Chrysanthemum, Chinese Delicacy Siew Mai

Chrysanthemum

( My daughter G gave me this stalk of Chrysanthemum on Chinese New Year. Actually She gave me two other flowers. )

Last night, at our social Lunar New Year Function, Siong asked what flower signifies Chinese New Year. I didn't know except I was told by the Singaporeans thathttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif on the 1st and 15th, they used it to place on their altar of the Ancestors' worshipers. Once, I bought some not on these 2 days, because I fell in love with Chrysanthemums when I was at the winter gardens in Auckland, the florist explained to me.

With an auspicious meaning for Chinese New Year, the Chrysanthemum symbolises perfection, optimism and joy. To some it is an object of meditation. Usually in yellow and orange, it comes in small and big blooms, beautifying the garden or the living room. http://jollytan.hubpages.com/hub/Chinese-New-Year-Flowers-and-Plants--Singapore

Making Siew Mai.









When I was growing up in Sibu, Borneo, we didn't have Dim Sum or Yum Char. As kids, we longed for one dish when we went for wedding or birthday banquets. It was the Siew Mai in my Cantonese dialect. Most of the restaurants were Foochows, I am not sure Siew Mai was a Cantonese specialty or a Foochow's. It is also called Sio Bee.

Later, my mum visited Singapore, and came back with the Har Gow, the translucent prawn Dim Sum. She was so good that she gave cooking demonstrations when she was the Deputy leader of the Women's Institute and Patron of the Girl guides.

The Har Gow remains our family's favourite. Partly because it was Mum's. It is extremely difficult to make. In my adult life, I made it only once. I refused to make them again because the water engineer walloped them before I could come out with the next batch. He claimed that I should feel privileged that he appreciated them so much as they were so delicious. I did not revel in flattery.

But with Siew Mai, it is by far much easier to make. Tonight, the Mt Albert Baptist Church Chinese Fellowship is celebrating Chinese New year. For a change, instead of cooking my curry, I am making Siew Mai. I haven't made them for a long time, as I had learn in cooking school, I must not say, " I haven't made them before." I am going to be bold.

Ingredients :

800 gram of ground meat (pork or chicken)
200 gram of shrimp (roughly chopped)
6 dry wood fungi (soak and cut small)
6 dry shitake mushroom (soak still soft and diced small)
4 stalk of spring onions - finely chopped
2 eggs
4 tsp of corn starch
1 tbsp of oyster sauce (Optional)
1 tbsp of soy sauce (optional)
1 tsp of sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp salt.
1 tsp of sugar.

60 pieces round dumpling wrappers, these are ready made Jiao Ji Dumplings that the Northern Chinese use. (You can roll them out yourselves,)
some green peas or grated carrot (for garnish)

1) Mix all the ingredients for the filling.
2) Cover with glad wrap, Chill for 30 minutes.
3) Spoon one teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.
4) Thinly grease the plate you are going to place your Siew Mai to steam.
5) An important step as this stops the Siew Mai from sticking to the plate.
6) Shape the wrapper up around the filling with a small space at the top.
7) Sit the Siew Mai flat at the bottom.
8) Press a green pea on the top of half the Siew Mais.
9) Press some finely shredded carrot on the top of the other half.
10) I use a rack and a special tray with holes the Chinese use for steaming.
11) Steam over high heat for 12 minutes.
12) Serve warm with chili sauce. I prefer the Thai sweet chilli sauce for chicken.
13) Arrange them alternately, one green one orange for nice presentation, and the small bowl of chilli sauce in the middle.


Verdict: All 60 Siew Mais were gone in a flash!

Comment: I think the authentic Siew Mais were made with crab roe instead of grated carrots. I wasn't going to use crab roe because I might get people say, "what's that? I am not going to eat crab roe." Besides, I am too stingy to use expensive crab roe.

Macro Flower Saturday
Macro Flower Saturday Macro Flower Saturday ">
href="http://flowers-macrophotography.blogspot.com">Macro Flower Saturday

http://blueberrycraftandhobbytime.blogspot.com/p/join-my-photo-challenge-flowers-on.html

skywatch friday and Winter Solstice aka Dōng zhì aka Guo Dong

It was mid winter, cold and crisp. But the sky was very clear.



