Family Easter Sunday – mahjong and nasi lemak
On Easter Sunday, we went to my parents’ home. The plan was to turn up in the afternoon to play mahjong for a few hours, then stay for dinner. Mum was making nasi lemak.
Jac volunteered to bring along a vegetable curry as our contribution to dinner. She cooked up a big batch in the wok on Sunday morning.
We arrived shortly after 2pm. We were keen to christen our mahjong set, which Mum and Dad had brought back for us from Malaysia on their most recent holiday. I really like the all-white look of the mahjong tiles – they look like they’d be milk-flavoured. I always look at inanimate objects and think about what they’d taste like if they were edible, based on their colour and texture. I suppose that is a little odd. :) We still have to buy our own mahjong table, but until then, we’ll just play at Mum and Dad’s on their table from time to time. We’ve still got our L plates on as far as playing mahjong goes, so it’s good to have Mum’s expertise readily available.
Mum’s friend M had come along to play mahjong too. She’d made sausage rolls for afternoon tea. They were really tasty, freshly hot from the oven with a squirting of tomato sauce.
Jac, M, Juji, Jay and I played for just over 4 hours, taking turns at the table, with Mum acting as instructor and expert advisor. If my other siblings and their partners had wanted to play as well, Mum would’ve had two mahjong tables on the go. Two tables makes for a great atmosphere! It’s good that we weren’t using real money,though – Jac and I would’ve gone home broke. :) As dinner time approached and the others began to arrive, we reluctantly packed up. Bit by bit, the side dishes were placed on the table…
There was a dish of fried ikan bilis (little fish) with peanuts.
I’m not sure exactly what kind of dried fish this was, but Mum had fried it so it was golden-brown and crispy. Its fatty flavour reminded me of the crackling on Chinese roast pork.
There was a dish of sambal made with small prawns…
…and a dish of hard-boiled eggs.
There was a dish of assam fish…
and sambal kang kung. I’ve loved kang kung ever since I was a girl, but Jac finds it very slimy and difficult to swallow.
Jac’s vegetable curry…
…and Mum’s beef rendang.
My sister CW had brought the all-important cucumber! It was cool and refreshing, a most welcome and essential accompaniment to all those curries and spicy dishes.
But in case anyone needed more heat in their meal, there was a dish of chilli sambal too.
Here’s my plate. The nasi (rice) was especially delicious. Everything went well together!
