Sibu Tales : Coconut Bao

the making of bread and steamed buns is a common hobby of many Foochow housewives. The fillings would always be a matter of choice. My mother  makes neither bread nor steamed buns because making the dough is a very tedious process and she would rather steam a chicken any time. She has always been time conscious. Anything which takes a long time to make would not be her choice.

However my sister Yin loves making kuihs and cakes. she bakes and steams well so to speak.

One day after I learned to make ONDE ONDE, I wanted to eat some at home. so I went out to town to buy some grated coconut. And to my horror and my mother's horror, I had bought the wrong grated coconut. I did not ask the vendor to give me the white grated coconut. He had given me the "black one" ie. the one with still some of the black husk sticking to the grated coconut.

This black grated coconut would not look good at all on Onde Onde.

Later whenever I see steamed buns with grated coconut filling and onde onde I would always remember my original "sin" of being very forgetful..and not fastidious enough to tell the vendor to give me the white grated coconot...Just one of those stories I can share with you.

Until today I don't make onde onde or steamed buns with grated coconut filling.