Red tortoise cakes, made by Ah Ma for every baby's first month, every birthday over sixty, and Chinese New Year. The tortoise is for a long life. The red is for luck. The mould is the only one she owned, and nobody is allowed to wash it with soap.
Ingredients
Glutinous rice flour and a little mashed sweet potato, for softness
Split mung beans, steamed and pounded with sugar, for the filling
Red colouring — less than you think
Banana leaf, cut into squares and wiped with oil
Method
Wrap a ball of filling in the dough, press it into the floured mould, knock it out onto a leaf. Steam for ten minutes over a low fire. If the pattern has gone soft, the steam was too strong; if it cracks, the dough was too dry. Ah Ma could tell which from the doorway.
Who made it
Ah Ma, until 2015, with whichever grandchild could be persuaded to stand still. Her daughter Mei Lin makes them now, and says they are not as good, which is required.