And Baby Makes Four

A baby is on the way.

It will be the fourth in four years.

Its nursery is just outside my bedroom.

On the balcony.

Now what mother would put her baby on a balcony, you might ask. But if the mother's a bird, a sunny balcony is as good a place as any.

The first time a pair of birds built a nest on my balcony was in 2003. They had visited every day for a few weeks to check out the place.

Then bit by bit, fluff, twigs and leaves appeared in a cluster on a branch of one of my plants.

What looked like rubbish blown in by the wind eventually turned into an egg-shaped nest with an opening on one side.

One day, the singing of the proud parents was answered by a softer cry.

And there they were, two little babies with their mouths wide open waiting to be fed.

I came home one evening, several weeks later, to find the nest smashed, destroyed by strong winds whipped up in an afternoon storm.

They were gone.

The same thing happened in 2004.

The pair built another nest at the same spot.

This time, only one baby.

Then another storm; and so goodbye.

Last year, their nest was destroyed by strong winds before they managed to lay any eggs.

Now I wait with bated breath.

I hope they succeed.

If they do, I will be ready to celebrate in time-honoured tradition with a pot of vinegared pig's trotters.

Just like how every Cantonese household used to when there was a birth in the family.

A pot of vinegared pig's trotters, with lots of ginger to help the new mother get rid of any wind in her tummy.

The last time my mother made the same dish was when my sister-in-law gave birth to my nephews many years ago.

The recipe was lost when my mother died.

Now, my sister has devised her own version using leaner meat.

It's a slightly healthier version, but no less delicious than what our mother cooked.

To make Sister Number Two's Vinegared Pig's Trotters, you will need:

1 pig's trotter and lean meat from 2 legs (ask the butcher to chop them up)
1 big bottle of black vinegar (best grade)
1 bottle of water (measure using the vinegar bottle)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
250 gms black sugar
500 to 600 gms ginger
10 shelled hard boiled eggs
salt to taste

Clean the trotter. Blanch it and the lean meat in hot water for a few minutes to get rid of any scum and porky smell. Cut the meat into chunks.

Scrape the ginger, cut it into big pieces and smash them to release the juice.

Heat a non-stick pan, fry the pork till quite dry. Set the pork aside.

Heat the non-stick pan again and put in the ginger, fry till quite dry.

Add the sesame oil and the pork. Fry.

Put the meat and ginger in a heavy-bottomed pot (do not use metal containers).

Add the vinegar. Fill the vinegar bottle with water and pour this into the pot.

Add the black sugar.

Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer till the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone (about 30 - 40 minutes).

Add the hard boiled eggs and bring to a boil again.

Add salt to taste.

The end result should be like pork in soup.

It can be eaten immediately but would taste better if kept in the fridge for a few days.

You can double the recipe, eat some and keep the rest to eat over several days.

Make good use of old glass jam/coffee bottles to store the end product.

It will keep for more than a month in the fridge.

But it won't be easy to pour the vinegar out of glass bottles as it turns into a gelatine once you put it in the fridge.

When you are ready to eat it, heat the bottle in a microwave oven (1 minute, High).

Then you can easily pour the vinegared pork into a pot to re-heat and serve.