Chinese New Year and Buddha’s Delight.

“Today I am drowned in waves of emotions, from acute homesicness and longing achese for the good old days and little bit of the age of innocence…” (written by Suu M. Khin, one of the three finalists from TV show Mater Chef Season 11, on her instagram post.) I can definitely relate to her feeling around this time of the year. I have been thinking about my mom a lot lately, espcially the dishes that she used to make, the rituals that she used to perform on Chinese Lunar New Year.  

One of my fondest memories of my mother is her getting up super early on the first day of the New Year to prepare this dish called Zaai (Buddha’s Delight). After she finished cooking, she would wake me up and say, “It’s a new year, rise early and be productive.” I would jump out of bed and happily put on my new set of clothes, give offerings and prayers to our ancestors. After that, I would have Zaai and couldn’t wait to wish others a happy new year and collect my Lai See (red envelopes).

We often say, “we are what we eat.” I cannot agree more. What we eat does not only build us physically and provide us with nutrients to sustain our lives. What we eat also gives us our identities. It can tell stories about our origins, the cultures we were born into, and how we were raised. Food and dishes we eat become witnesses to our success and our comfort in times of sickness and hardships.

Today, I decided to recreate this common Zaai, dedicating it to the one and only, my mother, in heaven. Working in the kitchen feels like a therapy to me (and of course only when it’s my choice) and a connection to feel closer to my mom again.

from my heart to yours,

LT ❤

*for recipe, please visit Made with Lau 🙂 Enjoy.