10 Things I Miss of Mom's Cooking

I got a little note from Foodcrazee saying he tagged me for Meme. Yours truly here has no idea whatsoever what Meme is or stands for. After reading Foodcrazee's blog, I find it an honour to be tagged and what a incredible topic to be tagged for, '10 Things I Miss of My Mom's Cooking'. I find it a great blessing to have a mom like my mom who made sure there was always delicious food on the dining table for mealtimes and mom never miss celebrating our birthdays until we turned 18. Life practically grew around food since grandma's time and is still going strong. My list goes like that..... 1. Pork Belly Salted Fish Head Curry Mom used to make this dish and kept frozen in the freezer in smaller portions to be defrosted when needed to add flavour to our mealtimes. 2. Anchovies (ikan bilis) and Baby Cuttlefish Sambal This was another to-die-for appetizer cum sandwich filling. Mom used to spread a thick coat of butter on our bread and lace it with this particular sambal and packed it in our school lunch boxes. I can eat 6 slices of bread easily with this as filling! 3. Braised Dried Oyster with Sea Cucumber, Dried Cuttlefish, Dried Scallops, Dried Chinese Black Mushrooms and Abalone Slices This is one dish I never fail to cook during Chinese New Year since I got married. Reunion dinner is never complete without this aromatic slow-cooked braised dish. It originated from Grandma kitchen and Mom cooks it real well. 4. Grilled Stuff Sambal Belacan Mackeral Fish Just love this way of preparation, can smell the mouth-watering aroma a mile away! Mom still makes it occasionally but leave most of the cooking to me now, I guess is her time to relax and eat now. 5. Slow-Boil Clear Chicken Soup with Red Dates and Boxthorn Fruit (Kei Chee) in a Coconut This is a very tedious way of boiling soup but the result is just phenomenal. Mom had to ask the coconut seller to cut off the top of the coconut so that it closes like a pot lid over the coconut and slow-boiled over charcoal in our backyard. I think I will just stick to those precious memories for the time being. 6. Octopus Soup (Mak Yue Thong)

Used to have this soup almost every month when I was young. I guess it just happen to dissapear from the dining table altogether since my mom got acquainted with the meaning of 'Cholestral'. I remember the delicious aroma enveloping the whole house while the soup was simmering in the slow cooker and the tasty tender octopus meat. Very flavourful soup!

7. Kerabu Mee Hoon (Rice Vermicelli tossed in a mixture of finely cut fresh chili, shallot, coriander leaves, mint leaves, toasted belacan and fried shredded coconut)

This is basically a vermicelli salad that needs no cooking skills but slicing skills, I'm afraid.

8. Devilled Food Cake

This is a dark rich moist chocolate cake with mashmallow icing. Fabulous cake! I remember she made this for me to bring to school for 'last day of school party'.

9. Grandma's Har Kwai (meat pies)

These meat pies were created by my Grandma and was traditionally carried down by my mom and now I have the recipe (still on the to do list). It has chopped liver, pork, turnip, black chinese mushrooms, onions and lard as the filling. I really miss this! what can I say but to make it myself one day.

10. Giant Chili Cockles

We love cockles, eat them in many ways too. Mom's delicacy is to fry these giant cockles flesh in a garlic and chili paste until they're scrunchy with all the rich chili flavours. I can hardly find such fresh juicy giant cockles nowadays.

I have got so many more but 10 it is for this meme. Notice those with photos? Those are the only ones I have adopted so far and have cooked them before and now in my humble blog.

I now would like to tag 5 of my fellow bloggers for this meme.

1. Eatzycath of eatzybitzy.blogspot.com

2. Gustad Mody of ironcheff.blogspot.com

3. Sea Dragon of cafeoftheeast.blogspot.com

4. Suyin of cookingismypassion.blogspot.com

5. Jadepearl of playplayinthekitchen.blogspot.com