Grandma's Cooking

My grandma is a fabulous cook. Whose grandma isn't a fabulous cook? I have never heard anyone complained about his/her grandma's cooking. Is just so familiar. You grew up with it. The tastes are sometimes exactly what you need after a long day at work.

One of the dishes that I really wanted to learn from my grandma is her famous white raddish (turnip) cake that she always make for Chinese New Year. They are delicious steamed or pan fried. I always ask her for the recipe but her answer was always "I don't have one ... you just mix everything together and steam it. Is all about the feel of things," she said.

The consistency of the batter - grams just know if she needs more water or rice flour just by stirring the mixture with a pair of long wooden chopsticks.

A generous amount of salt, white pepper and chicken powder - but not too much because the Chinese sausages (laap cheung)can be quite salty. Then you balance the flavor out with a touch of sugar.

No quantities and measurements for the ingredients yet every time grandma can give you that same perfect taste & texture. I do not know how she does it.

Anyways, in hopes to continue the tradition (it skipped a generation since my mom hates to cook), I have made my very first turnip cake for this Chinese New Year. And let me tell you, it is all about trial and error. I know what is supposed to go into the batter, but I didn't bother writing down the exact amount as that would defeat the purpose of learning from grandma. I want to be like her and just know what to do with this family's favorite.



My dad did the taste test this time - first bite was grandma's, second bite was mine. Not too far away from mastering this dish, he said.