another new thread for chinese mums

[csa]

gong xi fa chai!

a new thread for a new year? (good idea yingers)

hope everyone had a good celebration this weekend. us? the closest celebration i got to was speaking to my family on new year's eve and hearing about their reunion dinner

Hi All and welcome to Mofeb! Hardly get a chance to look at the computer now that DS is mobile! Also back to work next week (very scary!). I am going back 3 days - informally 1 day from home so hopefully they stick to it ....

Wyls - my DS who is now 8 months old started to get up at around 5am too!!! He used to sleep til about 7am but started to get up earlier and earlier until we were getting up at around 5ish! Like you, I tried to feed him LOTS before going to sleep - sometimes this worked but we've been having a bit of difficult with his meals at the moment (he has a tendency to swat the spoon away and lock his lips even though we're sure he must be hungry at some stage!!!). He still drinks a fair bit of milk but no more than the recommendation (approx 510ml a day). How did you get your DS to go back to his old routine? My DS is now waking more towards 6am but am really trying to get him back to his 7am wake up esp as I am going back to work soon! Please help!!!

Re; food preparation what does everyone feed their youngsters? I am trying to give my DS taste for Asian food. When we were in Oz my mum made DS congee when he was sick but admittedly it was pretty bland and he didn't seem to like it. I did catch my mum giving DS bits of yum cha though! She said he has to try everything! I gave him sweet and sour pork from a jar (Hippo Organics) the other day and he refused to finish it - I tasted some and it was pretty gross! So far he has had steamed fish with spring onions, mushrooms and a bit of oil with baby rice etc and also chick and black bean (minus the black bean!) with baby rice (both pureed). Have to say that the chicken and black bean was pretty nice even if I have to say so myself! Does anyone have any other recipe suggestions?

Rojak - not long before you are off on hols to see your family! R u excited??!!!

Snowmum - Ahhh Sardinia sounds LOVELY! Did you go to Alghero, Cagliari or Olba? Any recommendations? I take it you didn't hire a car if you didn't have a car seat? We just had a long weekend to the Cotswold which was nice even though it rained. Have to admit though, sometimes I find these holidays with DS very very tiring as their is so much organisation beforehand and potentially improvisation while you are away. Also, DS's routine is sometimes disturbed due to unfamiliar environment etc.

Teacakes - I've been taking DS swimming and so far so good although I too am worried about ear infections. I have been settling DS into nursery and everyone has said to me he is bound to be sick all the time anyway coz he will pick up everything other kids have at nursery, so I guess I am resigned to this fact. The worst thing is when he passes it to me and I still have to take care of him while being sick myself when I usually feel like being take care of by MY mum!

Re: nursery - does anyone know what the usual standard is wrt settling in periods? I am a bit disappointed as I thought my DS would be going in every day for 2 weeks finishing off with at least 1 full day in day care in order to settle him in properly but turns out that he will only really have about 5 sessions in total building up to around 6 hours which does not seem like nearly enough to me especially as when I start work he'll be there for 10 hours!!! Am I being overly neurotic?

Wrt the bilingual conversation (sorry to chip in past the event!) but have to say that we were "forced" to go to Chinese school every morning through primary and majority of high school (until I got a Sat morning job) and I HATED it at the time and was very unmotivated but now really really really wish I could speak! I can understand a bit and even recognise some characters but lack a lot of confidence with the tones. My vocab is quite limited too. My sister (who was dragged along to Chinese school too) has actually started up mandarin at night classes and has travelled in China with her partner (who is caucasian) - they all thought she was his interpreter but if anything his mandarin is probably better than hers! He has really been into it for the last 12-18 months doing classes plus 2 hours private tuition a week. He practices with my parents. Maybe I lack perserverance but sometimes i think the only way I will pick up the tones properly is to go and live in Shanghai or something!

Anyway, best be off to catch some precious sleep! Take care all x

ok for babies waking early in the summertime - blackout blinds and blackout linings for curtains (use both!) - take from < whisper > Gina Ford.

breaking in to nursery routine - I started off with an hour, progressed to about 3 hours, then half day with lunch and nap, before trying a full day.

Asian food - my kids love rice with tofu - either steamed with minced pork and gravy over or Japanese-style tofu stir fried with veg and chicken. They also like steamed egg - basically anything which when added into the rice makes it a bit stodgy (like a thick congee).

I'm looking to increase my repertoire of Chinese cooking so if anyone has got some really easy, quick stir fry recipes, please share them!

Heybaby - we go to Malaysia at the end of June for 3 weeks!!
Thanks

I'm rubbish at Chinese cooking so any easy recipes are welcome!!! When we go to London, ds has had stuff like tofu and rice, salmon and stuff that you get from da bin lo (Chinese fondue).

