Granny's secret recipe

Pour the mixture on the pan and spread it

Turn back and forth until it turns golden brown
Lempeng kelapa is ready to be eaten...

All of a sudden I am craving for my late granny's lempeng kelapa.Ooppss..don't get me wrong...I am approaching the autumn season already.So, I announce to my kids that they are going to have lempeng kelapa for their tea instead of the normal pisang goreng or keropok lekor from the mak cik at the junction.

An immediate response I get from my big baby is " Apa tu ma?".And from my daughter, Mira who seems not very convinced.."Sedap ke ma?Definitely, for mommy dearest is going to cook this traditional recipe from scratch unlike the usual instant pancakes which mommy cooks direct from the boxes.

Actually when late granny was still alive, I never bothered to ask her of any special recipe.We always took it for granted that she would be with us forever and ever.Now I start missing her nasi goreng ikan bilis,pengat of all kinds,bahulu berempah and yes..her speciality pulut tetal which I think nobody in the whole clan knows how to cook it now.Her bahulu berempah was so famous that when Hari Raya was approaching she would get orders not only from the kampung folks but from other villages too.They called it "bahulu mak su Sitam".That's my granny 's name.And her grandchildren would help her to beat the mixture in a big earthen pot which had been used over the years for umpteenth times.

So where shall I start?First mommy dearest is going to mix the flour with water .Mix it well and put a pinch of salt.Then add in grated coconut to the mixture and stir it well until you get a smooth but thick batter.Next, heat up the pan, and spread the mixture.Turn the lempeng back and forth over a low fire until it turns golden brown.There it goes... my lempeng kelapa is ready to be eaten.I toss it on a plate and within minutes it is gone.Another piece is tossed, again it is gone in no time.Five pieces have been cooked yet I still haven't got the chance to taste it. When the sixth one is put on the plate, Mira suddenly comes to her senses and shouts to her siblings. " Hei leave some for mama lah!"The other three are reaching for the last piece, stop midway and along pushes the plate to the side.They leave the table.Mommy dearest sits down,tears the edge of the lempeng and puts into her mouth..eemm delicious...finally mommy get to taste the lempeng that she has been longing for.But there is something missing..the aroma of the lempeng is not the same as granny's.Granny used to cook it over a traditional stove of dapur kayu where else I cook it on a gas stove..and that certainly makes a difference!

AL FATIHAH for my late granny Pn Hjh Sitam bt Demang Mahmud.May she rest in peace and be among the good and the pious..