Bak kwa

Chinese new year is on Valentine's day this year and only a month away so I decided to start preparing for the new year before I get too busy. I don't miss the sweets and cakes much but I do miss the get togethers back home.

Here, I usually have a few friends over for either afternoon tea or lunch. Some years the weather is too hot to cook I'd rather just vege out. However, I try to make bak kwa as Marcelo loves them and I don't see them sold here. Even if it was, I'd rather make them myself as it is done to our taste.

I first made it two years ago when I searched on the net for the recipe and tried to make a healthier version and the verdict was: it ain't bak kwa if it is too lean. I never follow a recipe religiously as some ingredients are not readily available and having cooked for so many years, it's easy to find ingredients to enhance the flavours of whatever I am cooking.

The recipe from Chowtimes from Canada calls for Kam cho which I have no idea what that is so I used a tbsp of fennel seeds which also has a liquorice taste to it and a tablespoon of coriander seeds to give it a crunchy texture. I'm sure it would taste even better if it was chargrilled which I did last year but seeing there is a fire ban at the moment, this is as close as it gets. I have frozen a batch and will grill it on Chinese new year.