Celebrating the full moon?
In a couple of weeks' time I will be visiting my favourite tea houses in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Oolong tea has become a drug to me; the first sip of this green tea very early in the morning before the whole household stirs, whilst seeing the sun rise, is like heaven to me. My tea is my ticket to heaven.
Today is one special day for all of the Chinese in the world - the Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival (more like the Mid-Spring Festival for me down under). This festival has been celebrated since the 7th century in the Chinese Tang Dynasty. None of the stories, or legends, as to how and why this festival came into being has ever sounded credible to me. I hadn't thought of it before but now I think perhaps this festival began more as a way of showcasing the ancient Chinese excellence in astrology, because this day, the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Lunar calendar, is considered the day when the moon is the fullest and brightest each year.
The Chinese poet, Lee Bai or Li - Bai (701 - 762) in Tang Dynasty, died from trying to scoop the full moon out of the lake while drinking and dancing to the moon, a drowned drunkard basically. The following is one of his poems that I love the most; I had it written in mad running style Chinese characters for me; while he drank wine, I drink tea:
I made a sourdough, intending to have it with Chinese sausage in a sort of open sandwich tonight to celebrate the full moon. I used the "trinity" for Chinese stock pot - soy sauce, sugar & garlic (and I threw in sesame oil too) to flavour this sourdough:
When I was stirring my starter in the soy sauce mixture trying to break it up, I thought I must have poisoned the little beasties - there was absolutely no sign of life. And sure enough, the dough, after 4 hours of fermentation, was flat as a pancake, dead as a door knocker! Fortunately, it sprang up in the oven, maybe by 50 - 75%. The raw garlic was so potent that while it was in the oven baking, I felt sorry for my poor neighbours. I couldn't even say I liked the smell. I don't know why I put in so much raw garlic in the first place - maybe I was trying to make a statement. It really is not good form to be biting into a piece of bread so full of garlic; I mean, not on a night of beautiful full moon!
My Formula
- 350 g starter @ 75% hydration
- 350 g bread flour + 1 tsp Chinese five spices
- 190 g water
- 30 ml sesame oil
- 15 g dark soy sauce
- 20 g sugar
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced (two cloves should be plenty)
- 6 g salt
Total dough weight 1.1 kg and total dough hydration 70%
Shiao-Ping
Comments
Observing that moon too!
Other than being a good looking loaf, the only way to romantisize it is to get everyone to try it! So what other than naked in the moonlight will go on the bread? Any ideas?
I'm wondering .... salt and soysauce?
Mini
Salt and soy sauce? Aren't they the same thing? I still think Chinese sausage is the best fit (or just sausage!) I am losing my appetite with all that garlic smell. I think I'll just move on to the real thing - the moon cakes!
Interesting combination Shiao-Ping. Was this a salty bread? I would of thought the additional salt would be unnecessary. I really like savory style breads and this one is calling to me. Thanks for sharing the Harvest Bounty.
Eric
You know they make bacon baquettes (and for Chinese baguettes with Chinese sausages are no surprise at all). I guess for a Chinese too the soy sauce/garlic/sesame oil combination in a bread is only natural. If you like savory breads, why not experimenting on your favourite sauces or spices - mustards, BBQ sauce, etc (sorry, the last one is for Aussies). At SFBI, they fed us pepper baguettes (in addition to 2% salt, there was 2% cracked pepper) and they were pretty good.
This bread is not salty because one tablespoonful of dark soy sauce isn't very much at all. I really have no idea why my starter had trouble rising this dough. The last time I used soy sauce was that Sting/A thousand year bread and it had very open crumb.
Instead of garlic, next time I might try mincing a couple of onions and put it in as flavoring.
so it may be that the already diluted soy sauce may have affected your starter more than the granulated, which takes time to dissolve.
Stan Ginsberg
www.nybakers.com
that's a good point.
I can't see the moon at the moment but the brand new Songdo Bridge is lit up glowing and twinkling in the night! Wow! Great visability! Must be the grand opening! It connects the International Airport expressway to the city built from the infra-structure and on up, Songdo.
Do you have a special mold for your moon cakes?
