Aiyu Jelly 【爱玉冰】

I went to Taiwan with my parents en route USA, it was fun and we had lots of great food there...

One of the street food that I really enjoyed was this Aiyu jelly. I liked it so much that I decided to buy some Aiyu seeds to make this home. 

Apparently it is very easy to make, and it requires no cooking at all!

这次回乡的时候和父母去了一趟台湾玩，好久没和父母一起旅行，虽然因为孕吐胃口还是不好，没能尝试很多台湾美食， 但是旅程还是很尽兴的。

爱玉冰是少数我在台湾的时候能吃，也爱吃的小点，因为好奇也因为很喜欢，就买了些爱玉子回来自己做。原来做爱玉冰真的完全不用起炊，是个简单健康又好吃的冰点喔！

【自制红曲米酒和红糟】Home-Made Chinese Red Yeast Rice Wine and Vinesse （Foo Chow Ang Jiu & Ang Chow)

我阿嬷在生的时候每每家里有媳妇孙子要生孩子的时候，她都会亲手酿制米酒给子孙做月子，老人家每次都会多酿好几瓶给我妈，就因为知道我爱吃姜酒鸡。我阿姨那天才调侃我说，我妈坐月子的时候，一吃饭我就爱挨着妈妈讨鸡肉块吃。

现在阿嬷不在了，再也没有人给我酿米酒啦！我阿嬷不识字，食谱都是用记的，每次材料都让我妈帮忙买，所以我就打电话问妈妈材料，再根据网上的资料，生平第一次酿了红米酒。

妈妈在电话里很遗憾地说，你阿嬷在生的时候你不生孩子，不然，她都可以酿给你做月子呢！说完我们两个就沉默了。

三年半前我怀着俊宝大约六个月的时候，我就开始自己酿制红麴米酒，给自己的月子做准备。当时分几次酿制了十瓶的酒和好多的红糟。红糟我送了不少给朋友们，酒月子里只吃了几瓶，剩下的越来越醇厚，酒味越来越浓，做菜比买来的料酒香很多，非常棒！

Grandma used to make this homemade rice wine for anyone who is due for baby in the family, it is an essential for the lady's confinement we used it in every dish we cooked for the mother within 30 days after the baby is born, this period is called confinement period.

Grandma also made sure to make a few more bottles of this wine for my house, my brothers and I are big fan of Rice wine chicken.

My aunt was teasing me the other day that she remembers me asking for mum's confinement foods when mom gave birth to my youngest brother....

Now that grandma is no more. I just feel that this increasingly disappearing tradition should be remembered and recorded.

Nagaimo/Chinese Yam with Mulberry Jam Dessert

I made some mulberry jam a few days ago, and mum thought of the dessert she had in Shanghai before.

It was made with Dioscorea opposita (nagaimo, Chinese yam, Korean yam) and some fruit jam, she liked it very much as it was very nice and crunchy.

Coincidently the same day when we shop for our grocery at the local supermarket, we saw that the workers were busy displaying the fresh nagaimo/Chinese yam! We immediately bought two to try out this recipe!

Mulberry Jam

I went home to Malaysia for almost three months around Feb-April 2012. It was fun spending time with family. We celebrated my youngest brother's wedding, and welcome another bundle of joy in the family --- my first brother's youngest son, Timothy... it was such a good time back home that I almost feel bad coming back to the states.

The only good thing is that I brought mum with me this time... she wasn't used to the quietness and space here at first. She misses home so bad that she even cried one day.Thank god that as the weather gets better, gardening and walking outdoor keeps her occupied and she started to enjoy the lifestyle here...