Inspired by supermoons

Lam with Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s Supermoon series in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival. — Photos: SS KANESAN/The Star

A GLISTENING “supermoon” is a spellbinding sight, what more when its culinary representation is presented on the dining table.

The auspicious full moon is depicted by a jumbo-size mooncake with Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s Supermoon series in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The mooncakes, crafted by executive Chinese chef Lam Hock Hin and his team, come in the traditional baked and snow-skin varieties.

“It is meant to represent and honour the spirit of reunion and get-togethers, when families come together for the festival.

“Each Supermoon mooncake can easily serve more than 10 people,” said Lam.

The mooncakes’ distinctive circular shape and decorative exterior are eye-catching, especially on a larger scale.

Those who prefer traditional flavours will like the Baked Lotus Paste with eight yolks (RM388 nett per piece), while the Heavenly Gold premium Musang King durian snow skin mooncake (RM498 nett) is always a crowd-pleaser.

It is easy to see why the durian mooncake continues to be a favourite as the flesh is creamy and rich, while the subtle taste of the “skin” adds some texture.

Edible glitter dust on the surface makes it almost too pretty to cut into.

Each Supermoon series also comes with two porcelain dishes.

The offerings are part of the hotel’s “Luminous Treasures” Mid-Autumn mooncake collection, which features old favourites as well as what are sure to be new ones.

Chynna offers diners a tea-pairing session with dim sum and mooncakes (above), served up in a performance by its tea master (right).

This year’s signature flavours are Chocolate Crescent with macadamia nuts featuring locally sourced chocolate, and Ember Jade with flavours reminiscent of nasi lemak.While nasi lemak mooncakes have been around, this version is faithful to the flavours of the beloved dish.

The snow skin, made from glutinous rice flour is pandan flavoured but the interior is made from lotus paste with a crunchy sambal and XO sauce filling.

While nasi lemak flavours for a mooncake may appear as a fad, the flavours here are familiar to the palate and distinguishable from the sweeter varieties.

“The crunchiness is actually sugar, which balances out the other savoury elements in the mooncake,” said Lam.

Other signature snow-skin mooncakes are Blue Moon (Amaretto Lotus Paste with Blueberry Cheese Feuillantine) and Flower Drum (Lotus Paste with Soft Custard Egg Yolk).

Baked varieties making a comeback this year are Baked White Lotus Paste, Baked Red Bean Paste with Almond Flakes, Baked Black Sesame Lotus with Single Yolk and Traditional-Style Baked with Five Nuts. The baked mooncakes are priced from RM45 per piece and from RM298 per box of four.

The hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Chynna, also offers the option of having tea-pairing presented by its skilful tea master.

Selected mooncakes in a series of four of either the traditional baked or the snow skin options are available for tasting.

The tea pairing will feature a signature welcome tea, eight-treasure tea, oolong, pu’er and iced chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea for the snow-skin option.

The pairing can also be combined with baked and fried dim sum to make it a scrumptious afternoon tea experience.

The “Luminous Treasures” collection is available at the hotel lobby or online at EatDrinkHilton.com until Sept 29.

CHYNNA, Hilton Kuala Lumpur, 3 Jalan Stesen Sentral. (Tel: [phone]) Business hours: noon to 2.30pm, 6.30pm to 10.30pm daily.

This is the writer’s personal observation and not an endorsement by StarMetro.