to the moon. China, the country that brought Buddhism to Japan and Korea, also has its moon rabbit myth. In this story, it is Chang’e, wife of the hero Houyi, who, after accidentally drinking a potion of immortality that was meant to be dosed between her and her husband, is banished to the moon, to spend her days with only a white rabbit as a companion.
Strangely, halfway around the world, in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, we also find stories and imagery of a rabbit in the moon. Coincidence? Or not? I did, after all, find a paper written in 1984 in the journal Archaeoastronomy titled “The Mesoamerican Rabbit in the Moon: An Influence from Han China?”. It seems like a bit of a stretch to me, but I did not have access to the contents of the article, so it will remain, for the time being, a whimsical thought to entertain once in a blue moon… while staring at the moon.
Why am I thinking so much about moongazing? Well, last Friday, while some people may have been expecting a bad day upon glancing at their calendars (something to do with the number that comes between 12 and 14), across the Pacific, many were celebrating the day as a much much more auspicious one. This year, the thirteenth day of the ninth month of the Gregorian calendar coincided with the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, celebrated in many Asian countries as the harvest moon, and in China specifically, as the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) is the second most important holiday in China, after the Spring Festival (the Chinese New Year), and its hallmark custom is the sharing of mooncakes. As Liu Junru explains in Chinese Foods (2011):
Like eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival, or having tangyuan on the Lantern Festival, having moon cakes at Mid-autumn is a global Chinese tradition. Because of its round shape like that of the moon, the moon cake symbolizes union. Every Mid-autumn, when the bright round moon is hanging above, and all homes are united, people enjoy moon cakes while observing the moon and enjoying life.
Eating cake and gazing at the moon? That doesn’t sound so bad…
I’ve long admired these round pastries, with their shiny, golden skin and intricate designs. This year, I thought I would try to create my own. I wanted to follow a traditional recipe as closely as possible, but at the same time, stay within the bounds of my dietary choices, namely to avoid gluten and refined sugar. I substituted honey for sugar in the filling, and for inverted sugar (golden syrup) in the dough (honey is close in composition to golden syrup and contains some naturally occurring inverted sugars). I used cassava flour instead of cake flour. Mooncakes vary a lot in their ingredients and fillings, and this recipe is in the Cantonese style, with a filling of salted duck egg yolk surround by sweet black sesame paste. It is quite a treat!
On the night of the harvest full moon, the sky was thick with clouds here in Victoria, so I found myself thinking about gazing at the moon, deprived as I was of gazing directly at my beloved wheel of harvest cheese. Luckily, I had delicious mooncakes to nibble on instead.
Happy moongazing!
A Note About Water
When choosing a water source for pickling the duck eggs, you want to be conscious of contamination, but also of how the water may have been treated to remove those contaminants. Tap water is often treated with chlorine, chloramines (a combination of chlorine and ammonia) or fluoride, all of which can impair the quality of your ferments and should be removed before use. Check with your municipal water source to find out how your water is treated. Certain filtration systems will remove these compounds (more information here). The easiest method for removing chlorine is to boil your water for 15 minutes. As for chloramines, adding a pinch of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) powder to the water does the trick.
Salted duck eggs, on the first day of fermentation. The water is pink because I used Himalayan salt to make the brine.
A Note about Materials
Mooncake molds. Traditionally, the Chinese would use molds carved into wood, but nowadays, plastic molds are far more common. They’re easy to use, and come with various insertable discs, each with a different pattern. This is the set I purchased, but there were many other options to choose from. You may also be able to find traditional wooden molds. They would be a little harder to use, but are much more beautiful, and would lend an air of authenticity to your endeavour!
You will also need:
- A pastry brush (I used a silicone one)
- A spray bottle
- A half-gallon mason jar
- A scale
- Parchment paper
A Note About Timing
If you intend, as I did, to make your own salted duck eggs, you need to allow at least 30 days for them to pickle before starting the mooncake recipe. The alternative, of course, is to buy them from an Asian grocery.
A Note About the Ingredients and Methods
If you would like to learn more about making mooncakes, I highly recommend you head over to Maggie’s detailed post on the subject, on her website, Omnivore’s Cookbook. Her instructions formed the basis for my gluten-free, refined-sugar free version. Ok! Let’s get started.
Joëlle
Yields 12 salted duck eggs
Salted duck eggs are a Chinese delicacy, often served with congee. The yolks, which become hard and waxy during brining, are delicious as a garnish on a variety of dishes. They are also found in a number of Chinese pastries, most notably, in the mooncakes enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
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Ingredients
- 12 fresh duck eggs
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup salt
Instructions
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat, add salt, and mix until fully dissolved. Let the water cool down to room temperature.
- When the water is cool, wash eggs and place them one by one in a half-gallon glass jar. Pour in the brine until the eggs are submerged. Cover with a lid and leave in a cool, dry place for 30 days.
- Store salted duck eggs in the fridge for up to a few months if you don't consume them right away.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Joëlle
Yields 10 mini mooncakes
Traditional Mooncakes (传统广式月饼)Traditional Cantonese-style mooncakes, to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, with a filling of black sesame paste and salted duck egg yolk surrounded by a thin layer of tender dough. Modified to be gluten-free and refined sugar-free.
