Mid-autumn festival is an important occasion where, aside from commemorating the enormous size and immense brightness of the moon, serves as an essential time to celebrate family and friends over the traditional treat of mooncakes. Mid-Autumn festival tends to evoke a longing for distant relatives and friends, and the typical round shape of mooncakes symbolizes the reunion of a family. Unfortunately, the conventional method of creating these treats involves the use of ingredients such as egg, dairy and lard, deeming them unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians alike. This means that— oftentimes, we who choose to opt out of animal products end up missing out on an integral custom carried out on the day. Being cast aside because you can’t indulge in traditional celebratory treats with your friends and family members is unfortunately a common occurrence among many—which is why I am excited to be introducing a brand of Pure Vegetarian mooncakes in this post!
These exquisitely crafted, homemade pure vegetarian mooncakes from Life Balance are processed differently from the conventional ‘business-model’ mooncakes. Containing no edible additives nor preservatives, they are also made with non-GM corn germ oil and are free of grease. The use of organic flour also makes them gluten-free and a more suitable option for the health-conscious.
Traditional-Style Pure Vegetarian Mooncake with Mushroom Filling
One box comes with eight mooncake varieties—ranging from the usual shape and style to a chocolate-filled lava mooncake. The flavour names, while not as ‘glamourous’ when translated into English, include:
Red Flower Tricholoma
Green Plum Matcha
Five Nuts
Natural Mushroom
Aromatic Vegetarian
Coffee and Chocolate Lava
Osmanthus Lava
Seaweed and Cashew Mix
These come in an assortment of forms—including two types of lava-filled flavours, two Chiu Chow style mooncakes, the classic 'five nuts' mooncake, and the original-style mooncake with lotus paste.
Coffee and Chocolate Flavoured Pure Vegetarian Mooncake
Life Balance bases their philosophy according to the following guidelines; to ensure that they are providing top quality food, all their products are:
Environmentally-friendly—made without animal food sources.
Healthy—contain no additives and preservatives (no palm or rapeseed oil), use organic flour and made with less oil.
Beautiful—not only for good health, but also for the body. This is informed by the belief that a better relationship with animals is conducive to a better relationship with people.
Socially responsible—a person who is consumes more sustainably is a person with higher moral standards.
Originally from China, the founder of these products entered Hong Kong with the intention to spread this message to every corner of the globe. They hope that everyone can feel their vegan love and appreciate the rigorous production of these mooncakes—from material selection to material style and packaging to the carefully planned names and produced delicacies.
They operate under the belief that Hong Kong, the world, the Earth, and all of us needs love. They recognize that not everyone will want to become vegan, but they hope that by persisting in bringing veganism to everyone, they will certainly be able to achieve their goal.
During the build up of Mid-Autumn Festival, it is also a custom to send gifts to relatives and friends. Because Life Balance so kindly gifted me a box of these mooncakes, I was able to share these with my family members and happily indulge in them together. If you're looking to prove that vegan food can be delicious and you know any friends or family who would love to eat some this year mooncakes, then be sure to reach out to Martin from Life Balance to place your order! One box costs $288 HKD, but if you order five boxes or more, then the price drops to $268 per box. If you order two boxes or more, there will also be free shipping.
So…what are you waiting for? Go ahead and contact Martin via WhatsApp and bring your loved ones the gift of a long and prosperous life.
For more details about these mooncakes, please refer to the links below: