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Fleur Blüm

~ writer, performer, musician

Fleur Blüm

Tag Archives: Mum

Yaya’s house

26 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by toearlyretirement in Writing, Writing101

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Adventure, Art, Challenge, Gran, Grandma, Grandmother., Inspiration, Melbourne, Mum, Nanna, Writing, Writing101, Yaya, Yiayia

When I sit out the front of our house, on the verandah, with my legs pushed through the gaps, my feet don’t touch the ground. Mum has a flower garden in front of the house – she likes it to look nice for people who walk past. Depending on where I sit, I can scrunch the leaves of her bushes between my toes. She doesn’t like me doing that, but sometimes I do it when I’m not thinking about it. It’s not really my fault you know.

There’s a little old lady who lives across the street, Mum says she’s a Yaya, she said that’s what a Nanna is called when she’s Greek. I don’t think she looks any different from my Nanna, so I don’t really understand why she’s called a Yaya. She’s lived in that house since before I can even remember. Sometimes she has her grandchildren over to play. I don’t like to play with them though, they’re a bit younger and I feel weird going over there, they yell a lot and always throw their balls over the fence, it’s really annoying. Mum says it’s because I’m shy, but I just don’t like going to other people’s houses that I don’t know. Anyway, there’s a big truck outside her house today. It’s full of all sorts of weird stuff, boxes mostly, that they’ve been putting in her house. I asked Mum what was happening, she said she didn’t know but that maybe her daughter was moving in with her. She also said that meant that the kids who come to stay will be living there now and that I should make friends with them. But I don’t think I will.

The men in the truck are standing around a tall piano that they have rolled out of the truck. I can’t quite hear what they’re saying but seem to be saying it really loudly, and waving their hands at each other like they’re mad. The Yaya has just come out of her house and she looks really tired. She is talking to the men with the piano, they’re waving their hands at her too but they’re being a lot more calm now. Maybe you can’t yell at a Yaya like you can’t be rude to a Nanna.

My feet are a bit itchy, so I rub them on the boards. It’s really nice on the verandah out here in the school holidays. Mum takes the day off sometimes when it’s holidays and spends it with me, and sometimes I go stay with my Nanna. Sometimes my Gran comes to visit us too, that’s my Dad’s mum. She doesn’t come very often because my Dad died and it makes her sad to see me I think. I don’t really know. That’s what Mum said anyway.

Mum’s going over to see the Yaya to see if she needs anything. I don’t know what she would need, she’s got two men from the truck to help her unpack and three kids and a grown-up daughter, but she said it was polite. It seems weird to me. She wanted me to go over there too, but I told her I didn’t want to. I watch Mum until she does inside the Yaya’s house, then I start squishing the leaves with my toes. She won’t know, I’ll only do the leaves at the back.

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Mum’s One-Pot Chicken Soup

16 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by toearlyretirement in Writing, Writing101

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Challenge, chicken soup, Comfort Food, Inspiration, Melbourne, Mother, Motivation, Mum, Nurturing yourself, Recipe, Relationships, Thai food, Thai Tom Yum, Vietnamese food, Vietnamese Pho, Writing, Writing101

Day Ten’s prompt is to write about a favourite childhood meal that meant celebration or comfort. I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days and the one that sticks out for me is the chicken soup my mother made me when I had all my wisdom teeth out. Because I’d had all four wisdom teeth out under anaesthetic I couldn’t really chew for a week or so, so my mum blended this soup, which didn’t really work so well, but it was very welcome nonetheless.

I have a lot of love for Asian influenced brothy soups; Vietnamese Pho, Thai Tom Yum, really anything with broth and chilli. I think it comes from growing up in Box Hill, an area with a heavily Asian population, lots of Asian grocery shops that sold lots of excellent vegetables like bok choy, pak choy, and wombok, and tasty sauces with difficult to read labels. Plus, when made the way my mum used to, this chicken soup was a super easy one pot wonder and ready in about half an hour.

As a grown up, I often use this soup as a go to, particularly when I’m feeling a bit run down, or want comfort in winter. My old housemates, Simon and Kat, also got in on the chicken soup action, so here’s my recipe (or at least, it’s sort of a loose guide to the way I make it).

Ingredients:

  • Chicken pieces
  • Rice/ Rice noodles
  • Onion (optional)
  • Carrot
  • Greens – seasonal stuff, zucchini, broccoli, wombok, pak/bok choy, beans, peas, whatever you like as long as it’s plentiful and green.
  • Stock/Water
  • Chilli sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Hoisin sauce

Method:

Fill a big pot about half way with water or stock. I usually use a stock cube, but if you have home-made stock that’s even better, or that broth they use to make pho.

Put the pot on the stove to heat while you get started on the other stuff.

Next, put the chicken pieces Into the pot. I don’t usually wait for it to boil, but you can if you like. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces you’ll need to simmer that for a while, maybe 10 minutes for small bits of breast or thigh, maybe 20 minutes for anything with a bone still in it.

While that’s simmering, chop the carrot, onion and greens.

After the 10 or 20 minutes has gone by, add your rice*, I’d say about 1/3 cup per serve or something. I don’t really know, I just kind of chuck in a mug full or so for a bit pot. Simmer the rice for 3-4 minutes.

Add your carrot and onion, simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Finally add your greens and simmer for 3-4 minutes**.

By now your rice should be cooked, as well as your vegies and everything else.

To serve, put the soup into bowls and add chilli, soy and hoisin to taste. You can also add lemon juice and bean sprouts for more of a pho flavour.

Depending on your needs, you can make big batches of this which you can save for later, or single serving versions. Note: if you save this soup for later, the rice will continue to swell and you’ll end up with more of a stew type thing. You can add extra water/stock if you like, or just eat it as is it’s still super tasty.

*If you’re using brown rice, put it in 10 minutes earlier.

**If you’re using rice noodles, add them with the greens at the end.

 

This is probably not a great recipe if you’re looking for strict instructions, but I’m a fairly loose sort of cook. I’m having this for dinner tonight, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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fleurblum@hotmail.com

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