PPParty

Golden Jamu , Golden Ngaku Chips and loads of mandarins(above)

It was a gathering of 12 on the night of Yan Yat (everybody's birthday, on the 7th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Rat) at chez moi. We called it a PPP - no, it's not another political party trying their luck on March 8. It was a simple "do" by and for 12 hungry people - hungry for Yee Sang! As planned, everyone turned up with a cooked dish each, an auspicious dish to mark that evening of "Potluck Prosperity Party" - a joint Yee Sang cum Valentine's eve party!

I have never hosted a potluck dinner before. It had seemed appropriate for this occasion though, as it would be mean of me to prepare dishes that only I am accustomed to...low salt, no msg, low sugar and fat! So I thought it would be most appropriate to have my guests bring in a dish of their choice, to symbolise their expectation for the coming year. As hostess, I had organised the drinks - a choice of teas and Jamu ( which, much to my relief, was enjoyed by all), dessert and of course, the XL Yee Sang, which I had ordered from a seafood restaurant nearby. The Manager was kind enough to pack it on their large platter ( the one at home was not big enough!) and for a Rm 30 deposit, told me I can keep it for as long as I want and will refund my money anytime I choose to return it.

To cater for friends who have a good way to travel after work that day, we fixed the "loh-sang" for 9 pm( so that we can get Maghrib and Isya done). All but one made it on time, and my friend S said to go ahead if she was held up ( which was exacly what happened actually, as she turned up at half-past 9 while we were in the midst of "loh-sanging".

I have never seen soooooooo much food in my life! Each guest must have brought food for 12 as all of a sudden my dining table looked so tiny and fragile, when laden by all the dishes each one brought. 11 guests, each bringing enough food to feed 11, so we had food for at least 100 people that night, except there were only 12 of us! In the excitement, even though I had my camera and video cam ready, we forgot to capture images of the interesting dishes! It was only after we had "attacked" the food that I remembered...ti was too late as the Yee Sang platter was wiped clean by then. Luckily though, my maid managed to use my videocam to capture us while we were tossing the Yee Sang, so at least that would be fun to watch one fine day. We managed a group pose before everyone left after midnight, on mobiles and my trusty antique digital.

It was lovely meeting up and catching up over something like this - it seemed everyone was talking at the same time and no one was listening, yet we were updated with the latest, if not, worthwhile news of one another. I am glad that such a short-planned event turned out quite well. There is so much to be said about the power and value of friends to make an otherwise dull evening really interesting.

As for the dishes...let's see. N brought Laksa Lemak in 2 versions - Mee kuning and Bihun. Must have noodles, maa, for longevity. She brought enough to feed the Army and Navy. J brought a whole deepfried Siakap, beautifully garnished in colourful herbs and bathed in sweet sour sauce. Fish for prosperity they say...She also brought lovely kueh talam ubi, golden base topped with a creamy santan top...yummy...very compatible with my current interest in ubi kayu! UR brought a giant platter of Chinese style mixed vegetable generously garnished with fish cakes and mushrooms. MC had 2 huge containers - each one full of really authentic chinese dishes - suhun noodles fried with loads of vegetables and garnished with prawns (oh, oh ) and abalone( double oh, oh) and I think some scallops as well. The other container contained mixed vegetables as well - a treasure trove of goodness - dark green vegetables and colourful carrots, broccolli and cauliflower. UZ sort of went "off-spec" - she was working late and brought 2 versions of Capatti ( whole wheat of course), Channa massala, and a lovely brinjal curry - and me thinks she did not whip these up herself but whipped them from Ludianna Station in Bangsar! And of course lovely valentine cupcakes, in pastels. SZ brought also a colorful mixed vegetable, including the purple cabbage. The thing about not having photos of what everyone brought is that it's hardly a week and I have almost forgotten! Let's see - AA brought a containerful of cooked PRAWNS - and she said I made her go to the market ( not something she does normally). The idea is to add the prawns to the salmon and jellyfish , to be tossed with the rest of the Yee Sang! SM brought her favourite snack of richly stuffed tofu - many, many pieces of those too. S who was late brought kueh bangkit, pistachios, and nuts. RJ actually cooked a very nice cicken and carrot stir-fry, ala "Wok with Yan". it was delicious although I could only take a few pieces - pantang! Just as I had to scan around for prawns and seafood to avoid, chicken is still on my forbidden list unless it is Ayam kampung, and from my own kampung too!

To add to what my guests brought, I managed the desserts - all supposedly to be healthful. It is so easy in moments of fun like that to forget that I do have to be careful of what I pop into my mouth. So desserts were fresh fruits (melons, mandarins, dragon fruits) and Pengat Pisang and Sago - all organic. Of course the titbits - Ngaku or Arrow Root chips were home made too. I don't think my maid can see another Ngaku without a chill in her stomach as I made her fry all the 10 kgs of fresh Ngaku that SHE INSISTED we should buy .

Lots of exchanges and wet gums and bare teeth later, friendships were made - new ones forged and old ones tested and strengthened ( I think). My neighbours must be wondering at the noise we made and the ghostly laughter that rang out in the middle of the night ( last guest left after 1am). Our conversations ranged from food, health and of course the upcoming election. Politicians were not spared, and that night some of them were discussed just so that we all can have a good laugh.....

Here's to a smooth general election and that at this time next month, we will all be laughing again, for joy, that whoever that will be entrusted with our future in this country will do a good job....they ought to....they need to. It is the people's amanah. Even if it is just a tiny X on a piece of paper.