I was despatched to interrogate any NTUC staff who qualified as an "auntie" on the whereabouts of this mysterious Foo Chuk, as "aunties" were more likely to know that I was referring to a food item instead of cursing them with some obscure Cantonese phrase.
Unfortunately, the branch had ran out of Foo Chuk. So it seems that this food item was more popular than I thought. Nevertheless, it was not a total loss as Her Royal Majesty managed to purchase barley from the chinese medicinal hall on the same level of the shopping mall.
As dense as I could be, I had now figured out that Her Royal Majesty was gathering ingredients for the popular (and aptly named) dessert, Gingko Barley with Foo Chuk. Luckily, we managed to uncover some Foo Chuk at the wet market nearby. Apparently, there were many types of Foo Chuk, and the stallholder recommended a dry, flakey variety when Her Royal Majesty told her that it was to be used for dessert.
Back home, Her Royal Majesty put all the ingredients together (including pandan leaves for an added fragrance) and let it boil for about an hour. Rock sugar was added to sweeten the mixture, and this was how it looked:
It was soft, smooth, and sweet homely goodness in every mouthful. What's more, the gingko nuts are supposed to be good for the brain too! An excellent treat for a weekend evening!
- Melvin
