Mooncakes – Art of Delicate Flavors and Cultural Stories

Did you know that the filling of traditional Vietnamese mooncakes is made from roughly 15 ingredients, blending both savory and sweet flavors? Or snow skin, which seems simple like Japanese mochi, uses a special recipe with roasted glutinous rice? And for baked mooncakes, the best time to enjoy them is 3-5 days after baking with flourish flavors! Vietnamese mooncakes are indeed a testament to meticulous craftsmanship, from ingredient selection to the art of making, and then enjoying them. Moreover, mooncakes become a cherished and indispensable part of every Vietnamese family in the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It is the delicate flavors and cultural stories beyond this cake that inspired us – Tấm Cuisine to create a comprehensive mooncake experience to share its values, especially culinary essence with travelers. Let’s join our Mooncake Workshop to enjoy delightful moments with the skillful women of Hanoi, who will guide you step by step in crafting your own mooncakes. And don’t worry, this workshop is designed for everyone—it’s not difficult at all. Now see more below!

Making Mooncake Workshop in Hanoi with Tấm Cuisine

Accompanying you in this class are the diligent and experienced Hanoian women, who are truly well-versed in traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Moreover, in our well-equipped kitchen, we have prepared special tools and ingredients specifically for traditional Vietnamese mooncakes, which are essential parts for creating an authentic taste and also make the process easier for you.

Mooncakes include two main parts: the crust and the filling.

For the baked mooncakes “bánh nướng”, you’ll make the crust yourself from wheat flour mixed with eggs and sugar. After several steps of baking under the companion of our host, you’ll gain golden and appetizing mooncakes from the oven.

Regarding the other type of mooncake “bánh dẻo”, the snow skin will be taken to our kitchen from Xuân Đỉnh village—a traditional mooncake-making village in Hanoi, using a secret recipe for snow skin. To create the snowy white, smooth, yet firm dough that holds its shape requires meticulous attention, diligence, and the experience of generations of skilled artisans, something that is truly hard to replicate!

The mooncake filling in Tấm Cuisine is made from familiar ingredients with Vietnamese such as lotus seeds, coconut, and sesame – easy to find in any Hanoi kitchen. Plus, if you enjoy an original mixed-flavor mooncake, you’ll taste even more ingredients like pork, Chinese sausage, melon seeds, lime leaves, and various candied fruits, all harmoniously blended into a magical filling.

One of the key steps in making a mooncake is molding. We believe it needs a bit of your precision and care, but it’s not difficult – it’s as fun as playing with clay! The wooden molds are handcrafted, which we sought out in the narrow streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, and bought from a craftsman, one of the few remaining steadfast practitioners of this traditional mold-making art – Mr. Quang. He made molds with a variety of meaningful intricate designs.

Then, after completing your batch of mooncakes, let’s take time to enjoy mooncakes with some tea as every Hanoian does. It will be a perfect combination – a refined taste of the tea paired with the sweet flavors of the mooncakes is sure to capture your heart! And did you know, tea and mooncakes serve as “conduits” for gatherings of friends and family in mid autumn eve? Vietnam, being an agricultural country, finds the lunar month of August to be a time of leisure, when people have chosen the Mid-Autumn Festival as an occasion to meet and reconnect after a busy year. Sipping tea, enjoying a few pieces of mooncake, and gazing at the full moon is a time for people to share stories and strengthen bonds.

Mooncakes for sale in Hanoi

In Hanoi, you can find and savor freshly made traditional mooncakes with delightful flavors. Join us as we explore these local spots below:

1. Đinh Tỵ, traditional mooncake store in Xuân Đỉnh village

Address: No.48, 46 Xuân Đỉnh Alley, Xuân Đỉnh street, Bắc Từ Liêm district
Phone number: 097 603 95 79
Price of cakes: 40,000 – 50,000 VND

2. Bao Phuong 

Address: No.183, Thụy Khuê, Tây Hồ
Phone number: (84) 38 230 797
Price of cakes: 40,000 – 70,000 VND

3. Bình Chung, traditional mooncake store in Xuân Đỉnh village 

Address: No. 103 Xuân Đỉnh street, Bắc Từ Liêm district
Phone number: 0983966585
Price of cakes: 40,000 – 70,000 VND

4. Bà Dần

Address: No.52 Hàng Bè, Hoàn Kiếm
Price of cakes: 40,000 – 70,000 VND

After each mooncake class, Tấm Cuisine will gift travelers a full box of mooncakes, including three baked and three snow skin cakes (even to those attending individually), as a special Mid-Autumn Festival present. We hope travelers will have blessed moments when enjoy them with their loved ones or give them away as a thoughtful present.

So now, ready to offer your clients a chance to connect with Vietnam’s cultural heritage in a way that’s both engaging and unforgettable during Vietnam Mid Autumn Festival? Contact us to reserve a spot now at xinchao@tamcuisine.vn!