I love Chinese New Year goodies, especially rolled-up pineapple tarts (not those open-faced cousins that look like hot cross buns) & kueh bulu.
My mum-in-law knows what my favourites are. Being a sweetheart, she will give me 1-2 tubs of her home-made CNY goodies 2-3 weeks before CNY. Her confections beat all those available outside hands down, anytime. The crumbly pastry, the delicious fillings, the soft-to-bite tarts, ooooh! I've never bought any CNY goodies since she started making them for me.
The goodies usually never make it to the actual day of Chinese New Year.
The other day, Jo brought home a small tub of Mum's kueh bulu. Excited, I opened up and after saying my prayer of thanks, I shoved one into my mouth, all ready to gobble it.
Then I looked at Jo, with a surprised expression, but unable to speak at first, as I was still chewing the kueh bulu.
Me: How come the kueh bulu is so soft?
Jo: Oh, Mum made it soft intentionally. I forgot to tell you.
Me: Aaaaah, I was all set to bite it, then I end up banging my rows of teeth together.
On another occassion, Mum gave us 4 big tubs of pineapple tarts. These were meant for our neighbour & some of the people that had helped TFL.
Jo & I were sitting at the dinner table, debating whether I can take 1 tub for my own consumption. Finally, I succumbed.
Over 2 days, the tub went from brimming full to one third full. The pure joy of biting into the freshly baked rolled up tarts with the pineapple filling brimming out is just so yummy! I was just telling Jo how much I enjoy the pineapple tarts.
Jo: Aaaah, no wonder you look tarty.
Me: Me? Tarty? What?
Jo: Yeah, because you stuff yourself silly with Mum's pineapple tarts. They are tarts. You have eaten so much, so you must be 'tarty'
He then continued to laugh at me, and at his own silly joke. -___-
I'm not sharing the tarts with him.
The kueh bulu? Oh, they arrived at my home in the evening. But erm, they never saw the sunrise.
Metta,
欣雨 Xinyu
