Merdeka Open House 2010: Hakka Abacus Beads ???

This is the first time I am participating in this year Merdeka Open House hosted by Babe in the City. This year's theme happen to be Foods from Our Hearts. After thinking long about what kind of dish that is prepared by my family members, I finally came up with Hakka Abacus Beads.

This dish reminds me alot about my mum. However, ironically mum does not prepare this dish very often. My mum is a Hakka. A few years back, when I was in high school, I saw many bloggers attempted to make this traditional Hakka dish. And when I asked mum if she knows what is Hakka Abacus Beads, she told me she had not even heard of it before. (Haha. She claims she is a traditional Hakka though)

So, I was determined to make this special dish to let my mum try. When she first tried it, she was like "Ohhs, and Ahhs". She loved it instantly and asked me how to make this dish. So, the next day, we went to pasar pagi (morning market) and bought some taro again. Then, I thought her how to make this dish. We had a good time making them into round balls and "punching" a hole in the middle. And we made them into funny shapes, long, fat, thin, square, and may crazy shapes you can't imagine. It was fun. It was love, between me and my mum.

Ever since that, during festive season, mum always come to me and ask: "Can you give me the recipe to this dish?". I ended up giving her the recipe and taught her how to make it again. This happens all the time. Why? She can't remember the measurement. Mums, well, at least my mum, is a toss-and-throw-everything-into-the-pan-and-end-up-with-tasty-dish. She doesn't measure things, let alone remembering the exact weight of taro, tapioca flour and water. All these years, I have given her the same recipe over and over again. And both of us made this together again and again, yet still having lots of fun together in the kitchen.

Now that I am not by herside anymore, she still came to me that day on Skype and asked me "Can you give me the recipe to this dish?". I was smiling, but in my heart, I was rather sad because I am not there to teach her anymore. So I think it would be a good idea that I take picture of me doing it step-by-step. And the next time I Skype with her, I will teach her how to access my blog and learn from this post.

I miss you mum. And although I am not there to teach you how to make this again, I will always be here for you. And in case the next time you forget the recipe again, just yell out, and I will definitely teach you again. :) Thanks Mum. Thank you for this dish. It is truly the Food that reminds me of you. The Food that comes from My heart, to yours.