Between my sisters-in-law and I, we normally trade foods instead of giving gifts. There are four of them so what I did was to bake cakes for them. However, I am taking a breather this year as I am leaving for KL this Saturday. I will make it up to them after Chinese New Year. No way am I going to fight with the crowds to buy fresh foods to cook. It is a madness out there and I am glad my hubby agreed to it. After the hectic Christmas and school opening plus my sons’ hospitalisation (twice), I lost all my Chinese New Year moods.
However, my eldest sister-in-law still bought two pig’s stomach for me and two dozens of her annual loh bak. My other sister-in-law ordered a kilogrammes of large prawns she got from the fishermen. Wow.
My eldest SIL used to wrap these loh bak in bulk and sell them to the hawkers. Her loh bak is the bestest in the world. She had taught me the recipe but I just can’t get it right so far because the strength of which I wrap the meat has to be perfect. Otherwise, I either get too hard or too loose meats in the soya bean wrappers. The meats are seasoned with five spice powder, sugar, fish sauce and some secret recipes that my SIL has yet to reveal to me.
My SIL will make them and store them in containers and freeze them. They lasts for weeks frozen this way. I hope she will impart the skills to me real soon as she is catching up with age and I suppose not many of her own daugthers and daughters-in-law are interested.
Meantime, I will continue to enjoy these loh bak which I only get to eat once a year, duirng Chinese New Year.
4 thoughts on “Annual loh bak for Chinese New Year”
moo_t
(February 14, 2007 - 9:53 pm)You ATM must be Teochew. 🙂
Seems good loh-bak is harder to made compare to sausage.
Phikwern
(January 30, 2008 - 3:51 am)Hi, do you fry them before freezing, or freeze it raw and fry them when you want to eat?
lilian
(January 30, 2008 - 4:16 pm)Phikwern – I usually freeze the loh bak in small portions and after I thawed them, I only fry them.
Phikwern
(February 3, 2008 - 6:04 am)Thanks lilian, my mom came over and made lor bak for me! Cant wait to try them on Chinese New Year.