Delicious moon cake with zucchini, flavor of the hometown

Every year in the 8th lunar month, Vietnamese people eagerly await the bustling Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere and delicious traditional cakes. In That Khe town, Trang Dinh district, there is a unique zucchini moon cake from the Thuy Tiep Pie facility that has been loved by many people inside and outside the province.

In the early days of the 8th lunar month, we had the opportunity to visit Mrs. Dam Thuy Tiep’s baking facility in That Khe town. As soon as we stepped into Mrs. Tiep’s yard, we could smell the sweet aroma of baked cakes. The familiar scent of cooked crust mixed with a rather strange scent that we later learned was the scent of zucchini filling. Mrs. Tiep not only produces traditional baked cakes filled with green beans, mixed vegetables, and grilled pork to serve the needs of people in the district, but also creates unique baked cakes filled with zucchini, the type of cake has created a “brand” for her since opening the bakery in 2020.

​ Baking is not a family tradition, it is not a popular profession in the locality, but because of her passion for baking, Mrs. Tiep was determined to research and learn from experience to produce delicious pies, especially she successfully created a soft, sweet zucchini mooncake with a very unique, characteristic flavor.

The finished zucchini mooncake has an attractive golden brown color.

 To make delicious zucchini mooncakes, Mrs. Tiep always handpicks the most delicious zucchini to make the filling. The zucchini must be thoroughly soaked and washed before peeling and steaming thoroughly. After steaming, the zucchini is dried until it becomes astringent so that when mixed with sugar and vegetable oil, all the ingredients will blend together more easily.

The crust also plays a decisive role in the cake. Wheat flour for the crust is mixed thoroughly by machine for about 30 minutes. Each time adding sugar and cooking oil to the dough, the maker must use a spoon to stir it well to avoid clumping and sticking of the dough. To create a dough with a good texture, non-sticky and strong enough to cover the filling requires extensive experience and good observation from the baker.

Because shape is a characteristic element of mooncakes, Mrs. Tiep pays special attention to shaping the cakes. After filling and rolling, each cake is put into a stamping machine with a built-in plastic mold to mold into a shape with clear details and patterns. The secret to making the cake a shiny golden brown color is to brush the cake with a layer of egg mixture. But whether the entire tray of cakes is the same color or not depends on the meticulousness of the maker.

Mrs. Tiep packed zucchini mooncakes,

 Mrs. Tiep shared: “I use the famous fragrant zucchini of Trang Dinh district as the main ingredient for this cake along with other local agricultural products such as peanuts, sesame, pumpkin seeds, green beans,… Mrs. Tiep wants to use local agricultural products to both ensure food hygiene and safety and help increase people’s income. Thanks to that, her mooncakes filled with zucchini not only have a different and attractive flavor but are also imbued with love for the homeland.

In 2021, when zucchini mooncakes became known to many customers and ordered in large quantities, Mrs. Tiep invested in additional facilities, packaging, and stickers to enhance brand recognition. It is known that during the season, Mrs. Tiep’s facility produces about 4,000 cakes per day, about 80,000 cakes per year, of which zucchini-filled cakes account for about 40% of the total cakes sold. In 2022, the bakery was overloaded with orders. Mrs. Tiep and more than 10 employees (all local workers) worked from early morning to late at night, still unable to produce cakes to serve customers’ needs. Mrs. Tiep shared: that is both joy and motivation for her to continue improving the quality of her cakes.

Eye-catching mooncake box model for Mid-Autumn Festival from Thuy Tiep Baking facility.

 Mrs. Tran Phuong Anh, Dong Da District, Hanoi shared: “Every Mid-Autumn Festival, I order Mrs. Tiep’s zucchini mooncakes to eat and give as gifts. Unlike traditional fillings, zucchini mooncakes are easy to eat because they are moderately sweet, not greasy, and the thicker crust helps balance the flavor very well.”

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tho, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of That Khe town, Trang Dinh district said: Currently, there are 4 households producing mooncakes in the town, but there is only Thuy Tiep Baking facility that produces zucchini mooncakes. Zucchini is known as one of the branded OCOP products of Trang Dinh district, making zucchini mooncakes not only helps people in the town consume agricultural products but also creates a unique specialty that is only available in That Khe town in particular and Trang Dinh district in general. Recently, in order to promote the zucchini mooncake product to a large number of consumers, we have focused on promoting it on social networking sites, digital information portals and directly put products into booths promoting district products at large and small fairs inside and outside the province. We believe that zucchini mooncakes will continue to be loved by consumers in the near future.”

Mid-Autumn Festival is an opportunity for each family to gather together and present a tray full of fruits and candies to offer to their ancestors. And on the tray, it is indispensable to have golden, round, and beautiful cakes. Mooncakes are not simply a gift but also have great meaning, symbolizing reunion, prosperity, and happiness. Mrs. Tiep’s zucchini mooncakes not only help promote traditional values but also bring the culinary beauty of Lang Son closer to diners from outside the province, while contributing to raising the level of local OCOP products.