chinese new year

Abacus Seeds/Beads 算盘子 Suan Pan Zi is a humble Hakka dish that consists of stir-fried taro gnocchis, ground pork, and mushrooms. Making the taro gnocchis require quite a bit of elbow grease and the entire process to create this dish can be quite laborious. Nonetheless I decided to attempt making Abacus Seeds from scratch for this year's Chinese New Year.

Pineapple tarts come in a few different shapes, sometimes open-faced with a ball of pineapple jam in the middle, or pillow-shaped with a log of pineapple jam tucked inside, or round balls like the ones I'm making. Regardless of shape, the one thing they have in common is the pairing of crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth pastry and fragrant pineapple jam.

Lunar New Year is the peak season for eating Bak Kwa but every year stores increase prices to capitalise on the feverish demand, there are long queues, and limited purchase quantity. Luckily it's very easy to make at home. In fact, the results may surprise you - just as it has surprised me!