The Adventures of the lizard family... and Kueh Salat

Some time ago, I decided to make Kueh Salat.

I've always loved this Nonya Kueh. The top Kaya layer is especially yummy and as a kid, I always ate the top first, and tried to give away the bottom layer of glutinous rice.

So I found this recipe online, and thought, well, how hard could it be?

Turns out that this Kueh was supposedly quite difficult to make, according to my mom and my boss.

So one Thursday morning, I started out the day by soaking the glutinous rice.

I put the rice and water in the rice cooker, and placed a plastic cover over it. The plastic cover had small holes in it. The recipe called for the rice to be soaked for several hours or overnight, so I left it as it was.

Turned out to be quite a busy day for us.

The contractor came over to help us fix up some stuff in our bathrooms.

By the time everything was done, it was about 3 in the afternoon.

We decided to go for a movie, some shopping and dinner. And I made a mental note to make the Kueh when we came back that evening.

When we got back, Ewan went to shower and I went to check on the rice.

I lifted the cover, gave a squeek and RAN OUT OF THE KITCHEN.

OH MY GOSH THERE WAS A HUGE LIZARD IN THE POT!!

AND A LITTLE ONE ON THE KITCHEN COUNTER, PROBABLY WAITING FOR HIS MOM!

How long the big one had been soaking in the rice I had no idea. I couldn't believe it actually squeezed in through the holes of the cover.

And the little one... oh man I was feeling so sad for it waiting for its mom (I think the pregnancy hormones were playing a part here), but at the same time, it was a LIZARD. I couldn't believe I was feeling that way about a LIZARD.

No pics here cos there was no way I was going back to the kitchen, and Ewan said he thought a photo would traumatize me even more so he spared me that.

So in short, Ewan finished his shower, helped me clean up my pot of rice, saved the lizards and there was no Kueh Salat that evening.

He said the soaking lizard was visibly tired and was using his tail to prop himself up above the water. URGH.

I did try again a couple of days later (with a new batch of rice of course, doubly sealed when soaking) and am proud to report that the Kueh was a success and there were no more adventures with lizards.

NZ South Island Part II - In and around Timaru

Ewan's mom and Dez live in Timaru.

So we spent a number of days there, just relaxing, exploring the town.

It's a cute little place where everything seems less than 10 minutes away.

There, we familiarized ourselves with some of the local stores like Farmers, Warehouse, and Whitcoulls.


Warehouse was especially awesome when it came to great deals for DVDs and Blu Rays.

We got the entire first season of Fringe on bluray for just $39. Heh, no surprise we kept going back. Think we grabbed about 15 DVDs/Blurays in all.

Ewan and his mom also found some time for a tennis game at one of the local clubs.

It was drizzling and really cold though, so I stayed inside the club house, taking photos :p



We also made a quick visit to Caroline Bay.

The local beach front is known for its fairs and rose garden. But we went in the evening - about 8 plus, and though the sun hadn't set, it was so chilly so all we managed was a quick stroll at the fair (the rides looked so rickety though!) and goofing around at the fitness corner.


The great thing about staying at Dez's place is that he's got neighbours who keep sheep, cows and donkeys.

A couple of times after dinner, we would take a stroll down the lane, and go bug the animals.

SHEEEEEP!!!!


They've really got a herd mentality so whatever the leader did, everyone else followed.

Except for this guy...


... who let us pose for pictures with him.



There were three donkeys which were sooo cool.


We would pluck the weeds near the fence and feed them and they loved it!


Once, we tried giving them a carrot, but I think they had never had them before and were kind of wary.


We learnt from a young girl who lived there that their names were Charlie, Sinda and something else that I can't remember.


Another favourite animal of ours in New Zealand, were of course the ducks.

These, we saw at the Botanic Gardens in Timaru.


Ewan's mom had packed a few slices of bread so we could feed them.

Ewan's mom also took us to the Timaru local museum.

This little place was really interesting.

It had everything, from the town's history, to the native wildlife of New Zealand, and stuff about the Maori culture.

The giganto Albatross, which apparently after it takes flight from the colony, doesn't return for another five years.


Here's also where we learnt about the poor Moa, which is now extinct.

The huge 7 metre tall bird was hunted by the Maori, and often fell into deep pits.

Its immense weight meant it could not fly out.

The whole species eventually died out, though according to Dez, some people claim to have seen it in recent times.

It's leg itself is already as tall as a human being.


That's about it for Timaru, and we definitely hope to go back some day, this time with Christian (not in belly but running around), to visit Grandma! :)