CNY : 绿豆饼

绿豆饼是砂拉越传统糕点。带着绿豆的香气，入口即化。

首先，先把绿豆炒熟，然后去皮，豆仁磨成粉。然后搅入麦芽糖，放进模型即可。

三言两语的制作过程，却耗时费力，一点也不简单。

菱角尖尖在嘴边

中秋节除了月饼、灯笼，印象最为深刻的不外是菱角了。不过，儿时家乡的中秋节民风不盛，到了异乡才见识到中秋习俗的姿彩。

对菱角的认识，是脑里模糊的小学课本记忆，像似童歌的灯谜 : 什么尖尖在嘴边？菱角尖尖在嘴边。还有什么尖尖在纸边， 尖尖在天边的……

菱角，又称芰、水菱、风菱、乌菱、菱角、水栗、菱实、芰实。实为一年生草本植物Trapa bicornis 的果实。果实为坚果。果皮革质，绿色或紫黑色，内含种子1粒。幼嫩时可当水果生食，老熟果可熟食或加工制成菱粉。

菱角源于中国南方及亚洲、非洲的温暖地区，分布很广，但在多数国家和地区为野生状态，只有中国和印度进行栽培利用。在中国已有三千多年的栽培历史。《齐民要术》中记有关于种芰法的记载。今长江下游太湖地区和珠江三角洲栽培最多。

菱角种类繁多，人工栽培的大可有火柴盒大小，野生的较小。常见的菱角种类有四角、三角、两角和无角。

四角菱有 : 馄饨菱、小白菱、大青菱、水红菱、邵伯菱、沙角菱等。

两角菱有 : 扒菱、蝙蝠菱、五月菱、七月菱等。

无角菱有 : 南湖菱。

喜温暖湿润、阳光充足、不耐霜冻，从播种至采收约需5个月，秋收。

菱实、菱壳、菱柄、菱叶等皆可入药。菱性甘、涩、平，无毒。鲜菱角生食，能消暑热、止烦渴，凡暑热伤津、身热心烦、口渴自汗、食欲不振者，可作食疗果品。菱角熟食性温，能健脾胃、益中气，凡脾虚气弱、体倦神疲、不思饮食、四肢不仁者宜食。适用于胃溃疡、痢疾、食管癌、乳腺癌、子宫癌及其他癌症的防治。菱草茎可用于小儿头部疮毒，鲜菱柄捣烂敷并时时擦之，可使皮肤性疣赘脱落；老菱壳烧灰存性敷可治黄水疮、痔疮。但体虚内寒者不宜生食。

菱为果生吃，以嫩菱为上品，质鲜爽口。熟食则以老菱为上乘，肉质雪白如玉。鲜菱草茎，俗称“菱秧”， 净切碎剁成泥，辅以肉馅制成包子，亦可制成的菱秧丸子。

妈妈 的 粽子

越洋的粽子

妈妈亲手裹的粽子。

好像以前比较大粒点...

可能是小孩子眼里的世界都是大的。

长大以后，

胃口变大了，世界却变小了。

不过粽子的味道还是一样:

家乡和妈妈的味道 !

CNY : 春卷 Spring Rolls

Spring rolls are literally translate from Chinese word ’春卷‘  ( pronounced chūn juǎn ), are originally snacks prepared during first day of spring ( 立春), to celebrate and mark the first day of the spring.  It is also known as popiah ( 薄饼 in Hokkien dialect ) in Southern China, Malaysia and Singapore.   

Spring rolls are made of sweet or savory fillings wrapped in a thin flour-made crêpes, fried or non-fried.  The fillings varies, mostly combinations of vegetables and meats. 

The popiah’s filling consists of julienned French bean, jicama, chinese leek, carrot, cabbage ; bean sprout ( taugeh ) ; tofu ; and minced pork.  The tofu is carefully cut into small long pieces, and deep fried till golden in colour.

In a big wok, stir fry the minced pork till its half cooked.  Then put in all the ingredients except the taugeh.  Keep on stir fry till everything is cooked.  Don’t add any water.  Lastly, add in the taugeh, and a substantial amount of pepper powder and salt to taste.

As the ingredients sweat during the cooking, the broth need to be strained out.  Otherwise, the popiah would be too damp and slurry, and caused the popiah crêpes to rupture. 

first, place some filling on the lower corner of the popiah crepe ...
add chili sauce ...

roll up the crepe a bit ...

fold-in both left and right corners ...

proceed to roll the crepe ...

finish !

Popiah, as my family fondly call it, is prepared especially during CNYs.   As we skipped meals while busying visiting ( 拜年 ) relatives and friends, popiahs are eaten to fill in the no-so-hungry stomach.   Besides, everyone was lazy to cook anyway.

CNY : 煎年糕

年糕

年糕切片后粘面糊

油煎好的年糕

CNY : Kuih Kapit

Kuih Kapit is another traditional Malay kuih somehow managed to find its way into Chinese homes.   In our home, it is called “kuis’pit”, a derivative from the word ‘kuih kapit’, I guess.

I have never participated in the making of kuih kapit, but I’ve heard the story and the process for so many times, ( thanks to my mother )  that I can visualize the process, as though I've already mastered the kuis’pit making .

The main ingredient of kuih kapit are of course flour, sugar, and eggs.   Most of the times, coconut milk is added to make it more fragrant.