The Winter Solstice Festival or The Extreme of Winter (Chinese and Japanese: 冬至; Korean: 동지; Vietnamese: Đông chí) (Pinyin: Dōng zhì), (Rōmaji: Tōji), (Romaja:Dongji) is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the dongzhi solar term on or around December 21 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest; i.e., on the first day of the dongzhi solar term. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

In my Cantonese dialect, it is called GUO DONG. Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of Tangyuan (湯圓, as pronounced in Mandarin Pinyin: Tāng Yuán) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion

These Tangyuan comes in various form. Most of these golf ball sized dumplings have a sweet filling like sesame seeds, peanut fillings, eaten either in a sweet syrup or dried rolled in a ground peanut powder. Of late, this festival is revived in Singapore with grand mothers and mothers invited to schools and community centres and demonstrate making these dumplings.

My small Cantonese dialect group, the Quang Nings make a ball of dumplings and we serve it with duck soup. This is served at the beginning of the special feast, in a small bowl of about 5 dumplings.

I never liked this because these glutinious dumplings are very filling, and sit in your stomach so you have no room for anything else. I kept this secret until about ten years ago, when I found out my Dad had the same idea. Mother had died prematurely at 60, and her sisters took care of Dad.

One particular year, just before my Dad died, my youngest aunt told me to take her shopping. She wanted to make these special dumplings for dad, as he had been living in Australia, and probably had not eaten these home made Tangyuan for a long time. She enthusiastically served a big bowl to Dad. Dad discretely told me to get a small bowl and give him one Tangyuan so he had symbolically eaten her precious dumplings. I LOl with him, both of us are guilty of breaking with tradition.

These days, you can buy frozen Tangyuan all the time. They no longer symbolise what they meant.

When I went to Singapore 20 years ago, there were a lot of children's Chinese singing competition. This MAI TANGYUAN or selling Tangyuan was a very popular song. Children dress up in traditional Chinese clothes. Do click on this .

http://youtu.be/BirNV2gNa2I



http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Just Juice Orchard

http://www.kiwimummyblogs.co.nz/

As part of the Kiwimummyblogs, I am invited to review products. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

It is summer here in New Zealand and hence a good time for summery fruit drinks. This Just Juice Orchard is one I would like to endorse. As a very discerning drinking, I like to have juice available during a party for people who don't drink.

I watch a lot of cooking shows, and pay attention to the judges advice that people eat with their eyes first. The new packaging of Just Juice Orchard comes in a slim, sleek package. My young 20 something friends say it is "Cool" Kudos to the designing team.

I tried all three juice, the Sun Kissed Orange, Farm Style Apple and the Summer & Kiwifruit. I served them in a tall stemmed wine glass to add the air of style.

The Farm Style Apple appealed to my taste, it is sweet but not too sweet. The Summer & Kiwifruit was very pretty.

There was something I didn't like in the orange. Besides, the moment I cast my eyes on the orange packaging, I said, Oh oh!, doesn't that resemble a old old brand from a giant country that likes to take little people to court over something that remotely resemble them? There was once small business in a small town in New Zealand who couldn't use their family name.

Otherwise, Good job and Ka pai. I like to go to a party which serves non alcoholic drink, which is healthy for you, and is very reasonable at $3.99 a litre.

Fund raiser, selling cookies

I was most impressed with this primary school boy.

He knocked on my door,
"Will you buy a pack of cookies for $2.50? It is for my school and I have the change."
He was very confident.
I asked him to wait.
I came out not only with my money,
But with my camera.
He was quite perplexed when I wanted asked him to pretend he was coming to my house, and I only wanted to take his back.
I am most impressed with him.
I know some kids would not go door to door and will ask their parents to give them the money, or ask their parents to accompany them.

Ka Pai , Good Job and Paki Paki to this little boy whose name I didn't catch.

Sunday bridges: in Mulu, Borneo

http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/


Much of Sarawak, Borneo is low lying and swampy. Many of the houses are built with stilts which my British teen aged pen friend exclaimed," Your house has legs." This is actually a clever way, when it floods, the house is safe from water.

