Year of the Rooster

The Chinese are celebrating a New Year of the Rooster on January 28th and for this Chinese, it promises to be a busy one! But before that even happens, I've already made tons of pudding to share with all my friends and loved ones. The word 'pudding' sounds the same as the word 'high' in Chinese (pronounced GO), thus all the limitless variations of pudding you see everywhere, ranging from sweet to savoury. This year, my puddings of choice are steamed turnip pudding, steamed taro pudding and baked coconut pudding. So eat up because each mouthful of pudding will take you to new heights, my friends!

A special mention goes to my version of turnip pudding because it is one that I have been tweaking for 7 or 8 years now and I can finally cook it with my eyes closed, it's that easy! Time-consuming and labour-intensive, yes! But delicious and worth every minute of every hour I put into the process. I am looking forward to doing my first turnip pudding cooking class with my two guests from Japan in March. It will be so much fun!

From my kitchen to yours, may your year be filled with rich aromas, full and sated bellies and high praise for the new dishes of tantalising foods you cook to perfection every time! Happy New Year of the Rooster!