Home-made Wine

Shirley has skills envied by many.

She is good at all sorts of cuisines; English, Chinese and some Malay ones I believe.

Why? Because she was once a Domestic Science teacher. The cliche once a teacher, always a teacher cannot be more true here.

So today she graciously offered to pass down her skills in wine making ; to be more precise; Chinese wine. It's a rare opportunity and to plough through the massive traffic jam is only a small matter. The non-working ladies gathered eagerly to see her in action.

Here it goes.

The process is simple.

To get about 4 bottle of this white rice wine, the following ingredients are needed.

3 kg of glutinous rice ; steamed and cooled before use. 

100 gm of red rice or "hong kok" if a red hue is preferred; often the red rice residue formed through the fermentation process is an added flavour to cuisines.

However this is optional.

We did not use this for the recipe this morning.

Shirley has a large glass container with cover which she sterilised to keep bacteria at bay for successful fermentation. You can get it at PJ Old Town.She also has a piece of plain muslin cloth and sewed a muslin bag for use later.

Besides preparing the steamed glutinous rice, get 7 pieces of sweet wine biscuits or  often known as 'chow peng' and 2 pieces of 'lat chow peng'. The sweet one is round in shape whereas the other one is in  a cylindrical shape. Go to any Chinese medicinal hall and they will be able to entertain you.

Crush the wine biscuits into fine particles with a hammer. When finely crushed, it is ready for use.

Next, loosen the steamed glutinous rice and the expert used a plastic bag to lay the rice in the container. When the first layer is done , add a spoonful or two of the crushed wine biscuits.

After adding the biscuits, pile up another layer of glutinous rice followed by spoonfuls of the wine biscuits. If you had wanted to use the red rice, sprinkle over the steamed rice layer by layer too.

Shirley's deft fingers very quickly laid the steamed rice and wine biscuits layer by layer and soon the glass container is now filled till 3/4 full.

See, beautifully and professionally done.

The scientific explanation is connected to the fermentation process of the glutinous rice which then produced the wine after a period of time. 

The muslin cloth is placed over the opening and the cover is lightly put over it at an angle which allows air to circulate in the glass. It will be in this position for 7 days. On the seventh day, give 3 big hurls of turning the mixture which by now is softened. Then carefully spread the muslin bag over the container for another 28 days. Do not move the glass container but let the mixture brew at the same spot over the span of time.

The neat and meticulous cook has even prepared a tube ready to transfer the fermented wine from the glass container to smaller bottles for use and keep. She sees to the minutest details.

When allowing fermentation to take place, it best to choose a cool and shady room. Maybe it is old folks tales, but a careless attitude and wrong handling of the process may not see to a successful harvest. Therefore, I wish you all the best for a good harvest when you try this recipe.

Have fun and thank you Shirley for sharing.

If you need to carry out confinement duties overseas, this is surely a god-sent recipe,

A Last Resort

Sara's Pet.

When she was a little girl, she used to received furry stuff; kangaroos, teddy bears, cats, dogs and the list. But you will grow out of them and soon they will be stored away. A stuffed toy tucked away for more than 2 decades is hard to find but eureka we still have one of them. What do we do with some of them? Recycle? Give away? We found a new use.

Dad's outdoor ceiling is high; he loves the tropical feel and would not agree to anything less. It's difficult to convince him about buildings and looks and I have given up long ago. I know where my strengths are and my weaknesses too. So, we learn to keep quiet when the forte is not there.

His high ceiling does provide a challenge though. 

What is the challenge you may ask?

No, not the cleaning part only.

Guess it.

Bird droppings.

The birds chirp beautifully in the mornings but they leave behind droppings that are detestable. It's not fun to have to get rid of them each day. The birds get bolder by the day. 

So, what do we do with them?

I know in Muar some homes face the same problem because I have seen residents hanging used cds to scare away the birds.

Yes, to scare them away. 

Sometimes dad's memory is good when a need arises.

Where is Sara's pet cat?

We dug it out !

It looks real, doesn't it?

There the perfect scare.

The watchdog of the house.

Not afraid of the rain and sun.

What a good use.

But the best news.

No droppings this morning.

That's why I am sharing with you the good news.

Try it, friends.

The Coveted Soup

 The Traditional Mandate.

Maybe this is a repeat. But even if it's one, it's worth it because consuming it is always a pleasure. So for Chinese mothers, mothers-in-law, mothers to be and confinement help, let's have a go at it again.

The Rice Wine Chicken soup.

Bottled in this manner, the rice wine is popular in Chinese homes, especially when there is an impending birth in the near future . This rice wine can be used for cooking and for some, even sipping it before bedtime gives them the kick. However, I have been informed that the home-made wine is illegal and can only be brewed for private consumption ? If the tradition is discontinued the Chinese home has actually lost an art. So, I think this must never be taken off the shelf.

 Perhaps I should learn to prepare it too?

Essential for this soup is ginger and sesame oil.

For a whole chicken it is good to have 3/4  bowl ( rice bowl) of ginger and 2 gloves of garlic; minced.

With about 3 tablespoons of sesame oil and a spoonful of vegetable oil, heat it up before adding the minced ginger and garlic. Fry them till fragrant and the well fried aroma is indication to add chicken pieces.

 Do not be in a hurry to fry the chicken pieces but patiently stir fry till chicken is well fried ; say about 15-20 minutes.

