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?