Chinese New Year has come to an end and we gave it a sweet send-off by eating “pengat” on Chap Goh Meh – a dessert containing bananas, sweet potato, yam and “ti kueh”, all cooked in coconut milk. Nowadays people add colourful tapioca flour jelly and other ingredients to make it more interesting but I prefer the original recipe.
In the olden days, this dessert was painstakingly prepared. The ingredients had to be cut into uniform diamond shaped pieces and each steamed separately before being cooked together in one big pot. Pieces that did not conform to the required size were rejected and re-shaped. I remember when it was time to prepare this dessert just before Chap Goh Meh, Grandma would line up all the servants and they would cutting away in the kitchen for hours as they had to prepare a substantial quantity for praying and also for the whole household to enjoy. Of course it was also a good time for them to meet and gossip!
I'm not a "pengat" lover like my mum - once a year is not enough for her!
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