It was the eve of Chinese New Year, it’s an important day where Chinese families members gather for their sumptuous annual reunion dinner feast. And there we were, 5 of us (mama, brother, 2 sisters and myself) walking into an Indian Restaurant at Little India. All heads turned as we were seated in the middle of the restaurant. That was the eventful day I had my first unforgettable taste of the rich, smooth, creamy Palak Paneer. Continue Reading →
Seeing plenty of blog posts lately on homemade cheese got me itching for weeks wanting to make my own cheese. Making cheese at home is probably far easier than you’d expect. I was surprised to learn that most cheeses begin with the same ingredients and a similar process. Knowing me to find the simplest method, the few options without needing liquid rennet (to order online) are fresh cheese like ricotta, farmer’s cheese and paneer (indian cottage cheese). All you need is a whole lotta milk and food acid (lemon juice, vinegar, or yogurt). Didn’t I say it’s super easy? Continue Reading →
One of the fun thing about going back to my hometown is bringing back goodies. Among the things I brought back are a lovely pandan plant from my grandpa’s backyard and long forgotten cute moulds salvaged from my mama’s kitchen cabinets. I feel like a treasure hunter when I discover something I can reuse. Being a firm believer in reusing and recycling, I make full use of any old functional items I find (or borrow from friends and neighbours) instead of letting the items sit idle. What items do you reuse? Continue Reading →
I went back to my hometown Penang last weekend for the Qing Ming Festival. Qing Ming is when Chinese people visit the graves of their ancestors, to give thanks and honour the forefathers. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and “paper gifts” to the ancestors. It is also a time for family from near and far to gather and it was common to see big families having a feast at the grave sites after praying. However over the years, as more young people move to big towns and foreign countries, the numbers of people celebrating Qing Ming have dwindled. Continue Reading →
When I was young, we had a mango tree (with 3 other fruit trees) in our first house with huge land space. After we moved to a house with only enough space for 1 tree, my mama chose to plant a guava tree. Yet, we were lucky to be showered with many variety of fruits (including mangoes) from relatives and friends’ garden. Now staying in high rise apartment, how I miss those days.. that’s one of the trade-offs for living in a metropolitan city.
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