We were in Mulu, and the resort was in the highlands. Still the buildings were built on stilts. I looked down and realised why. It was very muddy, and there were lots of roots ready to trip you. The stilts were very high, and bridges link one building to another.

We had our lunch, a soya chicken, with vegetables and a clear soup served all at the same time. We ate the Malaysian way, a spoon and a fork. The spoon we use to scoop our rice. Instead of dessert, we had fresh fruit. Sam was very happy as he loves water melon and coming from winter in New Zealand, he didn't get to eat a lot of that here. Besides water melons are very expensive in Auckland, and mean me, I don't buy often.

Sunday Bridge.

http://bayphoto.blogspot.com/


Last month, I went with friends associated with the ESOL class of t Albert Baptist Church on an outing. We went on a long train ride to the west of Auckland. At this new Swanson station, we had to cross the tracks on an overhead bridge. We had to walk two flights of stairs. There are two elevators for those who can't walk the stairs.

We walked again to Cafe Redwood, and I had this mini quiche of ham and spinach.
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Auckland Museum Atrium

This is specially for VP http://dailyphotostream.blogspot.com/. His post of Winter Garden Atrium, World Financial Center, Vesey Street, New York, September 2007 reminded me of my outing yesterday to the Auckland Domain. The stairs are round.

I have not been to the new Auckland Museum Atrium. Part of the ceiling on top of the cafe is like an inverted wooden bowl. It must have been made of New Zealand wood.

Spaghetti Bolognese

We are ethnic Chinese, but my kids grow up in the western world and they love Spaghetti Bolognese. As a dotting mum, I cook what they like to eat and then cook something Chinese for the water engineer.

I have been cooking Spaghetti Bolognese for a long time and in large batches. I have cooked to raise money for the Deaf Children in Kenya. My recipe is not authentic and do not have lots of herbs and spices.

Today, as I cook this batch of Bolognese sauce and vege spirals, I feel quite emotional. I am cooking them for a family who is faced with the sad prospects of losing a mum to cancer.

Fellow blogger Autumn Belle @ KDP comments that this year, she has become a "straw",
This is from the second verse of a Chinese Children's song;
Mommy's the only dearest in the world
without a mom you are like a piece of grass/straw
away from mom's heart,
where will you find happiness?

You can hear the song on my other blog.

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2010/05/happy-mothers-day.html

Happy Mums' Day.

Organic Vegetables: Choko tendrils and leaves.

I have a choko vine in my garden. My sister Rose came and harvested the young tendrils and leaves. A quick stir fry in garlic oil, and you have a plate of organic vegetable.

http://ann-mythoughtsandphotos.blogspot.com/2009/12/photo-hunt-curve.html

http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2008/11/memories-of-mum-and-gardening.html

For more interesting stories of the choko, click this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

You will be able to buy them in Thai markets. Choko plants grow by them self, there is no need for fertilizer or pesticides. You can harvest the fruit. This is indeed the dream plant for people who are conscious about the sprays that farmers use.

A boy's birthday cake

My friend Janet made this cake for her son's birthday. She is very clever and makes beautiful cakes and cooks delicious food.

Chinese wonton

I love food, and I love flowers. I have decided to devote this site to these two loves of my life.

This is a bowl of simple wonton soup. It is healthy and a light soup.

The wrapper or skin can be bought from any Asian food store. Buy the round shape ones for dumplings.

Fillings: Mince pork or chicken, onions, a little chopped chinese greens or cabbage, garlic, one egg, salt and oyster sauce, sesame oil. Mix thoroughly.

put a dollop of filling on to the middle of the wrapper.

brush edge with water, and seal the edge by crimping.

Drop into a pot of boiling water with some cooking oil. When the wrapper turns white, take it out.

Serve with clear soup or chicken soup.

Garnish with chopped spring onion, and/or bean sprout, Green vege,

Enjoy, this is no gourmet. Just a simple home cook food to warm your heart especially on a cold winter's evening.

(You may deep fry the wonton, use less filling is you are deep frying)