Xiao Xiao - Chapter One

Chapter Four

Chapter Four – The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

 The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival arrived with excitement, colorful lanterns in the shapes of fish and flowers, and delightful mooncakes baked to perfection and filled with delectable lotus paste and the best salted egg yolks.

Xiao Xiao woke up with happy anticipation. Like Mama, the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival was her favorite festival as well. She loved the mooncakes, sliced to perfection, with the glorious golden-orange egg yolks set in the middle of the lotus paste, miniature moons. But before she could get ready for the festival, she had to complete her calligraphy assignment set by her tutor, practised jian and went horse-riding with her fu wang, her father.

She loved spending time with die die, her personal term for him. He was often out of the palace, doing emperor things. Spending time with him was a much cherished gift. Now with Mother busy helping the Empress of the East Palace while she recovered from child birth and looking after Xiao Xin, Xiao Xiao craved interaction with her father more than ever.

They rode over the small hills next to the palace. Xiao Xiao’s horse was a pony, bred from the Mongolian steppes. She nicknamed him “Barrel”, because he was round like one.  Die Die was pleased. He had a new son now and the festival was also another celebration for this blessing.

When Xiao Xiao returned to the palace, she rushed to change into new clothes for the festival. Xiao Xin was being coaxed into changing into new red baby clothes when Xiao Xiao stepped into her chamber. Spring was playing with the baby while gently tying the strings of the top. Xiao Xiao stopped. The baby clothes looked just like the ones in the dream.

She paused and slipped her hand into the pouch she was wearing. The pearl was warm, as if it had just been sitting in the sun for hours.

~*~

While the palace readied itself for the celebrations, fireworks burst in the sky, chrysanthemums and sunburst of different colors. The moon was already rising. It looked like a huge porcelain plate.

Servants lit lanterns. There was music from the palace musicians. With a loud cry of “Thousand blessings, thousand blessings!”, Emperor Qianlong entered the main hall with his entourage of servants, close aides and soldiers. Then the Empress of the West Palace walked in with her serving maids. Attention then was diverted to Xiao Xiao’s mother, the wang fei Ling Fang, who glided in. As custom dictated, she sat further away from her emperor, but their eyes were for each other.

“Welcome to the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Emperor Qianlong said, his voice clear. His words carried across the hall. Xiao Xiao loved his voice. She sat at the lower tiers, Spring and Autumn flanking her. Xiao Xin was being looked after by two other trusted maids. “I am pleased and blessed. I have a new son now and I have a daughter that rose from the mud!” The audience, comprising of court officials from the highest to the lowest, laughed. Xiao Xiao’s mother hid her smile behind her hand. The Empress of the West Palace had bared teeth and unhappy eyes. That one is the unhappiest, Xiao Xiao thought.

For the next hour, Xiao Xiao nibbled on pomelo slices, gorged on mooncakes and drank too much jasmine tea. Her stomach sloshed. She was happy though, admiring the glowing lanterns and enjoying the laughter.

She lifted up her head and stared at the gigantic moon.

A cloud drifted across the bright face of the celestial moon, home of Chang’Er and the Jade Rabbit.

Xiao Xiao swore the cloud looked like the swirling tail of a dragon.

~*~

Mooncake Recipe

Ingredients

•        500 g lotus seed paste

•        100 g sugar

•        3 eggs

•        65 g finely chopped walnuts

•        110 g solid shortening, melted

•        875 g all purpose flour

•        105 g dried milk powder

•        1 lightly beaten small-sized egg yolk

•        1/4 teaspoon baking powder

•        1/4 teaspoon salt

•        20 egg yolks from salted duck eggs

Method

•        add lotus seed paste and chopped walnuts into a large bowl

•        mix evenly and set aside

•        beat eggs with a mixer to obtain a light and lemon colored mixture

•        add sugar and beat for five more minutes or until the mixture falls in a thick ribbon

•        stir in the melted shortening

•        mix lightly when following this recipe for mooncake

•        sift the all purpose flour, baking powder, dried milk powder and salt into a mixing bowl

•        use a spatula to fold in the flour mixture

•        transfer the dough out on a board

•        knead for two minutes until smooth and satiny

•        separate dough into two portions as per the mooncake recipe

•        roll each portion into the shape of a log

•        cut each log into ten even-sized pieces

•        to shape the mooncake, make each piece into the shape of a ball

•        roll out on a board that is lightly floured to make a 10 cm circle with a thickness of 0.3 cm dough

•        put one tablespoon of lotus seed paste in the middle of the round-sized dough

•        also add in one salted egg yolks into the middle of the round-sized dough

•        fold in the sides to wrap in the filling and press the edges to seal

•        put moon cake into the mooncake mould

•        flatten the dough to allow mooncake to fit firmly into the shape of the mooncake mould

•        remove mooncake from the mooncake mould

•        put the lotus seed paste mooncake on ungreased baking sheet

•        brush the top of the mooncake with egg yolk

•        bake the lotus seed paste mooncake in the oven for about twenty five minutes at 380°F or until the lotus seed paste mooncake becomes golden brown in color

•        remove from oven and allow mooncake to cool before serving

•        this lotus seed paste mooncake recipe can make twenty pieces of mooncakes

(Adapted from http://www.101asianrecipes.com/blog/2009/09/mooncake-recipe-lotus-seed-paste-mooncake-recipe/)

Note: The ingredients and mooncakes are available from an Asian or Chinese supermarket – Have fun making mooncakes!

Another Note: Die Die is pronounced as ‘D-air D-air’. It basically means Daddy.