Jiaji Town Market 海南琼海加积市场

After bringing the children on an outing to the seaside in Boao the day before, they became more attached to me. During breakfast, they suggested we have a barbecue that night.

The adults thought it was a good idea, so elder daughter-in-law Tian volunteered to drive us to Jiaji town to buy the food for the barbecue event. I thought we were going to the supermarket, so I dressed up in a pretty floral cotton dress. But Tian brought us to the local wet market. I stood out like a sore thumb among the locals in the market.  LOL

The wet market is situated in a busy part of town. Housed on the ground floor of a 3-storey building, there are approximately 100 stalls selling fresh vegetables, seafood and meats.

The upper two floors are shops selling household products, textile and garments.

A vegetable stall similar to the ones we have in Singapore. Since we plant vegetables on our farm, we bought mushrooms and corn. 

We stopped by a stall selling a variety of live seafood. There are live fishes too, but dead fish are sold more cheaply. We bought some clams

Stalls selling meat, note the signs in front of every stall displaying the owner's photo and name. We bought some beef for the barbecue.

Met these two brother who were helping their mother sell freshly wrapped dumplings. I stood in front of their stall admiring their skilful and speedy wrapping of dumplings. The family sell dumpling wrappers too.

In front and behind the main building are some terrace shops which sell dried goods, frozen foods or kitchen supplies. We picked up charcoal and skewers.

I was delighted to find the frozen chicken because I could cook our famous Singapore Hainanese chicken curry. The fresh Wenchang chicken on our farm is a little too tough to cook in curry.

We bought 5 kg of frozen chicken wings, some crabsticks and Taiwanese sausages.

We went to a dried goods shop to buy some marinating sauces. I was pleased to find several varieties of dried cuttlefish. They enhance the flavour of savoury dishes and are widely used in our family recipes.

In front of the market are these motor cyclists waiting to send pillion riders to their destinations for a small fee. They are a common sight in Hainan.

When we are done with our marketing at the wet market, Tian drove us to a nearby local supermarket. It is a huge 2-storey building with mostly made in China products.

The kids asked if I could cook them an English breakfast or make sandwiches for the next day's breakfast. I tried looking for bacon, sausages or cheese but these were not available in this supermarket. I could only find milk and white bread.

I noticed the kids were looking longingly at the carbonated beverages and snacks. I do not encourage children to eat snacks, especially processed foods, but I told them to pick something for themselves and I would pay for them. They shyly placed some chips, crispies, chocolates and several bottles of gassy drinks into my shopping trolley. I paid and we went home happily.


孩子们要办一个烤肉会, 大媳妇载我们到琼海加积镇菜市场买菜。这个菜市场面积挺大, 约有100多摊位。鱼虾肉菜、水果、米面油、调味品干货都有，可算是比较全面的平民菜市场了。与摊贩们聊天, 发现所有的摊位多是夫妻店或家族店。

孩子们还要我做西式早餐, 我们又去当地大型超市买食材。但除了白面包和牛奶, 这间超市没卖热狗、煙肉 (培根)和乳酪 (芝士)。看來隔天要做西式早餐, 非动一点脑经不可。

Day Trip to Boao 博鳌一日游

After several days of helping the adults cook and prepare the food offerings for our coming ancestral worship, the children grew restless. They ambushed me in the hall one morning and cajoled me into agreeing to bring them to the beach in Boao.

I asked the elder daughter-in-law Tian to drive us to Boao, she was more than happy to get away from the cooking for a day. The children jumped for joy. They grabbed thick jackets and piled into the car.

From our house, it took an hour to reach Boao because of the traffic congestion. Many mainlanders from northern China traveled to Hainan island for the festive holidays to escape the cold winter. We saw many of them at popular tourist attractions.

Boao, a coastal town in the east of Qionghai city, has been the permanent venue for the annual Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) since 2002. This international non-profit organisation hosts high-level dialogues for leaders from government, business and academia in Asia and other countries.

Within 15 years, the annual forums have transformed Boao from a fishing village into a world-class tourist hub consisting multi-million condominiums, sprawling golf courses and majestic hotels.

Boao is more prosperous and more happening than Qionghai city. It is attracting many tourists because of its scenic views and laid back charms. There are a few mega projects under constructions to attract more visitors and investors.  

Tian brought us to a beach near a resort. The beach looked deserted because temperature that day was 14 °C and there was strong winds. Not bothered by the cloudy and damp weather, the children were ecstatic by the sight of the waves. They took off their shoes to frolick in the cold water for an hour.

They enjoyed themselves running on the sandy beach and chasing the waves. It was a rare trip to the seaside for the kids as their parents are usually busy working. It is also out of the way for them to come here.

Tian wanted to bring me to the island to see the site of the BFA on Dongyu Island. but the children objected.

