CHAPTER 17 - MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD FOOD I

Time flies ! In another 2 months, we will say goodbye to 2013 and usher in another new year. When we were children, time seemed to crawl. We waited impatiently for the 5 major festivals - Chinese New Year (some time between January to February)), the 'Zongzhi' or rice dumpling festival (around May to June) , the Hungry Ghost festival (July or August), Moon Cake festival ( September), and the Winter Solstice festival or Tungzhe or sticky rice balls - (usually 3 days before Christmas). My memories of these festivals were associated with food served during these occasions.

During Chinese New Year, my mother would serve Pak Chiam Kai or boiled chicken (yum!!), boiled pork loin, large whole fish - usually white pomfret (on normal days only small fish served), chinese cabbage, leeks, mixed vegetables, chinese sausages and meat rolls. Reader today might sniff at such fare, but to me, the spread was quite a feast - eagerly anticipated.  (On normal days for vegetables, we ate sweet potato leaves, tapioca leaves, choy sam and sometimes jungle ferns).Then there was lots of candies and cakes and of course the inevitable sticky cake or 'Nien Kau'. (Of course the angpows after dinner was another event eagerly anticipated).

When the 'Zongzhi' festival approach, mum would be busy making the rice dumplings. A large pot would be set up outside the house, behind the main kitchen. Those dumplings took hours to boil. We girls took turns to keep the fire burning, These dumpling would be shared with the neighbours. The neighbours would share with us their version of the zongzhi. We had zongzhi for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Eventually I learned to make zongzhi and introduced my own version (to the surprise of my mother).

Although there was no special food for the Hungry Ghost festival, my memories of this festival was associated with abundance of fruits and goodies. Of course there was the annual Chinese Opera Stage show which can last between 3 to 5 days (depending on the village economic status that year). We enjoyed ourselves buying food from the different stalls - rojak, tapioca keropok...etc...

Come Moon Cake festival, there would be lanterns and moon cakes. West Malaysia has a wide variety of moon cakes - the Teochew moon cake differ from the Cantonese variety or even the Hockchew variety. The Teochew variesty has flaky crust and caramalized chewy sticky filling (almost like the Lau Po Piang). We sometimes held moon cake party. Tables and chairs would be placed in the front yard. We would have a lantern procession and then after that, proceed to eat the moon cakes, drink chinese tea and crack kuachi or melon seeds.


We children had fun rolling the coloured rice dough making little balls during Tungzhe festival. Mother would prepare syrup for the rice balls. The rice balls had a sticky chewy texture and sometime we children almost choked when eating this dessert The highlight was after the festival, grandmother would make muah chee with the leftovers.