December 20, 2007

It is a Chinese tradition to eat 汤圆 (Glutinous Rice Ball) to welcome the Winter Season. It signifies the end of a good harvest and the beginning of the resting period because it is too cold for the farmers to tend the fields.
When I was a kid, I used to help my mum to prepare 汤圆 the night before the actual day. She'll add water gradually to the glutinous rice flour to form a soft pliable dough. Then adding a few drops of food colourant to make it more presentable. Me, myself will always make a combination of white and pink tiny 汤圆, which looks like marble balls. We'll keep it refrigerated till the next morning.
The next day mum will heat a pot of water, melt in sugar, add pandan leaves and then drop the 汤圆 into the syrup until they float to the top and it's ready to serve.
But now, we can have 汤圆 anytime we want as we have ready-made glutinous rice balls with fillings available at supermarkets, about RM2.99 per packet. We can just heat a packet of soya drink, add the ready-made 汤圆 in and enjoy!
Labels: Food, Holidays, Mad thoughts, Winter Solstice Festival