Free-Balling

Winter Solstice IV
Swiped from williamnyk.

Dong Zhi falls on a Tuesday this year, so my mum decided to make the big celebration on Sunday. It's supposed to be an important celebration where family reunions are supposed to happen. It's said that 冬大于年, meaning that it is more important than the Chinese New Year. However, the inverse happens. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that there's a holiday for CNY and it is a giant economic exercise. During our Saturday round at the wet market, mum bought lots of fresh ingredients for the dinner and the glutionous rice floor for the 湯圓. On the night before, we rolled up the dough into little bite-sized balls. Some were coloured blue with some natural colouring from flowers. They turn an even deeper shade of blue after cooking. In one of her rare moods for something new, mum attempted to make some with peanut filling. A real challenge of getting everything in while avoiding the skin from breaking! Mine ended up with some "pimples". At my home, 湯圓 is usually eaten with jaggery and screwpine soup or savoury pork and mushroom soup (my fave!). Breaking from the norm, mum made the ginger soup version this year. Early in the morning, she knocked on my door and asked me to take pictures of her culinary masterpiece! When I was young, I would eat the number of 湯圓 that corresponds to my age... these days, I eat however much that corresponds to my allowed calorie count. :P.



Dinner was stewed pork ribs with mushrooms, steamed pomfret, prawns steamed in egg, green apple + capsicum salad, teriyaki chicken, stir-fried scallops and pan-fried salmon steak. All amazing, especially the ribs because mum added roasted pig bones and dried scallops into the pot. Cyan had a great time walloping the food with a plate Bario rice. The kid's appetite is growing bigger and bigger! Hope everyone had a fantastic Winter Solstice!

P.S.: I had leftover 湯圓 for 2 days in a row!