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Ingredients
For the kansui (alkaline water)- A few tablespoons of baking soda
- 4 tsp water
For the Black Sesame Paste- 140g black sesame seeds
- 55g unsalted butter or lard
- 45g honey
- 40g glutinous rice flour
- 1 tbsp shio koji (or1 tsp salt)
For the Mooncake Dough- 56 g honey
- 1/2 tsp kansui
- 20g avocado oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 100g cassava flour plus extra for dusting
For the Egg wash- 1 large egg yolk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the baking soda onto the paper.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool. Transfer the baked powder to an airtight jar. Avoid touching it with your hands as it could irritate sensitive skin.
- To make alkaline water, mix together 1 teaspoon of the powder with 4 teaspoons of water.
- Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant and starting to smoke. Transfer immediately to a bowl or plate to cool down.
- Grind sesame seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder until finely ground . The sesame seeds will start to release oil and stick to the sides of the food processor.
- Melt butter or lard in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add ground sesame seeds and mix to combine.
- Remove from heat and stir in honey, shio koji or salt.
- Transfer the mixture to a container and let cool to room temperature.
- While it is cooling, crack open five salted duck eggs and separate the whites from the yolks (this should be easy to do, as the salted yolks will have hardened into a sticky ball). Cut each yolk in half. Discard the whites.
- Once cool, fold in glutinous rice flour until well combined. The mixture should form a dough that holds together. Add a bit more rice flour if the dough is still too runny.
- Divide the sesame paste into 10 parts, about 1.5 tablespoons (20 to 30 grams) each, and roll each portion into a ball.
- Take a sesame paste ball and flatten it against your palm. Place a salted egg yolk half into the middle and carefully wrap the sesame paste around the yolk to seal it in.
- Carefully roll the dough between your hands to make it nice and round once more and place it on a plate. Repeat the process with the other nine balls. Place the plate in the fridge to cool while you prepare the mooncake dough.
- To make the dough, add honey and kansui to a large bowl. Mix with a spatula until well combined. Add avocado oil and mix again until as evenly blended as possible.
- Sift cassava flour into the bowl. Gently fold the mixture, using your spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl, until well combined. Avoid stirring the mixture, as this could toughen the dough. The dough should be soft, slightly sticky but easy to handle. If the dough is too soft or sticky, gently knead in a bit more flour.
- Knead the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered, for about an hour, taking it out midway to knead it gently a few more times.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and get your mooncake mold ready (if you are using a plastic mold, choose a patterned disc and slide it into the mold pattern-side down. It should click into place).
- Break off a portion of dough from the main ball of dough. You want to use only about 2 teaspoons of dough per mooncake, but I like to start off with a little more, and cut off the bits that I don't need further along in the process.
- Press the dough between two pieces of parchment, then use a rolling pin to flatten it into a very thin disc.
- Remove the top layer of parchment paper and carefully separate the disc of dough from the bottom piece of parchment paper.
- With the disc spread onto one palm, use the other hand to place a ball of sesame paste into the middle.
- Carefully wrap the dough around the sesame paste to seal it in, removing any extra dough. Roll the dough between your hands to make it nice and round once more.
- Dust your fingers and the dough with cassava flour. Roll the dough in your hands to make sure that it is evenly coated with flour.
- Carefully insert the dough into the mold. I found it helpful to gently wiggle it as I was pressing it down. When the dough is in place, press the handle firmly with the base of the mold against your other palm, to make sure the pattern gets well imprinted onto the top of the mooncake, then set the mold onto your baking sheet and press the handle again to release the mooncake. The patterned disc should come out at the same time. Gently remove the disc from the top of the mooncake, without squishing the dough.
- Repeat the process for the other 9 mooncakes.
- Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
- Spray a thin layer of water onto the mooncakes before you slip them into the oven, to prevent the dough from cracking.
- Bake on the middle rack for about 8 minutes, or until the dough toughens and the edges of the mooncakes start to turn golden.
- While the mooncakes are cooking, beat together one egg yolk and a pinch of salt into a small bowl.
- Remove the mooncakes from the oven. Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of egg wash on the surface of the mooncakes. Only cover the top surface of the cake, and try not to let the egg wash pool into the creases of the pattern, or else the image will become less distinct as the egg wash cooks.
- Put the baking sheet back into the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until the egg wash turns golden brown.
- Let the mooncakes cool on the sheet before transferring them to a plate or container, to avoid crushing them. Once cool, store the mooncakes in an airtight container in a cool dry place. They can be served after 24 hours, but they will taste even better after 3 days.
- If you don't plan on consuming them within that timespan, store the container in the fridge, for up to 3 weeks.
Calories
2020 cal
Fat
135 g
Carbs
175 g
Protein
37 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info
7.8.1.281https://www.joellegaudet.com/2019/09/16/traditional-mooncakes/
Joëlle
Yields 10 mini mooncakes
Traditional Cantonese-style mooncakes, to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, with a filling of black sesame paste and salted duck egg yolk surrounded by a thin layer of tender dough. Modified to be gluten-free and refined sugar-free.
