Remembering Ah Gong..

Whenever there was a family gathering, my maternal grand father would instruct his wife(Ah Ma) to cook the dish he loved so much. We grew up loving it, too. These days, whenever we have stewed beef tendons, we would be reminded of the sight of Ah Ma watching patiently over the stove as she prepared Ah Gong’s favourite dish — and of their love and care for the family.

Over the years, I learnt to cook this from my mom who is now going too old to labour in the kitchen. The whole family loved this dish. So whenever there is a family gathering, I would make this dish again. The family that gathers at the table to eat this dish, often felt the love and warmth in the family.

That was what I think Ah Gong would have expected and wanted from us all..to love, to care and to cherish each other.



Ingredients
600g beef tendons
2 sticks cinnamon
3 star anise
1 tsp cloves
Salt to taste
1 stalk spring onion (white part only)
2 medium red onions, quartered
2cm piece ginger, bruised
1 litre of water
1 tbsp corn oil

]Method
1. Heat up a pot of water and add spring onions and ginger to boil.
2. Add tendons to cook briefly for 5 minutes. Drain tendons, set aside, discard water, spring onions and ginger.
3. Heat up a deep casserole with corn oil. Add onions and sauté. Add spices to fry till fragrant.
4. Now add tendons and fry for 3 to 5 minutes until they sizzle a bit.
5. Add water, cover the casserole and simmer over low heat for 2 hours till tendons are soft.
6. Add salt to taste, serve warm with rice.

Where to get Beef Tendons in Singapore?
Its often sold as frozen packs at Carrefour(Plaza Sing).
Once in a while you will find it at Cold Storage or Jason's Marketplace.