圖文：周心怡
【怡主兒小廚房】近日多雨，好幾次天沒亮就讓雨聲喚醒。每逢佳節倍思親，此刻格外想喝一碗母親煮的茯苓蓮子粥～茯苓寧心安神，蓮子清心除煩，對思慮重睡眠淺的我，這兩味就好像母親撫慰的手，可助一夜好眠。
大年初五，怡主兒把思念化為行動，做個茯苓蓮子糕～傳說勾心鬥角的後宮裡也流行這道清新高雅，祛病延年的點心，慈禧老佛爺常吃，白髮轉黑，連心疼病也犯得少了。
糯米與蓮子炒出香味兒後與茯苓一同打成粉末，和入牛乳、砂糖揉成團鋪在竹蒸籠中，再用豬油炒白芝麻、桂花、糖做夾心內餡兒，蒸熟後米香、桂香、芝麻香…在氤氳蒸氣中浮動，口感柔韌又不失嚼勁，回味悠長，叫人愛不釋口～正如這首母親過去最喜歡唱的歌《魂縈舊夢》…
🌼Scarlett’s Kitchen🌼 Recently we have lots of rain in Los Angeles. I was woken up again by the rain early in the morning. This reminds me Mom’s cooking~ usually she will make porridge with Fu Ling (poria) and lotus seeds for me as a sleep aid. Fu Ling tranquilizes mind, Lotus seeds calm the nerves. That’s why in the old days, the cooks in the imperial harem use them to make all kinds of snacks.
Today I made Fu Ling Rice Cake as part of the New Year celebrations. I mixed the powder of gluten rice, lotus seed and FuLing with milk and sugar, filled with caramelized white sesame and dried osmanthus and steamed it in a bamboo steamer…. The natural smell of rice, sesame, osmenthus and bamboo is so delicious! I made myself a cup of Oolong tea, enjoyed a piece of Fu Ling cake and sang one of my Mom’s favorite song: “The Fetch Tic to the Old Dream”, this is my way to memorize Mom…
