The quest for pandan leaves...

It all started for Grandma, or more fondly addressed as Ah Po. Her name is Chow Sow Gan, and she is the best grandma in the world, ever. She is loving, caring, kind, and generous, and on top of that, she is a great cook. Growing up, I remember Dad lecturing me about spending time in the kitchen with Ah Po to learn cooking. But, not surpising, I'd spent my time playing softball or being involved in other extra-curricular activities at school instead, thinking "I can learn cooking anytime. Besides, why cook myself when Ah Po is so much better!" As I left home and went to college, Ah Po would always inquire my return during the weekends, in which case, she would prepare whole lot of my favourite dishes. And when I'm heading back to campus, she would cooked and packed tons of food, enough for the whole week, for me to take with. When I moved 10,000 miles away from home, she still does the same for me, though the frequency is significantly lessen due to the distance that separated us.

In May of last year, fate had her faced with a stroke, and then another a month later. Because of that, she lost her liberty in speech and mobility, and some of her memory. 


Being the selfish grandkid that I am, I am not ready to let her go and am still hoping for her recovery. Aside from playing mah jong, her passion is food. She loves to eat and she showers her love to her grandkids through her cooking. And hence, this project is dedicated to my beloved Ah Po, in hopes that one day she can taste the food I cook for her. The goal of this project is for me to cook 80 dishes by September 8th of this year (and for those who knows me, you will realize that this is almost an impossible mission!) Why 80 dishes and the September 8th deadline? Because Ah Po is turning 80 on September 8th of 2010. 


A few years ago when I was back home in Malaysia, I had specifically requested that Ah Po made me her delicious kaya for me to take with to US, which she unfailingly did. It is therefore appropriate for me to launch this project with kaya as the first thing to make. And hence, my quest for pandan leaves in the city of Minneapolis. 


I was extremely psyched when I found them today! Yes - they are frozen. I had to laugh because when Ah Po made her kaya, she would just go to our lawn and cut off a couple of the leaves from the plant. I was going about town and googling for Asian groceries stores online! Nonetheless, I found them. And oh, may I take this opportunity to thank some great friends who had offered to ship them to me all the way from Malaysia - with your support, I know I can make this project successful!


Let's get started!