Here's a humble dish of Red Spinach (bayam merah) soup with dried anchovies (ikan bilis) prepared over a weekend... to soothe a soul that longs to revive something familiar from the past.
Suddenly missing my mother's cooking as well as contemplating the need to incorporate extra fibre into my diet at the same time, I bought some bayam merah at the local night market on one fine Friday evening. It was sold at only RM 1 per stalk (but I'm not sure how many gram was it). This soup is very simple, easy to prepare and delicious.
The ingredients and method are as follow:
Ingredients:
1. Red spinach
2. Garlic (minced)
3. Dried anchovies (soaked in hot water for a few minutes)
4. A small piece of ginger (lightly-crushed)
5. Salt (and seasoning or ikan bilis stock if you like) to taste
6. A bowl of water
Method:
1. Stir-fry the garlic, anchovies and ginger in a wok until golden brown.
2. Add water directly into the wok and allow to boil.
3. Add spinach into the boiling water.
4. Add salt (and seasoning if you prefer) according to your taste. For this soup, I only used salt and a very minute pinch of seasoning.
5. Continue boiling until the spinach soften, but please do ensure that they're not overcooked.
Others may look upon this path as a sweet journey under the autumn sunbeam, but is it really so? Until the ultimate outcome turns out fine, this remains a voyage of mystery.
Image credits: http://iphonewallpaperonline.com/
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The Dream
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I had a strange dream over a night’s sleep last Saturday. It was so life-like; I could almost feel the breathe from above a pair of familiar arms. The gentle caressing of a mother is hard to forget, not to mention the unconditional love that lies within.
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In the private night before my eyelids, I felt a tender touch over my belly. It was a touch by one who’s formerly in the profession of caring for antenatal mothers, a touch so pampering to an emo soul (don’t know why, but I have been gradually and unconsciously transformed from ice-cold to a little more emotional over the past few months. Tell me it’s due to hormonal change.
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Expressively so
Psychologically-speaking, I’m not surprised by what I “heard” in the dream. It's probably what I want to hear. It must have stemmed from my fear of having boys due to a medical ground (X-linked) which makes it 50% risky for the child if it’s a boy. 50% is high enough to spark a concern.
Whether girl or boy, I actually do not bother as long as the kid is good.
It’s so obvious that my mind is trying to sooth itself from fear in the expression of a dream.
Castle in the air
I do not have a reputation of being a lady-of-good-fortune, and thus I should not imagine blessings coming along my way. Further, since I have yet to come close to actual motherhood, my fingers remain crossed.
Whence art’ thou now?
Since I used to talk about instinct almost all the time, so what’s my stand on this now? What does instinct tell me?
Dishearteningly, I have none this time. Being negative is not all bad because it prepares one for the worst. And thus, I don’t believe anything coming into my favor for nothing, after all the dreadfully-shocking ones that I’ve seen come and go not too long ago.
The only instinct I have is that, I shall not gamble away the future of whoever that becomes my kid(s) any further in the future. That's where the consideration of not having more kids come into picture.
Whether it’s rain or shine, I have to be prepared for both no matter how much I wish not to come face-to-face with the rain.
Will the sun that had set down since time immemorial, ever rise and shine upon us once more?
