Chinatown Lunar New Year Night Market & Light Up 2010

Although I hate crowds, Chinese New Year is one of my favourite holidays. One of the best ways to experience it is the obligatory trip to Chinatown for the hustle & bustle of the night market.

Hanging Lanterns. Somehow this reminds me of the souvenir shops in Nara.

Other New Year decorations for the home.

Red packets. Perhaps the most dreaded obligation for married couples.

Lots of fruits & vegetables - pomelo, tangerines, dried persimmons, gourd and pumpkin.

Lots of flowers and plants - pussy willow, cherry & plum blossom, narcissus, bamboo, and artificial ones even.

Nian Gao for a good year. This can either be fried for a crispy exterior or eaten as is.

Sugared fruit and vegetable slices to fill the Tray of Togetherness. Every item is believed to have a beneficial purpose like longevity, good health and happiness.

Dried sausages, waxed duck, and preserved fish.

Although the cookies are really cheap, they are generally of poor quality due to mass production.

If you're tired out by all the walking, refreshingly sweet coconut juice can be had for only $1.

We got ourselves some melon seeds (kua chee), garlic flavoured roasted groundnuts and pork jerky (bak gua), before heading to the one of the pubs at Club Street to chill out.

Handmade Fruit Pound Cake From Muji

We were at Muji getting some snacks when I saw this Handmade Fruit Pound Cake going at a discounted price. There were only two varieties of these DIY cakes that were on promotion, but I didn't think it worthwhile to get the madeleines. Anyway, one box at $6.90 is $3 off the original price, and another 90 cents off didn't matter much. Okay, it did, but anyway.

This came with a set of instructions written in English and attached to the side of the box so no worries even if you cannot read Japanese. I felt that it was really thoughtful.

This is what you will be paying for - flour, candied mixed fruit, and a cardboard box for baking the cake in. I'd say the portion is just right for two. Maybe three if you are small eaters :P

Just in case your box did not come with a set of English instructions and you are too lazy to click on the picture above to enlarge it, this is what you should do.

1) Soften 50g unsalted butter and lightly whisk.
2) Add 1 medium/large egg to the butter and whisk.
3) Add the packet of flour and candied fruit and mix well.
4) Pour the mixture into the box provided and level the surface.
5) Pop into an oven preheated at 170 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

* Note that I did not do any whisking but simply mixed everything together thoroughly.
This is what it looks like before I levelled the surface.

Fresh out of the oven! Anyone likes the crispy crust the way I do?

I would have to say that it's not bad for a DIY cake. Moist enough, and not overly sweet. There's no need to sift flour or wash the baking pan either.

Here's a look at the back of the box with the Japanese instructions and ingredients list.

Progress of Peranakan Shoe Beading (Kasut Manek)

This is where I'm at at the moment. Haven't been beading for the past two weeks. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever finish it. But I wanna do another pair!





Pain is a neccessary evil.