Then add in the rice wine ; for a whole chicken it is best to add in the whole bottle of wine.

Then you may add in a bowl or two of plain water to lessen the alcohol content. Depending on the taste of the wine; some are sweet while others may be sour; you have to add in some sugar and salt to taste.

On a wok, it should look like the above and transfer it to a pot and simmer over a small fire.

If the chicken is  free range , you may have to simmer longer than a non free one. Some do not prefer the chicken to be too soft ; so watch over it and taste intermittently before switching off the fire.

You can serve it plain with rice; promise you'll want more.

I have also added some fried eggs  at times; some even may add black fungus. All these extras will improve the taste further. But for confinement mothers, the plain version will do.

Besides chicken, some will use hog kidneys for breakfast for mothers who have just given birth.

The rice wine is a versatile ingredient to complement Chinese cooking .

It is good to have a bottle at any one time. 

Enjoy your chicken rice wine soup.

My Mother's Recipe

 The Teo Chew Duck commonly known as `Lor Ark`.

Mum's forte is this dish. Every Lunar festival her children crave for it and consume it for 3 meals a day; be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. So, today I took it upon myself to try and cook it. I thought I too have to pass this recipe down to the next generation and my girls had better learn it. It is easy to get this dish in Singapore and Malaysia. But when you are overseas, it is good to know how to prepare it or you will never get a chance to taste it at all.

So, here it goes.

 Mum says 2 items are essential for this dish; five spice powder and the galangal or lengkuas

 (ginger family).

 Marinate the bird overnight with salt and five spice powder.

 Add 2 to 3 spoonfuls of sugar to some oil and stir it until it caramelizes.

Next switch off the fire.

Cover the wok and add water. This may cause the heated oil to fly all all over. 

The cover is essential to prevent any disaster.

 Next, you add thick , black caramel sauce and some five spice powder ; stirring it for a while.

 Then place the marinated bird into the mixture over a small fire. 

Keep covering the bird with the sauce and add bay leaves to accentuate the taste.

 Keep stirring the sauce over the duck for about an hour till duck is cooked and evenly covered with the dark caramel sauce. 

You may add pork belly strips to enhance it further.

 Remove the cooked duck and place it on a plate. 

Add galangal pieces into the bishop of the bird and let it cool.

 Meanwhile, boil some eggs.

Fry some tou fu pieces.

 Put in the eggs, toufu and pork belly individually till evenly coloured.

The dish is almost ready.

Chop the duck into smaller pieces and simmer it over a small fire till tender. Add in the eggs and toufu and the dish is ready to be served.

 Enjoy your meal.

The old belief is still true.

 A recipe may be given but it is the cook that makes the difference.

Try the recipe and pray for the best.

This teo chew recipe can be improved through many attempts.

Practice does make perfect.

Learning Again

 What to do?

 Perhaps the most painful thing after retirement is not knowing what exactly to embark on.

I know my days ahead will be quite a handful as I await patiently for the arrival of a new born.

Yet, the days here right now have to be spent well. It is difficult to digest the fact that I am of no economic value anymore. Days of the past were associated with a routine and even holidays are paid ones. It is not easy to accept that I am now no longer able to be on a regular job. But why do I have to work again? A silly question but nevertheless a relevant one. So, I am looking for things to do.

 As I unpacked my things, I looked at this school bag of mine with much nostalgia. This bag had accompanied me for many years; it carried my files, tupperwares of food and drink and I have never left home for school without it. It had served me well. It was with many memories as I tucked it aside in the store.

Then I saw this photo; a reminder that I have actually retired.

The memory was good.

 It was a tremendous 60th birthday celebration. I must thank my country for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and retire in the best possible way. I had so many friends and loved ones around me on my birthday. How to thank everyone ?

At a quiet dinner at home where my children surrounded me, I was pampered with a home-made cake by Sara. Look at the detailing of the cake. Can you guess the names of the images? Grace, Esther, Sara?

An evening of unbelief. I am finally 60.

But the best is to be with the lot ... they call themselves The Golden Girls. Yes, I need to look for that lot! The retirees. The first thing to do is to be in touch with old friends and be part of the group. The meeting was conducted in a mall over breakfast. Do you know any of them? Pn Looi cheekily commented; " so nice, no need to take instructions from you "...hahahahahaha. 

By the way it is really nice not to give instructions !

So, the latest information went around and it is indeed good to be in touch again. 

When one retires, the first thing to do is to be in touch with all again. It is sad to be alone. 

So, organize parties, call your friends and stay relevant.

The first lesson; do not be a hermit.

Retired

Retirement.

Does it really happen?

I wonder...

Today is the first day I feel I have retired as I was pretty caught up with my mother last week. My thoughts are all over. Is this it? What should I do with myself? They say everyone should have a retirement plan. I believe a retirement plan should include leisure, fun and fulfillment.

But I also believe a retirement plan should be one that can make you feel useful. Does usefulness mean being economically  productive again? Or does it mean giving your time to help loved ones and others? I wonder again. Perhaps I will be able to find the answer as I go along.

But today horror of all horror, I woke up at 5am again. My system has been tuned it to school hours surely. The first thoughts were ... are the children gathered? Then I remembered the lyrics...Let it go. So, I am gonna do the needful. Arrange my closet and throw away working clothes and pick my favourite casual ones; for a start.

I will find things to do.

Have a good day.