Have you ever tried to get a recipe out of your mom? The other day, I wanted to make taro popsicles, so I called up my mom to ask how she makes hers. This is how the conversation went. Just imagine her response in Cantonese.
Mom: Hello?
Me: Hi, mom?
Mom: Yes. Hi.
Me: How do you make the taro popsicles?
Mom: What?
Me: You know, the taro ice cream that you make.
Mom: Oh, ha ha ha. You want to make it?
Me: Yes, how do you make it?
Mom: You cook the taro.
Me: How?
Mom: Steam it. And then add coconut milk.
Me: How much?
Mom: Nevermind, don’t steam it. Why use so many pots and pans? Cook it in a pot. Add coconut milk and cook.
Me: How much coconut milk?
Mom: How big is your taro?
Me: I don’t know, I didn’t buy it yet.
Mom: Oh, mash up the taro first then add the coconut milk.
Me: How much?
Mom: If it looks too liquidy, add some cornstarch and cook.
Me: How much cornstarch?
Mom: I don’t know. Add it if it’s too liquidy. Oh, for sure you should add some cornstarch to thicken it up. Oh and add some sugar.
Me: How much?
Mom: I don’t know. You know I don’t measure…so your dad hurt his arm at work.
Me: Oh no, how?
Mom: I don’t know, ha ha. It was bleeding and now he’s got a bandage around it.
Me: Is he ok?
Mom: Yes, ha ha. Taro is expensive these days. Why are you up so early on a Saturday?
Me: It’s 9:30am, mom. It’s not early.
Mom: Ok, add the mixture to the mold and that’s it. Why don’t you just bring it over and I’ll make it for you?
Me: No, it’s ok.
Mom: You want to make it yourself? Ok, bye.
Me: Bye, mom. Thanks.
If I can’t even get a simple taro popsicle recipe from her, how am I supposed to get more complicated recipes from her like her yummy spring rolls and pho? Why doesn’t she write down her recipes? Why doesn’t she answer my questions and get distracted so easily? And why does she laugh at me and think I can’t cook? :( Oh well. This is my interpretation of my mom’s taro popsicles.
Ingredients
6 small taro
~125g red bean (optional)
1 can coconut milk
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
Rinse red bean and soak for 1.5 hour (optional).
Add red bean to 2 cups of water in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until soft (~40 minutes). Add more water if necessary. Drain and set aside.
Steam taro on high heat until soft (~30 minutes) and can be poked through with a fork.
Let taro cool and peel off the skin.
Mash taro in a medium-sized pot.
Add coconut milk and cook on low-medium heat. Mix until the consistency is even.
Add sugar and cook until dissolved.
Mix cornstarch with a bit of water and then add to pot.
Cook until mixture thickens a bit.
Mix in red bean (if using).
Let cool.
Add to popsicle molds and freeze.
And voilà!
These popsicles weren’t so hard to make. My only minor issue with them is that they aren’t sweet enough.
In fact, the mixture was slightly sweet, but not sweet at all after freezing. For this reason, David doesn’t like it much. But I don’t mind.
All the better, more for me. Mwahahahaha. ;)
:) LOL….hope your dad’s arm is okay. But that was funny because that’s how most the ‘recipe’ conversations with my mom goes too – and it’s different each time I ask her too. And when she asks me for a recipe, she’ll say “okay, got it…” before i’m even half way through listing the ingredients…
ya, he’s alright. your mom is a masterchef if she can get the whole recipe from you by just listening to a few ingredients. ;)
oh ya…that is one thing my mom never fails to tell me though..that if i plan to really chill or freeze something, it needs to be extra extra sweet because once it’s frozen, it doesn’t taste as sweet at all..
good advice! i wished my mom told me that….
Oh, I know how you feel! My mom doesn’t measure or write anything down either. I called her years ago for her macaroni salad recipe. I’ve never had it better than hers. “Hey Mom, what do you put in your macaroni salad?” “What do you have in your fridge?” :\ Yeah, it’s like that. She just put in what she’s got. I’m still lost on why I remember it always tasting the same. Must be a secret ingredient…
LOL. did you manage to make it taste the same yourself? ;)
Oooh that’s funny.My granny doesn’t use recipes either. What’s taro? Is it like sweet potato?
i bet your granny cooks very well then! taro is a root vegetable with a bit of sweetness.
That is hysterical! Getting recipes out of my mom is almost exactly the same. It must be an Asian mom thing!
possibly. ;)
LOL. I totally heard it all in Cantonese! You’ll have to WATCH your mom cook. That’s the only way… and then try to judge “how much”.
boo…that takes too much time and effort!
That’s hilarious! Isn’t that true – the best family cooks have to be watched if you hope to glean any secrets from them. Lovely post – I think everyone who has tried to wrangle a recipe out of mum or gramma can relate!
thanks! i wished it was easier to get their cooking secrets!
… This is hilarious because I just read the conversation the way mom would actually talk. xD
how about you watch her cook and write down the recipes for me??? ;)
Oh goodness. My mom cooks the same way. And my grandmother? Even worse. you just have to cook WITH them and shove measuring cups in their vicinity. :)
LOL. good idea! :)
OMG, that is TOO funny! Only because I can totally relate. Not only do my parents not measure a single thing, conversations with my mom are just as random (to me, at least). And, I can SO imagine the Cantonese responses :)
i wonder if it is an asian thing? ;) the randomness i mean…
This made me laugh so hard :) That’s usually how a conversation with my mom goes when it comes to recipes. So much of what she does is by taste and feel, instead of measurements. Looks delicious, I love taro!
Me too!!! I love this! Cracking up!
thank-you! i love taro too!! :) so how do you get recipes from your mom?
I usually have to watch her do it, and scribble down the recipe as we go :)
Those look great! And what a super entertaining (slash frustrating) way of coming by the recipe too :)
thanks! i’m happy to provide the entertainment! ;)
Very true — especially of asian families! I do wonder if we’ll be like that one day, too!
it think it would be a good thing if we were like that one day. i mean the cooking without recipes, not the distractions and randomness. ;)
I really want to try these! And thanks for all the pictures- that makes all the difference. I will have to add more pics on my blog. (:
i hope you like it! don’t forget to add more sugar! it’s nice to include more photos, but it takes more time to cook… ;)
LOL, your Mom and mine should start an “ingredient list and measurements are for weenies” cooking school :D It took me forever to get her recipe for phở and I finally got my German-Norwegian brother-in-law to teach me [shakes head.].
good idea! can i borrow your brother-in-law for a lesson? ;)
Sure, you just need to go to North Dakota lol!
Ahaha, so you know why I had to get my mom to physically show me how to make the Jap Chae!
I’m going to try this recipe out!
don’t forget to add more sugar! ;)
I have a book of hand written recipes from my mother. Your post reminds me of my Baba. See did not have very good writing skills so all her recipes were in her head. My mother had to sit and watch her mother prepare the food and write down the what she saw. If she was not sure of the step she would ask.
Great post. Thanks for visiting my blog. It is much appreciated.
great story. how nice to have a book of your grandmother’s recipes. :) thank-you for sharing!
I’m fairly certain that is how almost any recipe conversation goes with anyone who has a knack for cooking. I have these conversations with my mom and grandma. Friends asking for recipes and cooking advice is what inspired me to start blogging and sharing with others!
But back on topic here, recipe sounds interesting and I may have to give it a try!