Ooohhh! How to actually wrap Bak Chang, courtesy of Teckiee of the Food Blog Eat First, Think Later.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7k06WjFe-U]
On a side note, Pascal has been chasing me to admit that what I posted up was not correct. Looks like my Granny got mix up with the Chinese New Year beliefs rather than the correct one which is the Dragon Boat Festival. Oopps! Ah well.
My cousin is having a garage sale in Perth, Australia. So, if anyone wants some cheap furniture, electronic equipment, car (!!!) and other stuff, please drop her a comment in this blog.
Besides, it’s a AUS$10 rice cooker! Ok, so it’s a bit old but it’s quanranteed to work for another 10 more years. National is a brand you can trust! Honest!
So, for parents and students and people who want to pick up a bargain, drop by her place in Perth Wollongong, Australia (so many typos these past few days).
Thanks eavies!
Hi all!
I got a note from WJ about the toxic leaves on the Bak Chang. This was a resultant of the news alert put forth by the Chinese Authorities warning of chemicals in food to make the food look better.
Now to clarify further on the pictures. It’s actually not as green as the pictures. The bigger changs are actually dark yellowish brown with a hint of green. Probably the smaller dumping is more green but even that was yellowing. When I adjusted the pictures, I didn’t tone down the green hue.
Another thing to note is that in Sarawak, people here use a broad type of pandan (screwpine) leaves to pack the Bak Chang and not the Bamboo Leaves that is used in China and West Malaysia. Only the smaller one is actually Bamboo Leaves.
According to Granny, the type of Bamboo Leaves used in China for making the Bak Chang is a type of bamboo which only grows to a short height of approximately 5 ft tall. Here, it’s Pandan (Screwpine) all the way. This explains why it’s so easy to tell when someone has eaten Chang in the room : the smell goes a long way.
Anyway, all of us at home (me, Granny, Uncle Cyril) do not eat Bak Chang regularly. It’s usually just around this time of the year. So, we’re safe and sound here.
It’s also worth noting to point out that the Chinese government has not said what actions that they will take against these hawkers. Now you know why I’m really hesitant to even visit China. Never know what will happen when I get there.
Oh yes, it’s certainly that time of the year again. One of the highlights in any food calendar. And, there’s a story (there’s always a story in Chinese Mythology) about it. Bak Chang is to make the Kitchen God not capable of speaking badly about your kitchen when he makes his report to the King of Heavens. How us Chinese came up with that, it’s beyond me. Still, Bak Chang is a very nice and tasty meal in itself.
Tasty, isn’t it? These were bought from the Tabuan Jaya Market in the evening. There were many baskets full of the stuff. According to the seller, they’re only selling today and tomorrow only as 31 May is the actual day of the celebration. Plus, they’ve just finished making 10,000 bak chang for sale! That number alone is pretty scary in itself.
These ones are small ones containing just the rice. There were version with Pork, Yam + Pork and just plain rice inside. Glutinous rice, that is.
Now this chang was expensive at RM1.90/US$0.50 each but well worth the money. There was definitely a lot of minced meat and it actually tasted good. Yum. Better than the chang that is found on usual days where there’s little meat and it’s more expensive. This one is good.
So, there’s going to be a nation full of people munching on Chang for the next few days, that’s for sure.
While cleaning my face this morning, I somehow sprain my neck. There was this horrendous click sound as I turn my neck while drying it. Ack! Now, I’m just waiting for time to pass until the clinic opens. I can feel the ache in the far away distance corner of my mind but my entire neck muscles have started to get very tense. Definitely not a good sign. I’ve been having problems feeling neck pains since my episode a few years ago with a prolapsed disc (similar to a slipped disc but just one side is protruting). So, here’s some pictures to keep you all entertained.
On another front, the number of visitors to this site has been declining steadily. But that’s alright considering that I don’t blog as much as I used to. It went from 700-800 a day to about 200-300 a day. Ah well. I had my 2-min of fame.
Oh, and some cuteness goodness today. A colleague of mine were giving out these cute itty bitty duck-shaped butter cakes. Japan definitely know how to market their stuff in wee little packages.
Sadly, again, I forgot to take a picture of how the cake look. But, it did look exactly like the picture in the little pamphlet.
How did it taste like? Well, don’t hope too much that it tastes like the cake from the bakeries. It doesn’t but for a taste of goodness, it was alright.
Now excuse me while I rush off to the doctors.
Two things today that definitely fit into the meaning of being blur.
Pascale : You did know that Wena has a blog right?
K : Really? When did she start writing it?
Pascale : For a few years now! How can you note know about it? Everyone in the dept knows!
K : . . .
Another thing is that a few years ago, I misread the conditions for Creative Commons license. Ah well. Anyway, have converted this sight back to being Creative Commons license for Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs works.