Cheh It (First day of CNY)

Spent most of the day cleaning the apartment. Actually, we are not suppose to do any cleaning or washing the hair on the first day of CNY. But since Ping is not at home, and it is a Sunday , which is Ping's only day off, Ping has to do the cleaning today. But Ping also did some cooking...

Geng geng kua bak!! It is a dessert that is typically served on the first day of CNY. The significance of it is to have a 'sweet' year ahead. It is also the tea that is served during the tea ceremony for weddings. This is mummy's recipe...sort off.
First, boil some ang cho (red dates, which belongs to the rhamnacea family) and ki ci (Lycium). Kici is said to promote cheerfulness and vitality. When we were young, we were told that it is good for the eyes (probably due to the high beta-carotene content). Ping loves it. So why does Ping have to wear glasses???? It is also known to be a sexual tonic herb (hmmm....). Ping only added enough water to cover the ang cho and ki ci. After it started boiling, Ping waited for about 5 minutes and at the main ingredient - geng geng! (Longan, don't think it has an English name. According to "Dietary Therapy in Traditional Chinese Medicine" by Cai JingFeng, it is beneficial to the spleen and heart but cannot be taken too much - siow juak).
The geng geng is imported from a chinese drug store on Campbell Street, Penang. It was the uncle from that store who told us that the geng geng should not be boiled. It should be added after the boiling.

Here's the final product. Since it is very thick, it is very sweet. Ping adds water only when it is served.
A bit too much ang cho. :P But ho chiak enough edi lah.