Dates…

It will be the fasting month of Ramadan soon – they are going to look at the moon on the 1st of April, if I am not mistaken and yes, those lovely preserved dates…

…have started appearing at the shops and supermarkets in town.

Last Friday, my girl and the mum went out shopping to stock up on supplies and buy whatever they fancied and they bought a few boxes of this brand…

…for me to eat and enjoy…

This is not the brand that I used to buy but yes, I did buy some before and yes, I thought they were good too.

For one thing though, these dates are very sweet, probably not because of any sugar (or honey) added but anyway, I went and googled just to be sure. This website says: “A person with diabetes should consume dates in moderation—up to three dates per day.” For one thing, I am following a low sugar diet and so far, my blood sugar level is under control which, of course, means that I am not a diabetic. Of course, at my age, I should not throw caution to the wind and since the website says 3, then 3, it shall be, no more, no less.

They also list a lot of benefits one can derive from consuming dates, namely they help fight fatigue, improve insulin production, improve digestion, maintain blood sugar levels, reduce vision loss and boost metabolism. They do not come cheap, of course – over RM10.00 a box, so good or otherwise, you will not find me feasting on them like there is no tomorrow.

In the meantime, my sister dropped by my house to pass me a pack of these steamed buns (mantao)…

…made in that special shape that we may see in some Chinese restaurants when served with their awesome dong po rou (stewed pork belly). I shared the photograph on Facebook and a friend said that they came from Ah Pui’s pao shop at Jalan Lanang.

One difference was the presence of the fried shallots in the buns and because of that, eating them with kaya (coconut jam) or peanut butter or fruit jam was out of the question. It probably would go well with stewed pork but since I did not have any in the house, I tried having it with the lovely sambal…

…from my dear friend, Mandy, in KL Yes, they went very well together and I sure enjoyed eating it this way.