It is interesting how the seemingly random things we encounter in everyday life tend to bring back memories. Last week, while having dinner with my parents, we noticed that mooncakes were already on sale. Mom made a remark about how fast time flies and it seems mooncakes are becoming available earlier and earlier with each passing year.

The story of mooncakes dates back to the 14th century when the Mongols ruled during the Yuan Dynasty. As legend has it, the Han people during that time were resentful of their Mongol rulers and revolutionaries plotted to overthrow the throne. Since group gatherings were banned, another means of communication had to be found to coordinate such an uprising. A brilliant plan was concocted to make and distribute thousands of mooncakes to the Hans. Some stories claim the reason for doing so was to bless the longevity of the Mongol emperor, while other stories tell of rumours of a plague, which could only be adverted by the consumption of special mooncakes.

Whatever the case may be, the bottom line was each mooncakes was inserted with a piece of paper containing the words “revolt on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon”. Incidentally, this date happened to coincide with the mid-autumn festival. Armed with this information, the revolutionaries were able to coordinate and time their attack, resulting in successfully overthrowing the government, cementing this date in Chinese history and earning mooncakes a permanent home during the mid-autumn festival.

In modern times, we no longer find hidden messages in mooncakes. At least I have not found any so far! Mooncakes are now available in a wide variety of fillings, crusts and even styles. Common fillings are lotus paste, red bean paste and five kernels (or nuts). The crust comes in chewy, flaky or tender varieties. In recent years, numerous modern styles of mooncakes have emerged with more adventurous fillings, like chocolate and fruits. However, such innovations have not been restricted to the filling alone, as the crust has also enjoyed similar novelties with snow-skinned (made from glutinous rice), jelly skinned and ice cream crusts being the latest trend.

Mom used to make mooncakes but has since given up the notion of doing so. She says it requires too much effort for a single person to do, but I think it is also because my sister and I used to eat them faster than she could bake them! Of course, I would also attribute it to mom’s perfectionism, which often saw her redoing whole recipes to get things just right. In her quest for culinary perfection, I have helped her on numerous occasions to hide the evidence of the ‘failures’!

If you’re interested in trying your hand at making mooncakes, do try out one of the recipes handed down from my mom, the Single Yolk Lotus Paste Mooncake. But be warned - the process is quite time consuming. And write to us to let us know how you fared!