Aroma

At night, the aroma of Mama's food still lingered the air in the house, as if mom just cooked us a delicious meal as those countless old days. I waited for mom's call from the kitchen to ask us to eat, but no sound. I kept the light on as usual, I wrapped myself in the cotton blanket, I closed my eyes. "Mama", I whispered.

 

I was long for mung bean pastry, a snack I loved since the first time I ate. So I decided to make it from scratch. One important ingredient is the lard. I noticed a bowl of fatty meat in the freezer for a while. So I took it out, defrost it. When it was boiling in the water, a lot of garlic gloves and dried shrimps were separated into the water. The images of mom peeling garlic and adding spices to the meat flashed in my mind, I held the spatula to stir the meat, so that my tears wouldn't drop. Then a familiar aroma of Mama's food drifted in the kitchen. I thought of the days mom cooking in the kitchen, I breathed deeply, I felt safe in that food aroma, as if mom was next to me. I didn't know it was marinated, so I took out all the meat, I gathered all the garlic and dried shrimps into a plastic bag to put them into freezer again. I don't want to lose the last taste that prepared by mom. 

Next day, I used the lard to make pastry. I blend the pork crackling with fresh meat to make pan-fried dumplings. I didn't tell them the pastry and dumplings contained mom's love, but they were eaten up in few minutes. "So yummy", they said.

Mom, what spices to add to the meat apart from the garlic and dried shrimp? Mom, did you prepare the meat for the wraps we eat during holidays? Mom... I'm learning to figure it out.