Are any of you teaching your los to speak Chinese? I speak Cantonese but very badly with a very heavy English accent. Yep, we were made to go to Chinese school every sat too but I'm glad that I stuck to it until I got my GCSE Cantonese grade A. Not a lot of use though!! I was aloud to give it up when I said that my A Levels were more important!

hello all,
i am very chilled today as we (DH and i) have just come back from our first wkend together without DD. i was feeling very nervous and guilty about the whole idea, but had such a great time. we went to amsterdam and it was so nice to have time for each other again. my in-laws came down to look after DD, and i don't think she missed me at all, i did not even get a smile when we came back!

reading the feeding threads, i think my DD is getting a rough deal. she is still going getting sweet potatos and cauliflour.

i found this book on chinese cooking, it looks pretty good, but not really for babies. it's called The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing by Grace Young.
\link{http://amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684847396/ref=wl_it_dp/026-5713917-0473246?%5Fencoding=UTF8&coliid=I2J6XY3Y7ZX4Y6&colid=1LST1CW2EEXIS}

How complicated is this cookbook? any recipe which calls for more than 5 ingredients and takes longer than 30 minutes is complicated for me!!

Completely that you and your DH managed to get away on your own!

Heybaby, is your ds still getting up early? Have you got a blackout blind in your DS's room? I have one but I also shut all the doors upstairs so that no sunlight can get into DS's room at all. He seems to be back to his old routine BUT I am now having problems with him waking up 2-3 times a night screaming his head off and refusing to go back to sleep. We had this for 2 nights now and I am just waiting for him to wake up at the mo ... hopefully it's only a phase and he wont do it again tonight.

We couldnt work out why really, apart from I gave him cow's milk for his bedtime bottle for the last 2 nights and tonight he's back on his usual formula so we will see ... pray for me girls.

As for chinese recipes, how about steamed rainbow trout with ginger and spring onions? Very simple, 2 rainbow trouts, clean and cut the heads off and make a couple of incisions on each trout. Place the 2 trouts on a microwavable plate. Chop up some spring onions and spread them on top of the fish. You can also stuff a few into the incisions. Grate some fresh ginger on to the fish. Drizzle some olive oil and add a few tablespoons of water onto the fish. Cover with clingfilm and steam for approx 5 mins. Once cooked, add some soya sauce to the fish and that's it. Serve with rice and veg.

You probably all know this anyway. For babies, minus the soya sauce bit.

Wyls - I use almost the same fish recipe as you but sometimes use salmon! Also minus the ginger but sometimes I also include shiitake/button mushrooms. YUM! We can then eat it for dinner with rice and puree some and give it to DS with babyrice.

My DS really loved this chicken and blackbean when I gave it to him - fry up chicken, onion, green pepper, garlic and carrots with a bit of olive oil. Puree and serve with baby rice. You can freeze this one too I think. Then just add the black bean sauce etc and you can have it for dinner with rice.

For non-Asian dishes, he is also a big fan of spaghetti bolognese ... Have also given him stir-fried pork mince, green beans, red peppers and carrots with baby rice which he seemed to like (not as much as the above two though) and lamb hotpot (fry lamb's neck pieces, onion and garlic then add water, carrots and celery and cook until stew-like). Same principles apply - cook the baby-fied version and then add salt or whatever else for your own meal.

Wyls - No we don't have black-out blinds in DS' room but (touch wood) he has slept through reasonably well for past couple of nights waking at 630-7ish. Am praying for you though! Praying for us too that he adjusts well next week when I am back at work!

Rojak - I'm with you! Would be keen to hear any other very very easy recipes!

Is anyone speaking to their child in Cantonese/Mandarin? I would but I feel stupid talking to him in Cantonese, he'll be tone deaf!

Thanks Heybaby, and DS slept through last night from 7pm to 7am!!! I just hope that the waking up is a phase and i will be praying for you when you go back to work next week.

I will try your chicken and black bean recipe, yummy yummy.

As for non chinese dishes, my DS loves mashed potatoes with salmon and spinach. He eats so well and we are on instant noodles or KFC most of the time. ha ha

Mommyofeb, I do speak to my DS in Cantonese, I am bilingual so I am hoping my son can be the same. I am not expecting him to write or read chinese though, it's probably too hard. He will be going to chinese school when he's older. My mum is a teacher at the school and she also talks to my DS in Cantonese too. (Even my stepdad who's English will also try and speak to my DS in Cantonese, he's got an English accent though so it's well funny. Bless!)

