I remember CNY - Heritage
I remember CNY - Heritage
The sizzles (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sizzling) is symbolic with the arrival of Spring. The first of the many types of home-made pleasing and appealing delicacies, love-letters 蛋卷 could be made earliest because it is more durable. Love-letters is actually biscuit rolls and in Malaysia, the common name is Kuih Kapit.
In Melaka, the tools for baking Kuih Kapit are sold by shops scattered within the Java Village close to Sungai Melaka. She would check the moulds carefully because she know how the appearances of biscuit rolls with it. You could see these shops from your boat when you cruise Sungai Melaka.
After she has bought the tools, she would go to Heeren Street to select the best charcoal that burn evenly to provide the exact flame heating Kuih Kapit to its best colour and best shines. The shop she got her charcoal is near to Casa del Rio and the owner has been getting loads of charcoal from the Chinese junks that sail from the Straits Of Melaka into the upstream of Sungai Melaka. The charcoal shop supplied to the demands of residents from the Herren Street, Jonker Walk, First Cross Street, Second Cross Street, Third Cross Street, Blacksmith Street, Goldsmith Street, Kubu Street, Pantei Village. Although many charcoal buyers are Chinese of different clans, Peranakan-Chinese become the second largest buyer followed by the Orang Melayu and the Hindus.
I still remember her holding my right hand while we walked to a corner shop located
near to the Hang Jebat mausoleum, to select the best cane she would ask her children to roll the hot round biscuits. Since it was December, she would also buy cane bags to replaced our old ones when schools throughout Malaysia opened in January. At that time, no one expect the government to give aids like BR1M. (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia)
A week or two after schools resumed, she would put her attention to buy best eggs from a shop along Egerton Road. A grade A egg would cost 8 cents then compared to today's 38 cents. The most important of all, she has to buy enough Ghor Hiong Hun from a Chinese herbal shop that face the Gan Hong Hoe wet market. Ghor Hiong Hun has never been widely sold but the powder is relevant to determine the Kuih Kapit fragrance.
The fragrance promoted my Chinese New Year mood as I remember the Kuih Kapit aroma once I opened the hind door of the Ford Cortina after the driver, Mahmud stopped the car. Without procrastination, I dropped the school bag and rushed to the baking area where she was sitting on a squatting-chair to keep vigilance over the flame. I was happy to help her out and together with her other children the baking which lasted till late night was merry. Before the biscuit is ready to be rolled, a blade is used to trim the edges. The trimmed edges is eatable and it goes well with hot black coffee. Extra edges is given to hens she reared since May. These hens would be used for ancestral conduct on Chinese New Year eve and Bai Tian Gong.
During the sixties, sweets and candy were kept in glass bottles and they are cleaned and dried under the heat of the sun to clear previous odour. The rolls are stacked into the bottles piece by piece, every piece by her. She wanted to make sure the best flowery-print faces outside for love-letters chefs to make comments on her work. With comments she received she would used for the next baking for the next Chinese New Year.
I write this heritage art of biscuit making as a dedication to her and uncountless women like her in Melaka who took great attempts, interest, and efforts to further decorate the beauty of the Spring festive. 春天
In Melaka, the Chinese are lucky enough to have learned from the Baba-Nyonya, such fine art of making Kuih Kapit. The Nyonya has to strive for the standard set by her peers by producing Kuih Kapit only the Peranakan adore.
The Peranakan adore many things grained by diligence, and they have made their homes a heritage.
Visit Melaka. You will discover more than what is written here. YAB Datuk Seri Ir. Hj. Idris bin Hj. Haron and Datuk Lim Chow Beng welcome your stay in this heritage city. Melaka.
Visit Malaysia 2014.
The sizzles (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sizzling) is symbolic with the arrival of Spring. The first of the many types of home-made pleasing and appealing delicacies, love-letters 蛋卷 could be made earliest because it is more durable. Love-letters is actually biscuit rolls and in Malaysia, the common name is Kuih Kapit.
In Melaka, the tools for baking Kuih Kapit are sold by shops scattered within the Java Village close to Sungai Melaka. She would check the moulds carefully because she know how the appearances of biscuit rolls with it. You could see these shops from your boat when you cruise Sungai Melaka.
After she has bought the tools, she would go to Heeren Street to select the best charcoal that burn evenly to provide the exact flame heating Kuih Kapit to its best colour and best shines. The shop she got her charcoal is near to Casa del Rio and the owner has been getting loads of charcoal from the Chinese junks that sail from the Straits Of Melaka into the upstream of Sungai Melaka. The charcoal shop supplied to the demands of residents from the Herren Street, Jonker Walk, First Cross Street, Second Cross Street, Third Cross Street, Blacksmith Street, Goldsmith Street, Kubu Street, Pantei Village. Although many charcoal buyers are Chinese of different clans, Peranakan-Chinese become the second largest buyer followed by the Orang Melayu and the Hindus.
I still remember her holding my right hand while we walked to a corner shop located
near to the Hang Jebat mausoleum, to select the best cane she would ask her children to roll the hot round biscuits. Since it was December, she would also buy cane bags to replaced our old ones when schools throughout Malaysia opened in January. At that time, no one expect the government to give aids like BR1M. (Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia)
A week or two after schools resumed, she would put her attention to buy best eggs from a shop along Egerton Road. A grade A egg would cost 8 cents then compared to today's 38 cents. The most important of all, she has to buy enough Ghor Hiong Hun from a Chinese herbal shop that face the Gan Hong Hoe wet market. Ghor Hiong Hun has never been widely sold but the powder is relevant to determine the Kuih Kapit fragrance.
The fragrance promoted my Chinese New Year mood as I remember the Kuih Kapit aroma once I opened the hind door of the Ford Cortina after the driver, Mahmud stopped the car. Without procrastination, I dropped the school bag and rushed to the baking area where she was sitting on a squatting-chair to keep vigilance over the flame. I was happy to help her out and together with her other children the baking which lasted till late night was merry. Before the biscuit is ready to be rolled, a blade is used to trim the edges. The trimmed edges is eatable and it goes well with hot black coffee. Extra edges is given to hens she reared since May. These hens would be used for ancestral conduct on Chinese New Year eve and Bai Tian Gong.
During the sixties, sweets and candy were kept in glass bottles and they are cleaned and dried under the heat of the sun to clear previous odour. The rolls are stacked into the bottles piece by piece, every piece by her. She wanted to make sure the best flowery-print faces outside for love-letters chefs to make comments on her work. With comments she received she would used for the next baking for the next Chinese New Year.
I write this heritage art of biscuit making as a dedication to her and uncountless women like her in Melaka who took great attempts, interest, and efforts to further decorate the beauty of the Spring festive. 春天
In Melaka, the Chinese are lucky enough to have learned from the Baba-Nyonya, such fine art of making Kuih Kapit. The Nyonya has to strive for the standard set by her peers by producing Kuih Kapit only the Peranakan adore.
The Peranakan adore many things grained by diligence, and they have made their homes a heritage.
Visit Melaka. You will discover more than what is written here. YAB Datuk Seri Ir. Hj. Idris bin Hj. Haron and Datuk Lim Chow Beng welcome your stay in this heritage city. Melaka.
Visit Malaysia 2014.
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