Roll roll roll your balls

Why do local television channels persist in showing bland dramas that are almost always about
a) Family (Themes: Betrayal and unfaithfulness)
b) Illnesses (Themes: You ill, I ill, everybody ill)
c) Ambitions (Theme: I got goal! I want to reach goal! Watch me dance!)

There are so many interesting things happening in Singapore. I think the local stations can help to perserve national heritage by having documentaries about local culture. Don't you feel that Chinese New Year is so much more a festival for the elders in your family? I don't think we can see that many people crawling at Chinatown in new year as compared to Orchard during Xmas. Do you see midnight shopping for Chinese New Year? Hmm... Maybe the retailers will chance upon my blog and start that for the new year. We all need new year clothes you know! :D

Yesterday was the festival where you roll 汤圆 (tang yuan). Despite experiencing MOS till the wee hours of the morning, I dragged myself out of bed to roll those balls. I don't think many people still do the traditional 汤圆 nowadays. Walk into any NTUC and you will find lots of ready-made 汤圆. Got peanuts, seasme, red bean and can roll them in the chopped up peanuts somemore! Apparently, there's a very famous stall at the Army market selling 汤圆 in peanut soup. Did you see these in your kitchen yesterday?

Giant 汤圆 on traditional chinese tray!

Are these the real deal, are they really 汤圆?
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Rubbish you! It's just the dough made from glutinous flour and water! Very hard to roll. Especially if you've got long fingernails like mine. I hope I haven't been poking them in places where they shouldn't be.

Anyway, after much rolling, you get these:

Very pretty right? Guess the no. of balls!

Actually, they are supposed to be red and white, very patriotic colours. But I think Mum held back on the coloring so they turned out pink and white. Very nice nevertheless.

These balls will face the pot of boiling water next. You know they are cooked when they float to the surface of the water. After that, you put them into the pot of syrup water made from pandan leaves, water and orange(?) sugar. Then you get:

*in kawaii Taiwanese voice* 哇! 看起来好好吃, 好可爱. 吃起来好嫰, 好Q喔!

Sadly, my cousins did not appreciate my culinary skills. After taking a bite, they went straight for the rubbish bin. Tut tut. Buy some glutinous flour and try some rolling yourself eh!