This weekend will be a busy weekend for me, not really because of all the visiting we will have to fulfil (there are in fact less visiting chores this year), but because I am packing in a long list of things I would like to do during the long weekend off from work. Baking brioches, baking cookies, hiking etc. I certainly wish I had more time!
A week more to Chinese New Year in Singapore. Everyone is looking forward to a better year ahead – so am I.
This dish was delicious. Absolutely wonderful. The amalgamated flavours and taste of the blackpepper and garlic brought this dish up by many levels. Once you take a bite of the prawns, you would be able to understand why this dish was so worth the while. And it is simple to make, no fuss at all!
Vermicelli, also long as longevity noodles, is used as the main ingredient in this dish of longevity mee suah, prepared for the birthday boys and girls to wish them a long and healthy life. Many Chinese families still cook this dish on birthday occasions in place of a cake, which, in my opinion, is much more practical than a birthday cake as it feeds a person and an entire family well as a meal and isn’t unnecessarily expensive. The tradition stems from the Hokkien dialectal group but is a practice that is commonly seen in many other dialectal groups as well.
Otak otak is a dish of fish cake that is grilled or steamed in banana leaves, originating from Indonesia. It is a widely popular dish in Southeast Asia, especially during barbeque parties or events where a grilling pit is available to cook it as it is easy to cook through, readily available from wholesale centers and supermarkets, and an easily digestible, bite-sized snack to have while chatting with friends and family members.