We visited Boao Buddhist Temple instead because Tian wanted to sit on the same seats where US President Obama and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping sat when they came for a tour of the temple. LOL

The temple grounds is huge, housing a towering pagoda temple which has a viewing deck on its highest level. I didn't want to climb the stairs, so we missed seeing the stunning views of Wanquan river and Dongyu island from an elevated angle.

Tian insisted on following a tour guide to listen to her specific narration about the temple. I could see the children were bored as we followed the guide around. The youngest child started whining for a drink. I realised it was almost five o'clock, When it was time to leave, the children were overjoyed.

Initially we planned to go to Tanmen Fishing Port, the largest fishing port on Hainan island, but it was getting dark and it would probably be closed if we proceed at that hour. So we detoured to Boao Town for a snack and drink before dinner.

The children's eyes lit up when they saw this little food van. They wanted to eat the wraps which come with assorted fillings. I was amused to discover that the wrap they sell is similar to our roti prata.  

I had a wrap with meat floss filling to try. It tasted so-so. Well, the snacks would keep the children happy until we get to a restaurant.

The kids asked for spicy food, so we went for Xiang cuisine (Hunan cuisine). One of the eight Chinese cuisines in China, it is well-known for its greasiness, dense colours, spicy and sour flavour.

I let the kids select the dishes from the menu while I enjoyed a tea pouring demonstration from this 19-year-old boy. The brass kettle contained hot water. I could see the scalding scars on both his hands.

The kids ordered one spicy fish and a couple of cold appetizers, they were probably trying to save money for me. I had to add a few more meat dishes. The kids were ravenous, we had to order two pots of steamed white rice to go with the dishes. LOL  

Glad that they enjoyed the meal and the outing. We reached home around 9 pm, passed the bed time of the youngest child. Before he was bundled off to bed after a good clean up, he came to my room and said, "Nai nai (grandma), tomorrow we go out again, ok?"


与大媳妇带了家里的小孩们去博鳌玩。我们参观了博鳌禅寺, 中国国家主席习近平与美国总统奥巴马曾经到此一游。

博鳌禅寺的建筑于2005年落成, 是目前海南建筑规模最大的正宗佛院禅林。禅寺内的 “万佛观音塔” 供奉着两尊国内独有的佛像; 一是全中国最高大的青铜千手千眼观音双面观音菩萨像，二是佛祖故乡尼泊尔国国王亲赠的镏金释迦牟尼佛像。

我们在博鳌禅寺可以看到对面的东屿岛, 那是博鳌亚洲论坛永久会址所在地。本想去东屿岛看看, 但孩子们不肯去。他们选择去海边玩水, 平时他们的父母亲都没空带他们出去游玩。今天难得出来走走, 就顺着他们, 让他们开心一下。

孩子们肚子饿了, 我们到博鳌镇上逛逛, 买小吃充饥。晚餐他们要吃酸辣鱼, 就带他们去餐馆吃湘菜。菜很下饭, 孩子们也都饿了, 每人吃了两碗白饭。哈哈 。。。

Traditional Hainanese Nian Gao (Sticky Rice Cake) Making 传统手工制作海南红糖年糕

On the third day of my stay in my village in Hainan, the weather suddenly turned chilly. It was a lovely 21°C when I arrived, but the temperature dropped to 14°C three days later.

It became so cold at night that I had to wear two sweaters and bundled myself with 4 blankets when I sleep. Also I had to keep the bedroom windows shut all throughout my stay. So funny, right? I live in a country where daily temperature averages 30°C, I couldn't adapt to the sudden drop in temperature here.

That afternoon when I woke up from my usual nap after lunch, I found the entire family busy in the kitchen. They were making the traditional Hainanese Nian Gao (sticky rice cake) for our ancestor worship.

My nephews and their children were still enjoying their Lunar New Year holidays so it was a boisterous activity with the extra helping hands. The kids had 3 weeks of vacation but they were complaining that their "heartless" teachers gave them lots of homework. LOL

Sister-in-law decided to make a huge nian gao as there were so many family members at home. She prepared more so I could bring some back to Singapore. She used 5 kg of glutinous rice flour.

I watched as she knead the dough .... it was hard work, but my sister-in-law has strong arms despite her advanced age. Her second daughter-in-law helped when her arms were tired.

Only my sister-in-law knows the consistency of the dough and when it was ready, she allowed us to shaped them into ovals for cooking.

We had to use the old wood fire stove as the nian gao was going to be huge. She boiled some water with dark sugar and coconut milk, then she put in the shaped dough to cook.

When the dough floated to the surface, they were cooked. I was offered a piece to taste, she drizzled some coconut sauce over it.

The sticky rice cake was not overly sweet and it didn't stick to my teeth. When eaten with the coconut sauce ...., Wow!! I like the taste of this combination. you could taste the creamy coconut. I thought this was the final product. No.

