I wanted my kids to celebrate the Chinese Mid Autumn Festival just like how I did when I was young. My mom would prepare food like steamed baby yam (taro), water caltrope (Leng Kok, Scientific name, Trapa Bicornis) and sweet potatoes. There was once, I asked my mom, why people don’t pray to the full moon anymore. Without missing a beat, she told me that man already landed on the moon, now we are in the modern era, so we need to change how we think. How true, ha ha. Today, I prepared the same type of food so that my kids will have a feel of how the festival is actually celebrated. After a steamboat dinner, I let them play lantern outside the house with the neighbors kids.
Mooncakes, yam, water caltrope, pu err tea..........One cute little piggy mooncake. It is nice to slowly savour the taste of moon cakes and pu err tea at the same time. 
These are not monsters from outer space! These funny things resembling black buffalo horns are actually water caltrope, a type of water chestnut. I steamed them for half and hour. The picture on the right is how the flesh inside looks like. Taste a bit like coconut but the texture is soft and powdery.
Some of the lanterns at my house........................My wife made this one.
Mooncakes, yam, water caltrope, pu err tea..........One cute little piggy mooncake. It is nice to slowly savour the taste of moon cakes and pu err tea at the same time. 
These are not monsters from outer space! These funny things resembling black buffalo horns are actually water caltrope, a type of water chestnut. I steamed them for half and hour. The picture on the right is how the flesh inside looks like. Taste a bit like coconut but the texture is soft and powdery.
Some of the lanterns at my house........................My wife made this one.
Hmm... I missed lantern festival. haven't been celebrating it since I left primary school. :-(
ReplyDeleteI used to go to grandma's house and celebrate with my cousins, but these days...none of us in my family really care about it anymore. :-(
I just feel like being knocked in the head for not celebrating tis anymore. I guess...I grew up and forget that midautumn festival is not just about playing with flashy and fancy lanterns. It's all about family gathering too. :-(
I dunno how to eat Leng Kok. It's so hard.
ReplyDeletePete formation, I am back here. How are you? I noticed you have no Chatbox here hehe. Anyways, happy mid-autumn festival. My chinese friend gave me a mooncake with salt egg in the middle... IT is so tasty it made me wanna crave for more.
ReplyDeleteYo! Pass the habit of writing comments! See yah!
Baby : It will be easier to break it with a nut cracker.
ReplyDeleteCleff : Agree, family gathering is actually the main focus of this festival.
Chris : Ha ha, break it with a nut cracker and then dig out he flesh with a fork. Yummy.
Bridge : Good to have you back here again. I ate a cappucino oreo mooncake, real nice. I subcribed to your blog from my google reader.
the black buffalo horn thingy, i never had the chance to try...
ReplyDeleteit seems pretty new to my family, i mean i asked my mom what was that once but she said she doesn't know bet she doesn't even know how to fix it to edible horns..-___-
mooncakes are sweet..is that piggy cake sweet
Hi Rose, The Leng Kok just need to be steamed plain for half and hour. Don't have to add anything.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter don't want to let me eat the piggy mooncake, she sayang it lorrr! LOL
I love baby yam!
ReplyDeleteyah... good on you, traditional culture shd maintain. i love the lantern your wife made, very old school.
ReplyDelete