gourmet kuih and bun

late last night, xiao gu (small aunt) came by and handed us some stuff she brought from penang. my granny was awoken from her sleep and despite her dreamy state, she was rather excited over that white-green stuff that looked like the flag of pando department of bolivia. she urged me to join her and eat. "kuih talam, 我最喜欢吃的(i love to eat most)" she said and finished it in a few mouthfuls.

i googled it and found out that it is kinda tough to differentiate between the nyonya and malay kuihs, thus kuih talam can very well turn out to be either. however, the term 'nyonya kuih' is probably more commonly used in singapore and 'malay kuih' perhaps more common in malaysia. since i'm on it, let me just add that its top white layer is made from rice flour and coconut milk, while the bottom green layer is made from green pea flour and extract of pandan leaf. these are common ingredients for such kuihs and the varieties are mouth watering. my granny said she used to make them and i'm not surprised. afterall, i've tasted her rice dumplings, egg rolls aka love letters and what nots.

those chinese characters on the pink bun - they mean 'safe and sound'. yes, the bun is almost a palm long and it can probably serve as a nice little pillow for a newborn baby. just this morning, my granny steamed the buns and as i was eating, she said that these buns taste great because of a special flour used. "you can only get these buns in penang during chinese new year" she added. i made a mental note and maybe, i can get them for my granny next year.

see that little maroon ribbon linking the lid and handle of my granny's porcelain cup? my granny's handiwork. would anyone want to venture a guess why the ribbon's there?

but that was a dragon

The International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) seeks to educate the public about childhood cancer and to support local fund-raising by member nations. Everyone can play a part.

ok, so i was volunteering at this event and i was assigned to man a game booth for kids. this game booth seeks to educate the public on what are helpful and what are not helpful for families who have just lost their kid to cancer. so i try to lure kids to my booth with the prize magnets and when they come, i start explaining "when a child has just passed away from cancer, how would you help his or her parents? here on the board, i have 2 columns labelled 'helpful' and 'not helpful'. with these cards that i am giving you, i want you to decide which card should go where."

there's a particular card that says 'tell them that they can make up for their loss by adopting a child'. now, how do you explain this to a 5 yr old girl? anyway, i began by saying that it's like making someone else's kid your own. she knitted her eyebrows and asked "isn't it like stealing then?" i was struck dumb for a while and then i said "that kid is most probably an orphan, left behind by his or her parents who may have passed away or gone away for some reasons. and they would need to ask for permission first." she seemed to accept that explanation. phew! btw, that card belongs to the 'not helpful' category.

another girl, 11 yr old. while she was thinking hard, trying to fit the cards, her mom pulled me aside and whispered into my ears "her dad passed away from cancer 4 years back and she's still grieving." upon hearing that, my heart ached. no wonder she seemed to take the game rather seriously, considering each statement carefully. she proceeded to put the card 'let them take the time to grief' under the 'helpful' category. something in my heart prompted me to say this to the mom "that's why you stayed strong for her right?" she gave me an appreciative smile.

there were some performances going on and i was vaguely aware of a dragon dance. the dragon swished here and there in front of my eyes. after the whole din was over, a little girl tugged at me and asked "when's the lion dance happening?" i was quite amused and i think i was wearing an incredulous look when i said to her "uh.. you were here just now, isn't it? it was just over." perplexed, she replied "but that was a dragon.." as if jolted from a hypnosis, i was enlightened by that statement and immediately, i burst into laughter "oh yah, you are right, that was obviously a dragon." while i was still reeling from my own foolishness and wondering what came over me, the pounding drum beats started again and there! the lion dance was just beginning. i pointed the girl in that direction. saved by the lion!

i was having so much fun getting kids to play that when a pregnant lady walked by, i had the strange impulse to ask her if i could invite her unborn child to play. bearing a new life, i wonder if she would play the game in her child's stead. if i were her, i would :)

had a little chat with a few other volunteers. one lady works at the national cancer centre and the other does research on cancer. wow, both are cancer related if you know what i mean. it's amazing how they can still volunteer in the same field despite their full time job. this is probably an example of how passion can drive people. when both pair of eyes turned on me, er, i said "well, basically i volunteer quite a bit and i love kids! also, i was doing community development work for some while." i guess no one said that you have to work in related fields when you volunteer :) everyone can play a part.

granny the in-house chef

yesterday. it was so yummy that i asked my granny how she did it. with enthusiasm, she began to tell. and because i asked her to show me when she cooks it next time (an extremely rare request from me cuz i'm not particulary fond of cooking), she decided to make it today.

with my brother video recording the whole thing and me snapping away, the kitchen became at that moment a recording studio of sorts and my granny the in-house chef. i'm not sure if she was aware of what we were up to but it was clear that she was pleased to have her grandchildren

watching her. her actions were fluid, so it goes :

first, mushrooms in water and oil in wok

then, when the oil is somewhat hot, add in the mushrooms and vegetables, stir for some bit

next, add in a sprinkle of tapioca flour

aside, prepare a mixture of pepper, soy sauce and chicken stock bits

back to wok, put in more vegetables and some water

pour the mixture in and stir fry some more

fire off

that's it!

when i told my brother that yesterday's version had a thicker gravy feel, he said "well, just add more tapioca flour". i was dumbfounded. And genuinely impressed.

i was lost

simply put. i was lost.

i could curse and swear OR i could be thankful for

discovering that there's a shopping mall called city square mall,

park royal hotel and the new people's association headquarters.

the cool weather.

being able to take in the sights.

the time to take a slow walk.

the ability to laugh at my own silliness.

being on time despite the longer route i took.

having reached.

it's not how long you take, it's how you get there.