Sister-in-law continued cooking the dough. Then she used two wooden rods to twist the cooked dough in a clockwise direction. She kept doing it until the oval shaped cakes were broken into a lumpy mess.

Then her two sons took turns to blend the mixture with the wooden rods until it was smooth. That took almost an hour to get that smooth consistency.

Have a look at this video where my nephew shows how to blend the nian gao :

Phew! This is truly very exhausting. I doubt I could do this in Singapore by myself.      

When the cooked sticky rice cake is ready, they transferred it to a huge basin to cool. 

Second daughter-in-law smoothen the surface of the cake and smear fragrant peanut oil on it before covering it up with banana leaves.

Two days later, we were elated to taste the delicious nian gao. That is a huge basin of nian gao!  haha....

We heat some in the microwave oven. It was soft and chewy, did not stick to our teeth. There was a lovely coconutty fragrance. I think it would taste better eaten with fresh coconut shreds.

We sliced some and dipped them in a batter and fried it. The children love this crispy sticky rice cakes which turned gooey after frying, so they had fun "playing" with it. LOL

I prefer the earlier version where coconut sauce was spooned over the sticky rice cake. But the family members prefer their nian gao where the ingredients are all blended together.

This is a fantastic activity where all the family members gathered to make the traditional offering to our ancestors. They would be very pleased and proud seeing us united and living harmoniously.


海南人的红糖年糕, 叫做甜粑, 是逢年过节祭祀都必备的食物。以糯米、红糖为原材料。

按我们家乡琼海风俗，一到过年，不少农户都为欢度新春佳节而赶制年糕。我们家的红糖年糕, 特别的大气，一次制作十几斤, 一般会用大圆器皿来盛。

我们家古早味椰汁红糖年糕，传统手工制作方式是：

先将糯米泡在水中，第二天将泡软的糯米用石磨磨成米浆 (在许多农村已比较少见了)。后加入红糖、椰汁搅拌均匀，形成糯米粑, 放到椰浆里用柴火灶的大火煮。

糯米粑浮上来就熟了, 再用两根木棍反覆搓, 这样甜粑绵韧性就好。最后装进器皿待凉了才吃, 放一个多月都不会坏。

要吃年糕时，要用细线切上几块，放进锅里煎。外酥内软的煎年糕要趁热吃，热的时候是软的，凉了就硬了。

我们家传统古早味椰汁红糖年糕, 软软的、QQ的，淡淡的散发椰奶的鲜香。那口感绝对是外面卖的年糕没法比的。不能贪嘴哦 。。。因为这个是糯米制品，不好消化的。

Traditional Hainanese Dessert - Zhu Loot 海南传统农家小吃 - 甜薯奶

During the two weeks that I was back in my village on Hainan island, I was constantly amazed at the traditional Hainanese food that my sister-in-law prepared for us.

She inherits the family dishes from our grandmother, she has since imparted her knowledge of the family dishes to her second son and daughter-in-law. I want to learn how to cook these dishes too, so I asked her to teach me.

This afternoon she was going to teach me a traditional dessert that is popular in Qionghai. The main ingredient is Chinese yam (Dioscorea esculenta(Lour.) Burkill ) which is available on our farm.

It was the first time I see these Chinese yams, they are so hairy. LOL She steamed some yams for me to taste. It tasted like potatoes.

The rest of the Chinese yams, she washed them clean and peeled the skins.

Using a grater, she grated all the Chinese yams. It became a pile of gooey stuff because the yam was very starchy.

Sister-in-law added some rice flour to the starchy yam and mixed them well to form a dough.

Her second daughter-in-law boiled a pot of water with several slices of ginger, then added coconut milk. When the coconut milk started to boil, she shaped the dough into little balls and dropped them into the boiling soup.

When the yam balls are cooked, they will float to the surface. Add some sugar to the dessert and serve it hot or chilled.

How does the dessert taste? Watch the video.

It's delicious!

Zhu Loot (Creamy Chinese Yam Dessert), a traditional Hainanese dessert which is popular in Qionghai, is made from Chinese yams and cooked in a coconut milk sweet soup. It has a savoury version too.

The Chinese yams are a good source of vitamin C for fighting infections such as colds and flu and quick wound healing, anti-ageing, strong bones and healthy immune function.


