In Ningbo.I'll never be able to recreate my 2008 Christmas Pudding - it had some weird things in it by Aussie standards. I was not able to get all the ingredients that I would normally use, so I just used what I could. Last night I mixed up the fruit -which had been soaking in brandy with the flour, egg, and orange juice. I found some mixed spices, and "just did it". Some of the fruit included the orange peel that I had crystallised a few weeks ago, some yangmei, some raisins and sultanas I found in the supermarket, some strange dried and salted plums (all dried fruit seems to be salted here!) And hawthorn. I'm not sure what this is - but it comes in a pack in narrow strips with plenty of sugar.
Cooking it was a challenge. The bowl I had to cook it in was wider and not as deep as I would have liked, but in the end I did it in a wok. (Funny the Chinese students do not know what a 'wok' is!) But there it boiled on the stove for several hours until I wanted to go to bed.
This morning I peeked at it - it looks OK. Haven't tried the taste test, but will just have to wait until December 25th I think. And I found some custard powder!
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!
