Tale of the Mooncake Part 3 – The Quest for Healthy Mooncakes in Malaysia

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Mid-Autumn Festival or commonly known as the Mooncake Festival is a harvest festival and is celebrated in most East Asian countries, such as China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Malaysia being a multi-cultural country is not an exception when it comes to celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. We went on a search for healthy mooncakes in Malaysia and found two –  BMS Organics and HEI Wellness. Here’s our review on them, with ratings based on texture, presentation, taste and overall experience.

BMS Organics

Upon receiving the mooncake, I was impressed by the beautiful box. The intricate design was done using pen illustration to depict Malaysian-inspired architecture and culture in a single blue hue. It is an image of people who overlook things around them that they forgot the importance of celebrating Mid-Autumn with their families due to their engaged life. This indirectly encourages the importance of staying true to yourself and to reminisce about the good old days.

Three of the main components of their healthy mooncake range is that it contains special ingredients such as beetroot, Organic Oprah Golden Black Sesame Powder and Organic Unbleached Plain Flour.

Flavour Review Rating
Pure Red Bean Paste
Definitely one of the more common mooncake flavours. The crust was thin and texture of the red bean is quite mild. It was less sweet which think is suitable for those who are on controlled sugar intake. Once I’ve completed eating it, my palette was bland and neutral. 7/10
GoBeet Red Dates
They claim that the pink crust containing betanin or beetroot red pigment, a potent antioxidant that contains anti-inflammatory properties and immune support, is supposed to help to heal your mood. It also contains health-boosting nutrients which increase red blood counts and promotes blood circulation. Surprisingly it did!

At first, I was a little hesitant because of the flavour. It contains beetroot roots and red dates, both of which I’m not a fan of. However, the pink colour was so appealing that I was tempted to take a bite. Not seconds after there was a burst of flavour that excited my taste buds! Even before another bite, the flavour was working its way through my taste buds. Definitely was craving for more after that. I would say GoBeet is your go-to mooncake which will be loved by people of all ages.

10/10
Oprah Six Grains
 

Premium Black Sesame Powder, golden flax seed oil powder and tricalcium phosphate are added in the mooncakes to boost one’s health as it is rich in iron, omega-3 and calcium.

This was what I wanted to try last due to the colour (grey with black dots) which was less appealing compared to the rest of the mooncakes. However, as they say, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ and I decided to go for it.

It was filled with walnuts, sunflower seeds, black sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, melon seeds and rolled oats. This mooncake provides a crunchy tasting experience and is definitely for someone who is a sesame and nuts fan. Although it was sweet, it was not as sweet as the GoBeet Red Dates.

5/10
Assorted Fruits & Nuts
The most distinctive feature is the nuts when cut into it. However, flavour wise, the tangerine flavour empowered the other ingredients such as the white sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts and almonds. It definitely is a flavour that is loved by grandparents according to BMS. However, I feel that if the chunks of nuts are smaller in size, it would be more convenient for grandparents to easily chew and enjoy this mooncake. 7/10
Lotus Paste Single Yolk
I definitely could not stop eating this mooncake after one bite. The paste was creamy and not overwhelmingly sweet. The saltiness of the egg yolk balances the overall sweetness of the lotus seed paste. I enjoyed it more than the pure red bean paste mooncake. In my opinion, the pure red bean paste mooncake aroma was overpowering whereas, for the lotus paste mooncake, the aroma was pretty balanced. The egg yolk was smooth and flavourful. 6/10 because the yolk isn’t that healthy

HEI Wellness

Health Ecologie International (HEI) Wellness specialises in healthy food and nutrition supplement, producing healthy food that is gluten-free, casein-free, additive-free, low carb, and is suitable as therapeutic food for people with health conditions or for anyone seeking to eat healthy. We would like to thank Mr. Joshuaa Hiew, the Director of Sales & Marketing at HEI Wellness who travelled all the way from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru to deliver the mooncakes in person to ensure its freshness as their mooncakes do not contain any preservatives.

Flavour Review Rating
Mixed Berries Mooncake
The crust was very soft and thick compared to BMS organics. It was easy to chew as well as it crumbles when you bite into it. The berries used are blackcurrant, elderberry, chokeberry, and cranberry. These berries are rich in antioxidants called anthocyanins, and are beneficial for brain health and memory.The berries were mixed together with sweet potato to form the paste. Thus, it tastes both sweet and sour, which is a great combination altogether. 8/10
Multi-nuts Mooncake
Compared to BMS Organic, the nuts were cut in smaller size making it easy to bite. It also contains isolated soy protein, sweet potato, pumpkin, walnut, almond, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, hazelnut, black sesame, chia seed, blackcurrant, coconut sugar, carotino oil. Definitely a crunchy but yet smooth mooncake that everyone will enjoy. It is quite a modern nutty take on the traditional multi-nuts mooncake. 10/10
Egg Yolk Mooncake
It was smooth and crunchy at the same time. I could taste sesame. However, the single yolk was the star of the mooncake. Compared to BMS Organic Single Yolk Paste mooncake, it has a single yolk that fills the whole mooncake and covered with sesame and nuts. Thus, you will taste the yolk till the last bite. 6/10

Again, the health factor really goes down due to the egg yolk.

Green Tea Cocoa Mooncake
Green tea, which is rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, is able to protect cells and molecules by reducing harmful free radical. While cocoa is rich in flavanols, making this mooncake a really healthy choice! You could taste the green tea on first bite and the cocoa adds a bittersweet balance. This is definitely one for tea lovers! 7/10

Conclusion

All the mooncakes have their own healthy ingredients and are delicious in their own right. That said, BMS Organics mooncakes are suitable for all ages as far as tastes go, whereas HEI Wellness mooncakes are most suited for people with medical conditions and are on sugar- controlled diet, such as diabetic, chronic disease sufferers, weight-watchers; gluten/casein intolerance individuals such as coeliac disease sufferers; or any individuals that are health conscious and anti-aging practitioners.

Overall, if you’re going to celebrate and snack on mooncakes, you might as well do it with these healthier options! Do check out our tips on how to prevent mooncakes from being a nutritional diaster in our previous article.


Photo Credits: BMS Organics and HEI Wellness 

 

Orientis Inc

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