I wonder if toasting the garlic bread (outside) makes it milder tasting?
Happy Moon Harvest Festival!
Mini
I haven't made moon cakes for years and I don't know where my other moon cake molds are hiding.
Yes, toasting does make the garlic sourdough less smelly. My kids love garlic bread, but they don't care for this garlic sourdough!
Do you mean Incheon Bridge that has just been opened? The plan for the New Songdo City sounds really aggressive ("the largest private development project ever undertaken anywhere in the history of the world," and "when completed in 2015 ... the city itself will exemplify a digital way of life"). There seems to be a lot happening in Asia.
Happy Moon Festival to you too.
Incheon Bridge, and later in the night, the sky did clear to a beautiful full moon. Hope they got some good photos for the press. There is an overlap of holidays here this weekend.
Those are lovely molds. Remind me of butter molds. Butter is pressed into decorative wooden molds that are soaked with water and then knocked out. The idea being that oil & water will not stick to each other.
You could dry some thinly sliced garlic bread for crackers, toasting them at the same time. Just an idea. My pickled garlic salad came out well. Not strong at all, more nutty. Got another kg of peeled garlic given to me, gosh, don't I stink enough?
Mini
... that's a great idea! Thanks (but too late, Polly has got the rest of that loaf!)
Hmmm... knocking out the molded butter.... The moon cakes are done differently. Before the wooden molds are ready to be used, they are actually soaked in oil for weeks, then dry out completely for weeks again. They are lightly dusted with rice flour before the moon cake doughs are pressed again them to get the shapes.
I am not big on garlic, but your garlic salad sounds really interesting. Would love to see a photo. In Northern China where the weather is cold, they do something like what you've done with garlic. And they drink very hard liquor; apparently the garlic and the hard liquor go together quite well.
myself, the moon and my shadow make three.
beautiful bread; should go wonderfully well with that lovely sweet/fat lap cheung.
Stan Ginsberg (Jin Yunpeng)
www.nybakers.com
舉杯邀明月，對影成三人 ... by Lee Bai
Sorry for the Chinese scribbles, but I just have to quote the poem by the drowned drunken poet because you prompted me with your:
Shiao-Ping
my facing shadow makes us three ...
that was exactly what i had in mind, although my favorite is Su Dongpo .... "river and mountain like a painting, my sentimentality is laughable, see how my hair's already grizzled"
Stan Ginsberg (Jin Yunpeng)
故國神遊，多情應笑我，早生華髮? from 念奴嬌-赤壁懷古 by Su Dong-po
金? (Jin) 雲? (Yun) 鵬? (Peng)
gold cloud roc ... reference to Zhuangzi (and the size of my ego), given to me by my laoshi.
wonderful calligraphy, reminds me of Qi Baishi, but not so angular.
and yes, chi bi huai gu' got the line wrong. should have been 'river and mountains like a painting, how many heroes in an age?' (memory failing as i grow older)
also, interesting that you break at 'ying xiao wo' ... scholars are divided where the line breaks and the pu is no help; i've seen it both ways, and prefer 'duo qing ying xiao. wo zao sheng hua fa'
SG
... to translate. I wouldn't be gamed, in the least, to venture to translate.
Whether you break at "duo qing ying xiao" or "duo qing ying xiao wo," because it is followed by "wo zao sheng hua fa," or "zao sheng hua fa" in the latter's case, together they mean the same thing. Chinese is a very imprecise language. I think the clue should come from the "pu" (譜, meaning the music score, more correctly, it should be 曲; sorry for the Chinese scribles for those of you whose computers do not show up these Chinese characters).
I am surprised that you said the "pu" is no help as Su Dong-Po wrote those lines for that particular "pu." But this indicates to me that either way it is OK for that particular "pu" (perhaps because of how the rhythm goes); this in turn goes back to show that where the lyrics (or poem) breaks does not really matter (because they should mean the same thing).
Just speculations.
that's both the beauty and the danger of literary criticism ... beauty because one is never wrong and danger because it's so easy to get into big fights over small matters! that's why i left Academia.