回家乡那两个星期, 我向大嫂学了几样传统海南菜和小吃。这些都是我们奶奶传下来的传家菜, 我学会了回新加坡煮给家人吃。

这天大嫂教我煮甜薯奶。这是琼海小吃, 有两种做法 ：一种是甜的、一种是咸的。将甜薯磨成泥状和米粉浆混合在一起, 捏成球后下汤煮。

爱吃甜味的加糖, 姜片和椰奶; 爱吃咸味的洒上一些炒熟磨碎的芝麻，滴几滴上好的香油，加上海南特产的鲜虾酱，再倒入一些辣椒油。

甜薯也叫毛薯, 我们家农地有种。

甜薯类似山药，表面有毛，表皮有斑，剥开之后，有滑滑的粘液。煮熟之后，口感松软, 具有“清、补、凉” 滋养强身、补脾肺、涩精气、消肿、止痛的功效。

Hainan Chicken Poop Creeper Dessert 海南鸡屎藤粑仔

After collecting the chicken poop creeper flour from the miller, my second nephew's wife commenced to make the dough.

She added some water to the chicken poop creeper flour and mixed them well to form a dough.

Once the dough was ready, the other family members came to help.  

This is how the rice cake has to be shaped. Roll the dough into a cylinder, pinch a little dough from it and roll into a circle. Then shape it by pressing it between the index and middle fingers. This is the Qionghai style.

With many hands helping, we were able to finish shaping the rice cakes quickly.

Sister-in-law had already prepared the coconut milk for the sweet soup base, so we heat it and added the rice cakes in.

If the coconut milk soup is too creamy for your taste, you can cook a ginger soup base.

We have to stir the rice cakes constantly to prevent the dough from sticking together. Once the rice cakes float to the surface of the coconut milk, it is cooked. Serve it hot or cold.


鸡屎藤粑仔是著名的海南甜点。 一家人聚集在一起制作海南传统的鸡屎藤粑仔。 这是琼海式的鸡屎藤粑仔。

鸡屎藤的味道臭臭的，但做出来的粿就是有一股淡淡的香味哦, 是很好的滋补品，有清热、解毒、去湿、补血的功能。

Hainan Chicken Poop Creeper 海南野生鸡屎藤

Hainan Chicken Poop Creeper (Paederia foetida)

We were going to prepare a famous Hainanese dessert named Chicken Poop Creeper rice cakes (Kweh Dai Dean Bua). My sister-in-law sent her daughter-in-law and daughter to pick the wild chicken poop creeper  (Paederia foetida, also known as Chinese Fevervine herb) from a hill behind the village. I requested to tag along.

We walked passed padi fields and through narrow lanes of some villagers' houses before arriving at the foot of a hill. It was a rocky and uneven terrain with many betel nut trees planted on the slopes.

The two ladies showed me a chicken poop creeper and made me smell a crushed leave before going separate ways to look for the plant, leaving me to hunt for the elusive creeper. It has a pleasant smell, it doesn't smell like chicken poop.

Walking among the betel nut trees, there were lots of cobwebs and mosquitoes. All the creepers looked alike to me. I pulled some and went to look for my nephew's wife. She took a look and laughed out loud. I had brought her weeds. LOL

I examined the chicken poop creeper she found and discovered that it has hairy leaves. Ahhh .... I have a better chance of finding the plant. I was ecstatic when I found it and ran to show her. She nodded her head and feeling happy with myself, I went back to look for more chicken poop creepers.

In the course of looking for the creepers, I came across three tombstones .... they made my hair stand on end. When I mentioned this to my brother-in-law, he told me one of them is our grandmother's tombstone.

Grandmother and two great uncles were buried there because the hill was once our estate, but it was confiscated during the Cultural Revolution. It was then distributed to other villagers.  

We managed to fill two bagfuls with the plant. We brought them back home and the kids helped to remove the leaves.

Sister-in-law then washed the leaves thoroughly and left them to dry in the sun.

The next morning, my nephew's wife sent the leaves and a bag of rice to the miller to have them ground.

My nephew went to collect the flour after lunch. When I opened the bag of flour, it gave out a nice fragrance, it doesn't smell like chicken poop.

Now we were ready to make the famous Hainanese dessert ~~

Chicken Poop Creeper dessert (Kweh Dai Dean Bua)

海南风味家乡菜
家里要做鸡屎藤粑仔, 大嫂叫她的女儿和二媳妇去村后面的山采生长在山野的鸡屎藤。我跟着去看看。我们采了两大袋鸡屎藤回来, 孩子们帮忙摘叶。鸡屎藤叶洗干净后要晒干, 然后加大米去磨成粉。

鸡屎藤是一种蔓藤类植物，它生长在气候温热以及潮湿的灌木丛林中。“鸡屎滕粑仔”是海南省琼海特色的风味小吃和民间滋补品。

鸡屎藤粉 - 纯天然滋补绿色食品

鸡屎藤营养功效 :
清热;  解毒消肿;  祛风除湿;  活血止痛;  食积腹胀；小儿疳积；腹泻；痢疾；皮炎湿疹;  中暑；黄疸；肝炎；肝脾肿和补血等等, 很适合风寒感冒和痛经的女生。