MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHAT IS THE MOST COLOURFUL OF ALL?

One of our childhood party must have food!

I had a wonderful weekend. First cooked breakfast for my girls. I demonstrated to Sarah how to cook poached eggs using the easy foolproof method.

Next I concentrated the whole morning making this - we call it Magic Mirror.

This is one food item which always make it to the list of party food as we were growing up. For a big family like ours,  we had our fair share of birthday parties. These parties are normally celebrated with games and presents and of course food!  Only much later as most of us reached adolescence, was dancing allowed!  We would decorate the small living hall with ballons and hang up banners and ribbons which we made ourselves with those colourful crepe papers! Almost the whole neighbourhood could be invited and sometimes I am amazed how our house could hold so many people without falling down (we lived upstairs in a pre-war (1942)  house!).   

One of the sub-tenants in the house was a lady who worked as a cook and she taught us to make this.
            

The aluminium jelly moulds were bought by my late mother for us. Wet the moulds so that it will be easy to remove the jelly later.   

We alway make this with agar-agar strips.  I bought 2 packets. Soften them with water before use.

I used one packet to cook the colourful "filling" first. Bring a pot of water to boil, add agar-agar and let simmer till all agar-agar have been dissolved.  Add about 1/2 cup of sugar (or more if you desire a sweeter taste). Stir till dissolve. I add a  packet of thick santan which I think should be approx. 1 cup. Bring back to a boil and quickly remove immediately.      

Pour into individual plates.  Add food colouring (rainbow colours) separately to each plate. Stir till completely mixed.  

 Leave aside to cool and set.

Meanwhile, boil the another packet of agar-agar with the water.  Let it simmer with a few pandan leaves till all the agar-agar is dissolve.  Adjust taste- I add around 1 1/2 cup of sugar.  

 Cut the coloured agar-agar into thin strips.

 Ladle or pour the plain agar-agar into moulds leaving about 1 inch space from the top.    

Carefully slide the coloured jelly strips into the plain jelly. Use a skewer to lightly push them down.

Top with more plain agar-agar if necessary

 Leave aside to set and when cool keep in the fridge till ready to serve.

 

Jeremy, Esther and Sarah could not remember me serving them this jelly. Really?  How can I be so forgetful not to make this for them (kick myself!) - it is regretable that they had miss having this jelly as part of their childhood.     

However, thank God it is not too late and I am glad that I made this so that at least they will know that such delicacy exist.  Hopefully, they will pass on the recipe to their children too.

 

So what are your childhood foods that you would cook for your children?