SP
What a beautiful loaf of bread!! I wonder though if the large amount of Garlic you mentioned putting in it may have affected the rise of it? I have always been told that Garlic and Cinnamon are rough on yeast. Just a thought....
Do you by chance share the recipe for the Moon Cakes??? I will HAVE to try Oolong tea!!! Sounds wonderful!!
Jannrn
Not wanting to hi-jack the thread Shiao-Ping, but.... Jannrn you might enjoy watching Andrea Nguyen of Viet World Kitchen moulding her mooncakes:
http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/10/how-to-make-moon-cakes-banh-trung-thu.html
Shiao-Ping, Andrea's to be part of the World Chef Showcase next weekend at Sydney's International Food Festival. As you are about to head Taiwan I don't suppose you will head to Sydney this month for any of the festival, or will you ....
http://www.siff.com.au/showcase/about
Also Shiao-ping just to go completely off-topic. I borrowed the new "bourke street bakery" book from the library. I found the commentary provided quite telling: "This book is best used in the spirit of Bourke Street Bakery: try not to worry too much about the look of the product. Worry about where you are going to get the ingredients: flour, butter, salt. Making sure you start with the best -quality ingredients you can find will ensure a superior end result.". It's clear there is a hunger for their breads in Sydney but can't say I learned a great deal from the book (you have taught me far more!!) - some yummy additions to their basic sourdough & the croissant look seriously good. There is a generosity of sharing emanating from the book and there is mention that they are willing to sell flour to home bakers. Their sourdoughs are made with flour sourced from a certified organic stoneground mill. Have you had a look at the book? Or tasted their wares?
We had clouds and heavy showers last night so no 'spring' moon for Waiheke Island.
Looking forward to hearing of your trip to Taiwan, do you anticipate being able to make any bread for your family there?
Thank you so much for all you share with us here.
Robyn
Thank you for your links above. I had a look and they are very good. I have not been to Auckland, New Zealand, but I've heard that there are a lot of Taiwanese (don't know if I was misinformed).
You are absolutely right about the ingredients; very often I get carried away about the look rather than the substance. For sourdough home bakers, the starter is one key "ingredient," in addition to the flour. I have not had a chance to read the "bourke street bakery" cookbook; I will definitely have a lookout for it when I visit my neighbourhood bookstore next time.
When I see my family in Taiwan, it is my only chance of not having to get near kitchen ever - everybody there cooks. As much as I love to cook and bake, holiday for me is not having to cook or bake. I don't know about New Zealand, but in Australia, everybody (well, almost everybody) goes to the beach for a couple of weeks during holiday times, and as a housewife, I find it hard to call it a holiday simply because my kitchen is switched from home to the beach.
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Just came across this mooncake recipe. Haven't tried it but leave it here in case someone else wants to try next year!
http://baobread.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/mooncake/
Thank you for the link - her moon cake is professional standard!
Shiao-Ping
How was Taiwan?
Do you have your starter revved up again?
... after visiting many absolutely gorgeous bread shops in Taiwan, I now have no desire to make my own breads! It is like THEY have done all the wonderful breads that I could EVER imagine making (and more) and that there's nothing left for me to want to try making. I came back yesterday morning and last night when I was preparing dinner I saw my two starters sitting on the far back of my refrigerator but I don't have the slightest urge to touch them.
Thank you for asking. Did you make any interesting bread yourself?
Shiao-Ping
If you don't make it, how will you get to eat delicious bread....
I'm continuing to enjoy the challenge of making all my own bread and learning what happens when I change parameters, one at a time, also trialling different people's methods and adapting them for our flours and environmental conditions.
The annual 'garden safari' on Waiheke Island (fundraiser when local gardens are open for viewing) will take place next weekend. A group of us gather each year for a potluck picnic lunch, a kind of welcome summer picnic, and of course we enjoy sharing our thoughts on the gardens etc. This year my contribution will be bread based, and I'm having fun deciding what I'll make.
That is a very good point.
What bread have you decided to make for your potluck picnic lunch? I used to go to gardens open-days myself and I went as far as Toowoomba, two hours drive west of Brisbane, to view gardens.
Shiao-Ping
Thanks. I didn't know about that.
