My sister-in-law loves trying out recipes to bake cakes, cook different foods, even make breads and soya bean milk, as well as growing her own vegetables! I would say she has the passion for cooking first, while the distrust of ingredients used and overall hygiene related to the preparation of foods serve as a catalyst to try and make things herself. Yet, she is known to eat out more often than us, and is the source of information as to where to eat certain special foods.
Anyway, the topic of making moon cakes cropped up and SP mentioned about the 'East meets West' recipe by Amy Beh which she wished to try out. Instead of buying ready made fillings, doctor advised dietitian to make her own 'lotus seed' paste, for instance. Later specialist doctor husband commented that his wife would look at a recipe and try cutting out fat, sugar and other unhealthy ingredients by half to see if it looks ok. However, dietitian would rather have it according to original recipe if she were to make it.
We took the trouble to buy the ingredients, even bought from a cheaper source when it was found prices in specialist shop were much higher. Cheng was supposed to help her but the plan did not materialize when a surprise visitor turned up from afar.
Cheng's many appointments with friends from different years had to be changed to suit any new circumstances. Her sister came back to BG because she told her to, yet she had to see off her friend in KLIA and spend the next few days in PJ, while Nee tried to fix up with her school friends. When one of them did not make it, the other was reluctant to. So it was much to mum's pleasure that she had a replacement to keep her company when trying to make the various types of moon cakes. The last time she tried was soon after attending a course, 11 years ago! I cannot blame her because of the trouble and time one has to take to make moon cakes. For the pastry, it needs 5-7 hours before it could be used! This explains the rising prices of moon cakes each year.
This morning, I had the opportunity to try out the first piece with 'lotus seed' paste filling and it tasted almost like a commercial one, though the appearance looked amateurish because it did not look as smooth and shiny. There are others with salted egg yolk, and pineapple fillings, to try out later. Husbands of health conscious wives who love to cook and bake have to act as tasters and faced with more of the same for the next few days!
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