:+: Happy Rice Dumpling Day :+:

Here's a happy looking Rice Dumpling.

Wishing all Happy Zhang (Rice Dumpling) Day~

Duan Wu Jie aka Dumpling Festival or Dragon Boat Festival is a day to remember the poet Qu Yuan, who was a loyal official in the court of the Chu Kingdom in old China. Other officials told lies about Qu Yuan to the emperor. The weak emperor believed the evil officials and asked Qu Yuan to leave the court. Over 20 years, the Chu kingdom got weaker. Qu Yuan was very sad that his beloved country was controlled by another country, the Qin Kingdom. He then decided to end his life by jumping into the river aka suicide. Fisherman who heard that Qu Yuan drowned himself in the river set sail on boats to look for his body. When they could not find it, they threw rice wrapped in bamboo leaves into the river so that the fish in the river would eat the rice instead of his body. The traditions of dragon boat races and eating rice dumplings on Duan Wu Jie thus begin.

- www.nhb.gov.sg -

Every year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar calendar (sometime in June as today), Rice Dumpling is specially eaten on this particular day. On this day too, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated. I remember last time, we used to have those boat race at Waterfront, Kuching. But then, I don't hear about it anymore. *sigh*

:+: Nyonya Rice Dumpling @ RM2 :+:

This Bak Zhang is bought from a lady who sells at Kopitiams. We bought from her at Sin Poh Poh Kopitiam. Every Sunday, around 9am she'll be walking around the kopitiam with a basket of Panggang (Glutinous rice with sambal filling @ RM1) and a basket of Bak Zhang. We would buy from her everytime we have our breakfast there. Her Nyonya Bak Zhang is very delicious. Not too kiam siap on the filling too. A lot of meat in there. XD

Here's a picture of her. XD

:+: Mrs Easter Bear :+:

Happy Easter to all..

Easter Day isn't Easter Day without Easter eggs and chocolates.

I remembered 8-10 years ago I participated in Easter egg painting at Sarawak Club, and I got 1st. *gejeng gejeng* I won a hamper full of chocolates. So happy orh.. haihzz.. Those were the days.. Hope to participate in Easter Egg Painting contest again lar... Probably next year, i tie my hair like a 10 years old and dress like one too. Hahaha...

:+: Easter Buddies :+:


:+: Easter Couple :+:


:+: Mrs Easter Bear :+:



:+: Stripped Mrs Easter Bear :+:


:+: Operated Mrs Easter Bear and found a growth in her XD :+:

:+: Happy 15 Meh :+:

Happy Chap Goh Meh
to all..

:: One of Dad's specials: Drunken Prawns ::

Celebrating 15 Meh earlier this year 'cause I won't be in Kuching on THE day. Lol..

My older relatives said that 15 Meh is also the Chinese Valentine's Day..

:: Tim Kam (throw Mandarin Orange) Ceremony ::
So called the tradition whereby the guys waited under the bridge in the river (I think they sit in the sampans) and the ladies will throw mandarin oranges with their names on it from the bridge. =o!

So, I guess that's how they meet their 'fated' partners.

Imagine me doing this.. I bet people row their sampans away before getting hit by my suay Kam.

Beautiful Yummy Mooncakes

First of all, I would like to apologize for not blogging for quite some time.

Secondly, I would like to Congratulate my aunty on the Official Opening of her company, Fabulous Holidays.

Here are some pictures of today's event.

I really like this lily and 'gebra'
(i think that's what that red flower's called. XD)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

(more pictures soon)

Anyway, Mooncake Festival is coming soon. It's tomorrow. Sooooo Soon orh.. hehe..

Can't wait till tomorrow night comes. I want to play lantern. Am not too old for it ler.

Before I forget, I would like to wish everyone a very

HAPPY MOONCAKE FESTIVAL

Get your lanterns ready.. Get your tummy ready for sweet mooncakes. huahuahua...

Here are some pictures of mooncakes in which I think, DEFINITELY cannot be found here in Kuching.

Enjoy...

Taiwan Mooncakes 2006

Tang Yuan Festival

Tang Yuan are round balls of glutinous rice (sticky rice), sometimes rolled around a filling of sesame, peanuts, vegetable, or meat. Some are sweet and some are not.Tang Yuan are often cooked in red-bean or other kinds of soup. The round shape symbolizes wholeness and unity.

I went through many websites about Tang Yuan. There are all talking about tang yuan is one of the dish during the winter and connected to the Lantern Festival. hmm.. Weird ne..

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I came across an article from The Star. Check it out below:

‘Tang yuan’ to welcome winter

BY ONG YEE TING

PENANG: Today, the Chinese celebrate Dong Zhi or the Winter Solstice Festival, marking “the arrival of winter”.

FAMILY EFFORT: Ong B Chen (left) and her sister B Bee making the ‘tang yuan’ in Georgetown Wednesday.

One of the must-haves for the festival is the marble-shaped tang yuan, or glutinous rice ball.

The name of the traditional dessert carries much meaning for the Chinese as it sounds like tuan yuan (reunion).

Yuan, which means “round” or “a circle”, is also an auspicious word that suggests yuan man (perfection).

As such, said tang yuan-seller Ng Suan Kooi, families would gather together on Dong Zhi in the old days and make the glutinous rice balls to remind themselves that they were a family unit.

“But now modern families are too busy to make the effort to prepare the dough, cook the syrup and make the tang yuan themselves. This is where we come in to do the job for them,” she said.

Ng, 50, who has been selling tang yuan for 12 years at Pulau Tikus here, said the sweet dessert was especially popular during the festival.

“It’s more convenient for people to buy ready-to-eat ones instead of going through the hassle of making them.

“During the festival itself, I have to use 60kg to 70kg of dough to cater to the huge demand compared with 1kg on a normal day,” she added.

She said the dessert had grown even more popular these days.

“Instead of eating it once a year, you can now get tang yuan any time,” she added.

In the Chinese calendar, the festival falls six weeks before Chinese New Year. A popular expression among the older Chinese to refer to the end of a year and the coming of the next one is: “Chi tang yuan, da yi nian (Eat tang yuan and grow older by a year).”

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For this year's Tang Yuan Festival, I made some tang yuans too.

First, mix the glutinous rice flour and water.

Roll the 'dough' into small little balls.

Boil the little balls. After that, mix with peanut powder and sugar, or just add sugar into the soup.

For dinner, we had steambot at home with family members. My grandparents, aunty and her boyfriend joined us. Yum Yum~~ Cook what you want to eat. Eat as much as you want. *slurps**slurps*