For moon cake recipes, you might want to try RobynNZ's link below.
It is very hard to get good Oolong tea outside of Taiwan. The tea color should be golden, not brown, and the tea leaves should be whole, not broken, as below:
Taiwanese Oolong tea, before brewing after brewing, the leaves completely open up
do you know tie guanyin? another semi-fermented tea, very much like wulong.
SG
Yes, I do. People who drink Oolong and tie-guan-yin are looking for different things - Oolong is for fragrance and tie-guan-yin is more for the after-taste and how it lingers in your mouth. Even though Oolong (or wu-long) and tie-guan-yin are both classified as semi-fermented tea, the Taiwanese Oolong is very, very lightly fermented and hardly any roasting; whereas most tie-guan-yin has undergone higher level of fermentation and the tea color can be quite dark. The way Taiwanese make their Oolong is almost like a green tea, rather than a semi-fermented tea. Japanese are known for their green tea but they love the Taiwanese Oolong.
Many years ago I was in Shanghai on a company function and I came across a "green tie-guan-yin." What has happened is that the Chinese (on Mainland China) know that the Taiwanese Oolong is very popular for a new generation of tea drinkers looking for anti-oxidant benefits from freshly brewed tea and they try to make their tie-guan-yin in the Taiwanese Oolong tea fashion. It is quite interesting, but unfortunately the tea plantation they use is invariably inferior in quality.
Do you drink a lot of tie-guan-yin?
i generally prefer more assertive flavors, which is why i prefer iron goddess over wulong ... it has that strong, almost musky aftertaste that reminds me of dried leaves. i also like longjing, brewed strong, for the same reason -- that astringent taste just this side of bitter.
i was fortunate enough to go to the longjing commune outside of Hangzhou one time, before they industrialized and saw how they roasted the fresh leaves manually. it was really interesting and the prices (pre-Tiananmen) were very attractive.
SG
That's exactly what I think people who drink "iron goddess" are after. I am a Oolong drinker, rarely tie-guan-yin. While it may not be an appropriate analogy but it is a bit like some people prefer white wine, while others prefer red wine.
Your description of "iron goddess" also reminds me of a very famous TV drama series in Taiwan based on the historical Chien-Long (乾隆) Emperor in the Chin Dynasty in the 17th century China. There was an old man from Fu-Chien Province down south that the Emperor wanted to second to the north to work for him. He asked this man what he could give him to entice him to come to Beijing. This man said, nothing just tie-guan-yin. Back in those days tea was precious, and expensive, to say the least. Somehow the Emperor didn't get the tie-guan-yin from the right source and the man was never really happy. So finally when the man had a chance to go on his long awaited home leave, he went straight to his tea supplier, without even stopping to see his old mother, also a tie-guan-yin drinker, nearly 100 years old. The TV had him drinking tie-guan-yin from a tiny little cup, and you should see his facial expression - he was in heaven, no doubt. I never forget that facial expression and that happiness.
So, the best tie-guan-yin comes from Fu-Chien (a place called Wu-Yi mountain), and yeah, the best Longjing comes from Hongzhou and the beautiful West Lake. I love a good cup of Longjing myself, and strong like you said. Taiwan makes a very good green tea, much like Longjing but even less fermentation and no roasting whatsoever, and it is called Bi-Luo-Chun (碧螺春). It has a very short shelf life because of its green tea nature. When brewed strong, it can give off the "astringent" taste that you like from Bi-Luo-Chun too, but then the tea farmer will be mad at you.
i've had bilo chun ... it's rolled into small pellets, as i recall, like the jade snails it gets its name from. yes, similar to longjing.
your comment about drinking the tieguanyin strong from a tiny cup reminds me also of drinking gongfucha in xiamen ... very strong fermented black tea, either puer or yinzhen ... very deep, thick, smoky. drinking it out of the bamboo guan like fine whiskey ...
it's been a long time since i've been back to asia ... i envy you your visit.
yin-zhen - do you mean bai-hao-yin-zhen? That's the other end of pu-er; yin-zhen is one of those teas, which is classified as "white tea" - more superior than the superior. But yeah I guess you drink it using as small cup as possible. Yum, yum.