When Hwee Mian asked me over for a bread making session on Christmas eve, I was thrilled. We had talked about baking something together for a long time.
We made focaccia. Mian and her 7-year old niece, Jackie, took turns to slap and fold the dough onto the table top. I think they actually had fun! Mian was downright amazing! Here she was making bread and behind her was Christmas dinner for a family brewing merrily over 3 stoves.
Now, I have to tell you that Mian is a fantastic cook. As word got around that Mian was 'Head Chef' that evening, the “just a few members of the family” quickly grew to “close to 20 people”. Every time the phone rang, it herald additional guests. Aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews … everyone wanted to turn up for Mian’s Signature Chicken Curry and Sweet and Sour Prawns.
Mian wasn’t the least bit flustered. With each phone call, she added a cup of rice into the electric rice cooker. We left the bread dough proofing in a warm oven and drove out to Sheng Siong for more groceries. Before long Mian was back in the kitchen working like a pro, single-handedly whipping up Christmas dinner for a fast growing community.
The focaccia turned out very dry today but then Mian is aware that I'm no domestic goddess.
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