Saturday, October 08, 2005

Adding on to my meme...

I can't believe I forgot to include my grandaunt's Chinese New Year goodies in my childhood meme. Am I right in guessing that a meme is a mini memoir??

My "jee ee poh" (grandaunt on my father's side) used to make delicacies that were out of this world! Visiting her family during the Chinese New Year was such a treat. My "jee ee poh" and "jee t'iao kong" lived in a corner house near Canning Garden. They had a huge rambutan tree which seemed to fruit during the CNY. We would sit out in the garden while my uncles plucked some rambutan for us. Inside, my grandaunt would have prepared a spread that made up of traditional cakes and delicacies.

She made coconut candy (yeh chee tong)from scratch. Each one delicately wrapped in colourful see through paper. Just the right size to pop in the mouth. Pop one in the mouth and you're in heaven! She used to let each of us take a handful home to enjoy later. I love to make my own kaya 'coz the smell of kaya cooking, the combination of santan and sugar, always reminds me of the yeh chee tong.

My grandaunt also used to make kuih baulu that were spongy, yet melt in the mouth. Just the right sweetness and oh so fragrant. I have never tasted kuih baulu like hers. I remember another type of delicacy which is like the agar-agar but more texture and harder. I remember her saying she prepares the ingredient, sun the ingredient or something before making the agar-agar like delicacy. I have no idea what they're called and I have never seen anything like that since I was a kid.

Oh, the paper thin kuih kapit that melts in the mouth. Yummm.... And the kuih bangkit, with just the right sweetness and when it has melted in the mouth, the fragrance of the santan comes through. Nope, I've not tasted kuih kapit and kuih bangkit that match up to what my grandaunt used to make.

I know she used to make these delicacies from scratch, including milling the rice flour. Her sons helped her in the preparation. She has since passed on but her very gentle Nyonya disposition and her delicacies live on in my memory. No one in my dad's generation inherited the cooking skills of my grandmother and grandaunt. My uncle was a good cook, as I've blogged earlier. No one who can cook Nyonya delicacy like my grandaunt though.

2 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Hey Min,
Wah I think you better stop blogging on food. Bulan puasa lagi. Not like I puasa but don't lah add to the temptation. Hehehe.

12:53 am  
Blogger Min Chan said...

Ya man, I keep blogging about food I'll be too tempted to snack or attempt to whip up some of the goodies I blog about.

8:44 am  

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