Preparing for the new lunar year is a busy time for many Cantonese households. There are homes to clean, debts to pay, children to instruct - no bad thoughts or words uttered on new year’s day. As the celebratory time gets closer, the flurry moves into the kitchen. Traditional dishes take time to plan and prepare over the two-week celebratory period.
<br />My childhood is filled with memories of my mom and aunties buzzing around the kitchen table making syrup-laced fried bow-ties and flakey pastries filled with peanuts, sesame seeds and coconut. Open Mouth Laughs, balls of dough coated with sesame seeds that crack open when fried, are one of the easiest Cantonese pastries to make.
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