Ngoh Hiang

The time has come for Ngoh Hiang making in preparation of the arrival of CNY. A Lims' family tradition and especially since we are blessed to be able to find all ingredients in Boston, we just have to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty.

It's not exaggerating to say that it was a multi-day process. It began with preparing shallots and garlic. The former was always challenging because of the pungent vapor which would make you tear. We minced the pork beforehand too. The next day, we went to both H-mart and C-mart to gather other ingredients, which include carrot, water chestnut, prawns, beancurd skin. After hours of chopping, mincing (thankfully with the help of the fine Cuisineart food processor given to us by our parents), we finally assembled them into yummy rolls of Ngoh Hiang.

I wish I can write down a recipe for it. But truly, there are many steps where one has to make the judgment and decide what seasoning to add more. Although yummy, it can also be unforgiving at the same time, and needs a rather precise mixture of seasonings to get the right flavor. For example, the amount of prawns is not enough this time and it affects the texture. Anyhow, it is still delectable and marks the festivity of CNY without fail.