Just something funny to share with you girls, a while back, my stepdad was trying to ask my mum where the keys were in Cantonese, and my mum was very confused cos she thought my stepdad was saying "saucey" "saucey" to my mum!!!

LOL i was just having a conversation with some friends the other day and i said that one thing chinese (well, malaysians and singaporeans anyway) always do is end up talking about FOOD no matter what the conversation started out as!!! i haven't looked back through this thread but i'm sure it will prove to be quite true :o

chicken and black bean sauce. yummy! do you use jar? won't it be too salty? my ds2 does not seem to like congee or proper rice. will take baby rice but since he is now 13m, it seems that it will not be that appropriate? ideas anyone? will try steaming fish this weekend. try to do a "chinese" meal for saturday lunch - it is the only time i do it!

oh, both ds like chicken in oyster sauce with potatoes and carrots (plus balck mushrooms sometimes)

Argh! DS woke up at 5am then went back to sleep only to wake again at 530am. I had to feed him as he wouldn't settle and he basically stayed awake wanting to crawl around and play .... .

May be we should get the blackout blinds ....

Oh no, did he go back to bed after his milk?

Cna you not try putting a sheet/blanket over the curtains to block out the sunlight, try that first and then see. (save buying the blackout blinds)

It could be a growth spurt that he is hungry so he's waking up early wanting his feed. Did you say you have increased his food already?

rojak, i'll be getting that book and will let you know if it is complicated or not. don't know why i think i'll have the time to try out the recipes, but at least i can look at the pictures and dream of the food!

wyls - that is a very funny story. my folks used to have a friend whose hubby was english and everytime he answered the phone he'd say 'gong hey fat choy' to his wife's amusement.

mummyofeb, i am speaking to DD exclusively in cantonese at the mo. started doing this after a discussion with italian mate who does the same with her son. sometimes i run out of things to say as i don't speak cantonese to anyone other than my folks. but finding that i do remember quite a lot of words. my folks have started taping chinese soaps for me to watch, so that will be interesting.

DH also brought a cantonese dvd so that he understands cantonese a bit more, i think i'll start listening to it soon too.

heybaby, does that mean when my DD reaches 8mths (next week)the honeymoon period will be over? she was up at 04.30 today - but i have a feeling that it's the bird song waking her up.

also like fez says do you use bbean sauce jars? aren't they salty?

fez, you were going to tell me of places to go in cambridge..... any good places for dim sum?

Hi teacakes, i know there is a chinese shop in cambridge, on mill road. i used to shop there a lot. But i am not sure if it is still there. As for dim sum in cambridge, there wasnt one when i was living there but if there is one now, fez, please let me know also.

btw, teacakes, did you join any classes? What about jo jingles or tumble totes?

www.jojingles.co.uk/

www.tumbletots.com/tt_pages/GB/Franchise/booking/view_classes.aspx

My DS love jo jingles!!!

sorry teacakes. have not been logging on for quite awhile now. having a nightmare with the house move but that's another story altogether!

ok, places to go in cambridge. not sure how old your children are?

dim sum. a good one is charlie chan on regent street in the middle of cambridge. another good but expensive one is in histon called phoenix. i haven't been there but i have heard many good things said about it. you may need to book on weekends as it is rather popular.

wyls is right. there are 2 chinese supermarkets on mill road. my favourite is cho mei - it is huge but the only problem is i always end up spending loads if i go. there is also a smaller one down wulfstan way (near addenbrookes hospital) if you didn't want to go all the way into town. can't remember the name at the moment. will come back to me.....

soft play places - cheeky monkeys in fulbourn and the funky fun house on mercers row. the second one is bigger but both is pretty fun and food is home made and pretty cheap too.

cambridge blues off mill lane is a non smoking pub which serves food so pretty nice to go with children too.

what are you into so i can suggest more places? oh, in case you didn't know, the cambridge city council organises a summer festival every year : check \link{www.cambridge-summer.co.uk/\this out}. the Children's Festival week begins on 12 June. also Strawberry Fair starts tomorrow (Saturday 3rd) all day on Midsummer Common. haven't been to either but thinking of going to the children's festival this year.

cat me if you like?

right, it's come back to me. it's called Winfield. it is a branch - the main one is the one on mill road.

hth.

wyls - I'm going to try your steam rainbow trout - I've tried steaming fish but it never turns out the way it's supposed to - but hav usually used cod or haddock so not tried rainbow trout.

Tried a grilled salmon recipe the other day - 2 table spoons honey (I warmed this in microwave for 20 secs till honey was runny), 2 tablespoons soy sauce and one table spoon sesame oil - marinate salmon fillets in this (did it for a couple of hours in fridge) and then grill. It was quite yummy - could've had it with rice but we had it with baby spuds and cauliflower.

