Thursday, May 13, 2010

Red Eggs

According to Chinese customs, when a baby turns one month old, a ceremony is held to celebrate her first full moon. This also coincides with the end of the mother's confinement period, and both mother and baby are formally introduced for the first time. Relatives and friends gather to give their blessings and gifts to the new baby, and traditional treats such as ang ku kueh and red eggs are featured.

This weekend I'll be making red eggs and American carrot cakes for J and D's baby's full month celebrations.  I thought I'd try one of the recipes I found on the internet.  First I boiled the eggs with water, vinegar and salt, using the same method for making hard boiled eggs.  Vinegar and salt are supposed to dissolve the waxy covering on eggs and make absorption of the red food colouring easier.  While the eggs were hot I took them out of the boiling water and submerged them in a red colouring I had prepared earlier.  Then I took the eggs out and wiped them dry with a kitchen paper towel and left them to cool.  I then added a ribbon.


Now I'm off to check on my cakes!

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