Marketplace’s Rob Schmitz reported on the black market for mooncake vouchers that emerges every Moon Festival. Traditional mooncakes, what with their lotus-paste fillings and 1,000 calories, are sort of the Asian equivalent to Christmas fruitcakes. While less and less people actually eat mooncakes, the vouchers are still viewed as a token of respect — or an effective bribe.
If you don’t feel like diving into a back alley to get overpriced mooncake vouchers or fight the crowds at a bakery, try making own. Traditional mooncakes are difficult to make, so people usually go to bakeries to buy them. Here are some simplified recipes:
*Lotus bean paste and red/azuki bean pastes can be found at Asian supermarkets.
Schmitz mentions in his story that one box of Haagen-Dazs ice cream mooncakes go for anywhere between $50-100 worth of vouchers. Save the money and try this recipe for coffee ice cream mooncake.
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