The ingredients are mixed into a watery batter.  Then, the batter is pour onto the scissor-like round metal plate, and kapit.  ( kapit in Malay means ‘clamp’, thus the name kuih kapit ).  After heated over charcoal for a while, the metal plate is open and the cooked-round-thin-layer batter is remove and double-fold into a quarter or rolled into a cylinder.    The folding or rolling must be done in a jiffy, while its still hot and soft.  Once its cool, it will hardened, and its impossible to shape it anymore.

Every year, one or two weeks before CNY, Grandma from Matu will send us a tin of rolled kuih kapit.  The kuih need to be stored in an air-tight container.  The most easily available one are metal tin used to store biscuits.  (  Those tins are almost obsolete now )

We used to suck MILO or milk, using a cylinder kuih kapit, as though it is a straw.  Of course, it will softened and shatter soon after in contact with liquid.  So, we will need 4-5 kuis’pit to finish a cup of MILO.  

CNY : 鸡蛋糕 Bahulu

Bahulu is a traditional Malay cake made of mainly sugar, flour and eggs.  It is normally made during festive season, but now its easily available in the market.  

Although Wikipedia says that it’s a Malay delicacy, I remember fondly as a child, my Grandma in Julau made this kuih for CNY.  It is called 鸡蛋糕 ( literally means ‘egg cake’) in Hokkien dialect.  We the cousins will help her with the chores.  It was fun as we can play with fire. 

Those days, the batter was cooked in a special metal mold over charcoal.  It was indeed a dangerous task.  Fire and kids are dynamite combinations.  That’s why, I remembered still being supervised by Uncle Yii 小叔.

The shape of the cake varies, depending on the mould.   Some butter is first applied on the mould, then the batter is pour in the mould...  The mould is then covered for a few minute with a plate with heated charcoal.   Normally, a fine stick is use to stick into the cake to check if its cooked.  

CNY : 瓜子 Kuaci

 

Kuaci, 瓜子 literally means ‘gourd’s seed’, is a term collectively refers to dried or roasted seeds, sometime flovoured or salted, of sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon, luffa, cucumber or wintermelon etc, usually consumed as a snack. 

Dehulling is commonly performed by cracking the hull with one’s teeth and spitting it out while keeping the kernel in the mouth and eating it.

Kuaci is reported to have many nutritional properties, but I do not intend to discuss it here.   Its significance in culture is sometime more amusing.  In Chinese community, kuaci is always related to ‘多子多孙’,  ‘fruitfulness’, ‘abundant offspring’ … thus its served during CNYs, and weddings.

迟来的端午

6月15日。端午

大伙们说要吃粽子，最好是自己裹的。

短讯发了出去，竟有十人积极回应。不过今年五五端午落在阳历6月15日，星期三。个个都是大忙人，一周之正中更不可能裹粽子。于是定于6月29日，星期天，午餐后。

6月16日。

端午翌日到Jusco购货。幸好遇见粽叶大清货。买了糯米2kg.。却寻不着栗子、香菇。

6月23 日。

忙了一周、、亦懒了一周，巧遇Jusco Day，买了些瘦肉、花肉，还是买不到栗子、香菇。看来是要动用私家货了。

6 月25日。

瘦肉、花肉腌了五香及酱油二味，切细。

香菇切丝。

香葱切细，爆香。

加入腌肉、香菇，慢火炒至熟。加大量盐、酱油、胡椒粉调味。备用。

水煮栗子。备用。

洗粽叶，浸泡水中。备用。

6月29日。

糯米浸水30分钟，沥干，油炒。加酱油、胡椒粉、盐、五香粉调味。

幸好有几个裹粽子高手在场。大伙儿快手快脚就把约40 粒粽子裹完。

裹好的粽子，放进mini 气压锅，30分钟就煮熟了。

40 粒，4次煮，4句钟。

从下午2时到滂晚6时，10人各尝了自己亲手裹的粽子，又打包2至3粒，满载而归。

CNY : 白粿

白粿，又称年糕片，原是福建省莆田市山区群众逢年过节和喜庆筵宴的一道风味菜肴，现在是莆田美食之一。.

白粿是用白棱米制作而成，其品质远胜于市场上的普通白粿。

棱稻为梗稻的一种，生长期长、产量低，因而种植面积不多，但其米质的韧性、粘性和香味特优，是制白粿的稻米，莆田城里、涵江人称这种白粿叫“山里白粿”。.

干白粿片可以水煮、炒、火锅、蒸均可食用。



早市的湿白粿



干白粿


 

CNY : 年糕沾椰丝

年糕是农历年的应时食品。年糕与“年高”谐音，寓意着人们的工作和生活一年比一年提高。

年糕是用糯米粉蒸成的糕，煮后不腻，干后不裂，久藏不坏。虽易生霉，洗洗切切后，又可入肚 ！(吃不死人，挺多泻肚) 不过干年糕硬如砖，不易切，非用大刀大俎不可。

中国地宽人多，年糕种类也多钟多样。除了有北方的白糕、塞北农家的黄米糕、江南水乡的水磨年糕、西南的糯粑粑，台湾的红龟糕，福州白粿年糕，广东年糕，海南年糕等，还有日本鏡餅年糕，韩国年糕。吃法更也穷出不尽。

家乡的年糕吃法是同面粉浆 油炸，一片片的金黄色，聚色香甜于每一口。Yum yum !!

近日有幸尝到另一食法，就是沾椰丝吃 ...

先将年糕切片，水蒸至软...

用筷子卷起...


沾些椰丝...

粘粘甜甜的年糕，配上新鲜的椰丝，不妨试一试！