Chinese Sticky Cake

I am back to the west! Miss home and blog very much. Haven't been able to work at all because we had been busy cooking, eating and catching up with each other. The eve and first day of New Year was spent at my in-laws house. On the second day we drive back to my mom's place for dinner and visited couple of my relatives. Ops, not to forget barbeque in hot and humid weather.

In my previous post, I shared about tradition or believe during Spring Festival. These are only a few which is popular. Another tradition that I would like to share is about the Kitchen God. According to legend, one week before the Spring Festival begins, the Kitchen God returns to heaven to report on a family's behavior during the previous year. A negative report by the Kitchen God means a family will suffer from bad luck during the year to come.

To ensure a favourable report from Kitchen God, the custom evolved of feeding him Sticky Cake. This bribe is to make sure that the Kitchen God's mouth was too stick or too sweet to report unfavourable comment about the family. Traditionally, Sticky Cake is made with brown sugar (to make it sweet) and glutinous rice flour (to make it sticky).

What You Need

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups glutinous rice flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup chopped dates (preserved plums, jujubes or candied orange peel can be used instead)

What You Do

1. In a small pan, boil water.
2. In a mixing bowl, add brown sugar and stir in boiling water to make a syrup. Let cool.
3. Add flour, egg and milk and stir to blend.
4. Knead the dough until smooth, then mix in chopped sweets.
5. Pour batter into a lightly greased 7" shallow cake pan.
6. Steam for about 45 minutes, or until edges move away from the pan.
7. Let cool before unmolding.

I am not a Sticky Cake lover but my in-law and mom will remind me to bring home a couple to put it in the kitchen till the 15th day of the Spring Festival. After the Kitchen God had its feast, I would normally fried it with egg and flour and served it as fritters. Hope that I will get an excellent appraisal this year :-)

Technorati Tags: Nian Gao,Spring Festival

Spring Festival

This Sat, we will be leaving far to the east for another New Year celebration. Don't worry, I am free from Alzheimer. Just that this New Year celebration are rather unique for Chinese. As a Chinese born in Singapore, I will celebrate a number of traditional celebration around the globe from Christmas, Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival), Deepavali (an Indian celebration), Aidilfitri (a Muslim celebration), Easter etc... This is what I called multiracial.

I missed Spring Festival dearly. Not much about all the tradition but rather the opportunity to meet up with my close families. Ops not to forget my in-laws.

Taking about tradition. There are so many superstitions during the New Year period that can drive you crazy. Just name a few:

1) Sweets are eaten to ensure a "sweet" year. If you are diabetic, don't forget to pop in extra pill on that day.

2) Getting a hair-cut in the first lunar month puts a curse on maternal uncles. If you don't like your uncles, get a hair cut.

3) Washing your hair on the first day is considered to be washing away your luck. Hang on to the dirty scalp.

4) Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck. Go barefoot when your shoes are spoilt.

5) Avoid clothes in black and white as black is a symbol of bad luck and white is a traditional Chinese funeral colour. No wonder Michael Jackson have been surrounded by so many problems. Bad luck for the black and white guy.

6) Buying books is bad luck. Don't read!

Did I mentioned that this festival ends on the 15th day? Yes, 2 weeks of crazy believes.

Technorati Tags: Festival,Celebration

Stop War

Lately in the international front, Israel war against Hamas has been frontline. More than a thousand residents had been killed in the war which include children. I am very dishearten seeing how this barbaric action can still exist in today's world.

I teach Chloe in a way that she will loves others like the way she loves her teddy bear. Today when she saw the news about the war and children who are injured, she asked "Mommy, what is wrong with the baby?"

"They are injured, baby. Painful."

"Why are they injured? What is that? Very loud sound" she asked about the rocket fire shown in the TV

"It is the sound of war. Everyone is unique and sometimes people may disagree. When this disagreement involved a nation, sometimes they fight in a war and causes the children to be hurt."

"Why do they want to fight? Don't they love each other? Why didn't they say sorry and forgive each other"

"I don't know dear. Why don't we just lend a hand by donating to the children? What do you think?" trying to divert Chloe's attention from this complicated world.

"Mommy can I give them my teddy bear? Teddy will make them happy and painless"

"That's a great idea"

"Mommy, can I build a big car for them? They can drive here and play with me" starting to pack her teddy bear and Lego.

"Sure baby"

"Can they sleep with me then?"

..... I am speechless. I just wish that the real world is as simple as a child's world. What is your take in this situation?