I'm not speaking to DS or DD in anything but english atm because my chinese is pretty non-existent. They use some words like "nai-nai" which mandarin for milk but that's pretty much it. Will have to investigate chinese school for DS.

Fez - nice to see you on here again! Hope the nightmare housemove sorts itself out.

hey, does anyone have a rice cooker that goes into the microwave? I cant live without mine and my mum got it for me in HK ages ago and now you can get them from oriental city for £12.99.

It looks like this www.oriental.com.au/Promotions/perfectricesystem.aspx

You can cook everything in 1 pot which is very handy.

oooh - never seen one of these before - I have a really archaic one - it's not non-stick and only has 2 functions - cook and keep warm! Time to upgrade I think!

Rojak, my rice cooker is better than yours but only just - its non-stick!

Gosh, what a lot of talk about food. I haven't given DD much chinese food apart from congee which she adores. I put courgettes and carrots in it which ups the veg content and makes it sweeter. I then add either fish, minced chicken or pork in (obviously not at the same time). I got the receipe from my SIL, she even used to put tomatoes and mushrooms in the congee as well. Other than congee we have tried plain cheung fun and char sui buns - again DD loves.

DH has a marinade for grilled salmon which we use quite a bit - soy sauce and wasabi. Sounds weird but works quite well.

Teacakes, I have the Grace Young cookbook. Its quite good, but mainly receipes for celebrations not everyday cooking. However it is nice to have a chinese cookbook written for chinese people i.e. not just black bean, sweet and sour type receipes. Another chinese cookbook I would recommend is The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook by Gloria Bley Miller \link{http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399128352/qid=1149287197/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_2_3/202-2088013-7819067\here}. It has lots of everyday cooking type receipes as well as the more extravagant ones.

I miss Cambridge! So envious of those of you who live there. There were two Chinese food shops in Mill Road the last time I was there.
Charlie Chan's is alright but not brilliant. I hear that Pheonix is suppose to be very good but pricey. There's also a newish one near the Grafton Centre opposite Blockbusters but have not tried it. My favourite eating place in Cambridge is Pho cafe next to Pizza Hut but again that's shut now! May balls should be in full swing now I think.

Oh, anyone sending their child to Chinese school? I would but unfortuneately they don't do Cantonese where we are and it's in Durham which is about 12 miles away. Would like ds to be bilingual but have very little motivation myself to teach him!

WYLS, I have not gone to any of the suggested playgrps yet. Still trying to sort out a 2nd car so DD and I can get to places without having to arrange ferrying DH to train station and back in the evening.

I have a microwave rice cooker but it never occured to me that i could use it for a whole meal! (a homer simpson moment).

FEZ, thanks for the info - will give those places a try. I heard there is a baby morning in a cinema in cambridge so might give that a try tomorrow. I have just realised what cat means, so will try to give that a go.

Where have you moved to?

SNOWMUM, i'll try that book to expand my very limited range. At the moment we are waiting to get the kitchen done so we don't have a cooker. so i have been just using an electric wok - DH is getting fed up of stir frys every night.

MUMMYOFEB, i read somewhere that people take awhile to get over their move, a sort of diluted grieving. i was desperate to get out of ldn and now find myself thinking about certain places with very warm memories.... (typical!)

i was wondering about chinese schools in the cambs area - FEZ?

Teacakes, does your DH like salmon, cos you can cook the rice for about 10 mins (approx 2 cups of rice) and then put a couple of salmon filet on top, cook for another 5 mins and that's it. You can add some spring onions and ginger with the salmon and a bit of olive oil if you want. Once it's all done, add soya sauce to taste.

I love spring onions and ginger!!!

Got another easy recipe, not sure if it is proper chinese though - spare ribs with honsin sauce. You can buy a whole rack of ribs from tesco and then just marinate it with 1 jar of honsin sauce for about 1hr or so. Put the ribs in an oven proof tray, add about 200ml of water to the tray and then put it in the centre of the oven for about 30mins - 40mins (180C) or until it's cooked, serve with rice or on it's own.

Btw, rick Stein has some good chinese recipes, i love his chinese roast pork recipe. Let me know if you want it.

hi teacakes, hope you had fun at the arts picturehouse. what movie was it? does that mean dd is less than a year old? charlie chan is just next door - dim sum is good but a la carte not so...

chinese schools - well, i am still waiting for details from the chinese community centre place but it has been really difficult to get hold of them. will let you know if i recieve any joy?

my email address : [email protected]