Save RecipeIngredients
- A few tablespoons of baking soda
- 4 tsp water
- 140g black sesame seeds
- 55g unsalted butter or lard
- 45g honey
- 40g glutinous rice flour
- 1 tbsp shio koji (or1 tsp salt)
- 56 g honey
- 1/2 tsp kansui
- 20g avocado oil
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 100g cassava flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 large egg yolk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the baking soda onto the paper.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the sheet from the oven and let cool. Transfer the baked powder to an airtight jar. Avoid touching it with your hands as it could irritate sensitive skin.
- To make alkaline water, mix together 1 teaspoon of the powder with 4 teaspoons of water.
- Toast sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant and starting to smoke. Transfer immediately to a bowl or plate to cool down.
- Grind sesame seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder until finely ground . The sesame seeds will start to release oil and stick to the sides of the food processor.
- Melt butter or lard in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add ground sesame seeds and mix to combine.
- Remove from heat and stir in honey, shio koji or salt.
- Transfer the mixture to a container and let cool to room temperature.
- While it is cooling, crack open five salted duck eggs and separate the whites from the yolks (this should be easy to do, as the salted yolks will have hardened into a sticky ball). Cut each yolk in half. Discard the whites.
- Once cool, fold in glutinous rice flour until well combined. The mixture should form a dough that holds together. Add a bit more rice flour if the dough is still too runny.
- Divide the sesame paste into 10 parts, about 1.5 tablespoons (20 to 30 grams) each, and roll each portion into a ball.
- Take a sesame paste ball and flatten it against your palm. Place a salted egg yolk half into the middle and carefully wrap the sesame paste around the yolk to seal it in.
- Carefully roll the dough between your hands to make it nice and round once more and place it on a plate. Repeat the process with the other nine balls. Place the plate in the fridge to cool while you prepare the mooncake dough.
- To make the dough, add honey and kansui to a large bowl. Mix with a spatula until well combined. Add avocado oil and mix again until as evenly blended as possible.
- Sift cassava flour into the bowl. Gently fold the mixture, using your spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of bowl, until well combined. Avoid stirring the mixture, as this could toughen the dough. The dough should be soft, slightly sticky but easy to handle. If the dough is too soft or sticky, gently knead in a bit more flour.
- Knead the dough into a ball and let it rest, covered, for about an hour, taking it out midway to knead it gently a few more times.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and get your mooncake mold ready (if you are using a plastic mold, choose a patterned disc and slide it into the mold pattern-side down. It should click into place).
- Break off a portion of dough from the main ball of dough. You want to use only about 2 teaspoons of dough per mooncake, but I like to start off with a little more, and cut off the bits that I don't need further along in the process.
- Press the dough between two pieces of parchment, then use a rolling pin to flatten it into a very thin disc.
- Remove the top layer of parchment paper and carefully separate the disc of dough from the bottom piece of parchment paper.
- With the disc spread onto one palm, use the other hand to place a ball of sesame paste into the middle.
- Carefully wrap the dough around the sesame paste to seal it in, removing any extra dough. Roll the dough between your hands to make it nice and round once more.
- Dust your fingers and the dough with cassava flour. Roll the dough in your hands to make sure that it is evenly coated with flour.
- Carefully insert the dough into the mold. I found it helpful to gently wiggle it as I was pressing it down. When the dough is in place, press the handle firmly with the base of the mold against your other palm, to make sure the pattern gets well imprinted onto the top of the mooncake, then set the mold onto your baking sheet and press the handle again to release the mooncake. The patterned disc should come out at the same time. Gently remove the disc from the top of the mooncake, without squishing the dough.
- Repeat the process for the other 9 mooncakes.
- Place the baking sheet in the fridge for 10 to 20 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C).
- Spray a thin layer of water onto the mooncakes before you slip them into the oven, to prevent the dough from cracking.
- Bake on the middle rack for about 8 minutes, or until the dough toughens and the edges of the mooncakes start to turn golden.
- While the mooncakes are cooking, beat together one egg yolk and a pinch of salt into a small bowl.
- Remove the mooncakes from the oven. Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of egg wash on the surface of the mooncakes. Only cover the top surface of the cake, and try not to let the egg wash pool into the creases of the pattern, or else the image will become less distinct as the egg wash cooks.
- Put the baking sheet back into the oven and bake for another 8-10 minutes, or until the egg wash turns golden brown.
- Let the mooncakes cool on the sheet before transferring them to a plate or container, to avoid crushing them. Once cool, store the mooncakes in an airtight container in a cool dry place. They can be served after 24 hours, but they will taste even better after 3 days.
- If you don't plan on consuming them within that timespan, store the container in the fridge, for up to 3 weeks.
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
Guidance and Inspiration
Omnivore’s Cookbook — The Ultimate Guide to Traditional Mooncake / Kansui
❤ Thank you Maggie!
Resources
James, E. (2017). The Modernist Inkblot. Twentieth-Century Literature, 63(3), 299–328. doi: 10.1215/0041462x-4219936
Liu, J. (2011). Chinese food. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Shakespeare, W. (2002). Hamlet. Hauppauge, NY: Barrons.
