Cheat Eat

Goodbye Grandma

Your life might be simple but it was well lived. We are all going to miss you.

Gui Hua Jiu Niang Tang Yuan 桂花酒酿汤圆

Happy Dong Zhi! Today, we had tang yuan in two styles. There is the usual tang yuan in brown sugar syrup and this: tang yuan with jiu niang, a kind of fermented glutinous rice popular in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang region of China.

I first tasted jiu niang tang yuan in Shanghai. The winey rice grains and chewy tang yuan in a hot, sugary broth served with a dollop of osmanthus syrup 桂花酱 was perfect to warm the body on a freezing winter day.

A few months ago my aunt had sent me some wine yeast so that I can make my own jiu niang. This first attempt was not very successful as the rice mixture had over ferment. It was edible but the texture was not quite right. I will need to try a few more methods before posting a workable recipe.   

While the jiu niang did not turn out that well, the homemade osmanthus syrup was a hit. The floral, apricot scented sweetener is a delicious addition to jiu niang, tea and even yogurt.

Christmas Bread Making

It has been a few months since I touched a bread dough so this class on Christmas breads was a much needed refresher. Kneading and baking undisturbed in a professional kitchen can be very therapeutic. We learned how to make plaited bread shaped and decorated like Christmas wreaths. Stollen the way I like it, with just a sprinkle of icing sugar and no marzipan. Also my favourite Christmas bread:   

Menu For Hope III - Food And Zen

During this festive season while we indulge in good food, let us not forget that there are still many people suffering from hunger and poverty. This year, Menu for Hope III is raising funds for the UN World Food Programme which provides aid to refugees and others in need.

The campaign runs from the 11th to the 22nd of December. Every US$10 donated gets you one raffle ticket. The prizes contributed by food bloggers around the world are like a foodie's wildest dream comes true: cook books, exotic food, meals at restaurants and experiences with well known food bloggers and chefs.

Creatuve Zen V Plus (Prize Code: AP47)

I am donating a brand new 2GB Zen V Plus made by the Singapore based Creative Technology. Winner of the CNET Editors' Choice Award, the Zen V Plus is a pocket sized music, photo and video player featuring a vivid, full colour 1.5" OLED display and superior sound quality. Use it to listen to favourite songs and radio stations while you cook. Watch short video clips of food programmes on the go. Show off photographs of dishes you have made or eaten at restaurants. With a 2GB capacity, that's at least 30 hours of songs and hundreds of photographs. The Zen V Plus is also user friendly, even for someone as the biggest tech idiot ever technologically challenged as I am.

In addition to the Zen V Plus, the lucky winner will also receive a mystery food related bonus prize. It may be my favourite cookbook, store bought delicacies, home made goodies or even kitchen tools. So buy a raffle ticket or two or more and bid for Prize Code AP47 now!

Find out what other prizes Asia-Pacific food bloggers have donated at Grab Your Fork. The main world wide round-up can be found at Chez Pim.

Here's how the raffle works:

Custard Apple

Photograph of the Father's precious custard apple tree courtesy of the Brother who was playing with his fancy new camera. Now I think I want a new camera too.