Lots of home time today. But that’s pretty normal for me anyway.
Pandanus plants. This aromatic plant can be found in almost every Malaysian family kitchen garden. The leaves are commonly used to perfume local dishes. Here it grows almost wild. I have never been able to successfully keep one alive in Brisbane.
In this equatorial weather, shrubs and trees grow pretty much anywhere with virtually no encouragement. I took a stroll around our old neighbourhood this evening, banana trees abound. I love these little monkey bananas. These are incredibly sweet. You won’t find this type of banana sold commercially as they ripen very quickly.
No home cooking tonight as it is a huge chore prepping a meal for 16 people. So my brother flexed his fingers and ordered in. Motorcycles carrying various local foods started arriving.
100 sticks of Satay!
Ketupat! (Compressed rice cakes)
Oyster omelette!
Char Kuay Teow! (Spicy fried flat rice noodles)
Char mee! (Fried noodles)
Yummy, yummy satay. These cost a bomb in Australia, but it’s a local staple, and costs the equivalent of 50 Australian cents per stick. These would have been cooked the traditional way over a grill and charcoal fire.
Cousins enjoying some time together. Here they are practising hair-braiding skills.
Family time. Anth is the chess guru around here.. So everyone was ganged up against him, but I think it was futile. I had no idea he was carrying a tournament chess set around in his suitcase. But it’s turned out very convenient as it’s generated a lot of interest from all the cousins,
16 people in the household has been a whole other level of chaos, but it’s been a very happy kind of chaos.
