My Christmas Wish

I wish I can bake as yummy and tasty as these bakers. They are super- fantastic especially one, Jen Lasimbang who modified her cake by using Lihing, our very own Kadazan product! How great is that!

December is the month of the year the Christians celebrate Christmas. It is also the month where bakers and cake enthusiasts are busy preparing and baking cakes particularly fruitcakes in time for the festivity.

This is part of the tradition many families are still upholding where women are especially busy baking cookies, cakes and other types of desserts. Some would get ready by planning what main dishes to be served on the special day. Turkey, chicken, fish are some of the highlights aside from the ever popular sweet delicacies where everyone is looking forward to savour.

Some said without fruitcake, Christmas would not be the same.

Jenifer Lasimbang of Penampang shared her passion in baking with her nieces and nephews, said nothing beats the satisfaction of having your own home-baked cakes and enjoyed by everyone. Aside from that, she sells her cakes for a good cause.

For this year’s Christmas, she channelled the proceeds to a group of pre-school children in Kg. Tinanduk, Pensiangan. She started doing the charity since three years ago after working for UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund). She realised how much children and their families need assistance. Her concern over children’s welfare had prompted her to do her part by contributing the amount she raised through the sale of her cakes.

She was previously attached with UNICEF Malaysia as a consultant for Sabah and Sarawak. She admitted that she had decided to dedicate some of her time doing meaningful and charitable work for the purpose of helping the underprivileged children.

She said the best time dedicating and sharing her time is during the month of December when Christmas is celebrated. It gave her the opportunity at the right time to show her skills and at the same time giving back to the society of what she can contribute.

“Since three years ago I began this little charity by identifying rural schools that needed help. I realise children are the most vulnerable and need our help. They need education regardless of their status.

Last year, we helped students from Ulu Papar, those who are in their secondary school. It was indeed a great accomplishment and satisfaction having helped those underprivileged,” she disclosed.

For this time around, Jenifer baked special fruitcake as it is mixed with the locally brewed rice wine called ‘Lihing’.

It was an idea gathered from her good friend Datin Fazar Arif who suggested her using the local brewed wine instead of Rum.

To her surprise, it turned out to be even more delicious. This was confirmed by some of her friends and relatives who purchased the cakes from her.

“It was indeed a pleasant surprise as my Lihing fruitcake is well-liked by my friends and relatives.”

She confirmed that so far the proceeds collected are about RM3,000 which would go to the construction of the pre-school building at Kg. Tinanduk in Pensiagan.

The Lihing is made by herself and felt proud that the legacy she got from her parents is being upheld by her and other younger relatives. She pledged to continue using her skills for good cause.

She also generously shared her recipe of Lihing fruitcake which she developed last year. Thanks to her friend Datin Fazar who had inspired her with the usage of local product (Lihing) for her fruitcake and that made her the only one with unique flavoured cake – only at Jenifer’s home in Penampang.

Super Moist Lihing Fruitcake – by Jenifer Lasimbang
Ingredients
250g butter, softened
250g brown sugar
250g flour
250g sultanas
250g raisins
250g mixed peels
250g cherries
250 ml Lihing (rice wine)
4 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
Generous amount of nutmeg, cinnamon and mixed spice
(This recipe is for 2kg cake)

Method

1. Soak sultanas and raisins with rice wine, keep overnight
2. Sift flour, salt, spices, baking powder and baking soda
3. Add soaked fruits, mix peels and cherries to flour mix. Mix well till fully coated
4. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar
5. Gradually add eggs in to the creamed mixture. Mix well
6. Add flour and mixed fruits gradually into butter-sugar-egg mixture. Mix gently
7. Pour into baking dish
8. Bake for three hours in a preheated oven at 150 degree Celsius.

Janet Anthony, a working mother of two adult children said cooking and baking are her passion she inherited from her mother. She never attended any baking classes and attributed her passion and patient that made her love spending time in her kitchen doing her favourite pastime.

She thanked social media i.e. Googles and Youtube which had enabled her to strengthen her knowledge in cake baking.

“Of course I also invest in hardcopy recipe books which I learn a lot from. However, Googles and Youtube have made my learning process simpler as I can view how certain technique is done,” she claimed.

She also attributed her passion for cooking due to her mother who also loves cooking as well.

She said Christmas time is the period when she has reason to prepare all the mouth-watering desserts for the family members.

Apart from sweet dessert she is also fond of preparing dishes that her family enjoy especially traditional food like Hinava (pickled raw fish), Pinasakan (simmered fish with sour fruit), sour fish soup.

As for other dishes she usually prepares Shepherd’s pie, bread pudding with vanilla sauce, Christmas cookies and many more which can only be sampled during festive season like Christmas.

Janet sometimes got orders from her close friends and relatives who would like to sample her homemade fruitcake.

“I don’t bake all the time. But when I do, I will make sure it is done with peace and love. Christmas is the best time to share my homemade fruitcake with lots of love added into my cake,” she smiled.

She added that with food spread on the table and being shared together, it feels the warmth coming from all sides and that is the Christmas spirit that everyone should have, she said.

‘Christmas is all about love, peace and joy. It is the time we show our care to one another in any forms we would like to. Sharing what you have is one of the best things to do during this special occasion.”

Audrey Koh-Wiles, is an English lecturer for pre-university at SMK Majakir, Papar and has been passionate about baking when she was a child.

“I started baking when I was 7 years old. It was a self-taught as I watched a lot of cooking shows. It developed over times and now it has become a passion for me,” she explained.

She is married to a British, Martin Howard Willes and has two children.

During festivity, she usually prepares a lot of goodies like curry puffs, chicken pie, beef shepherd’s pie, mask potato swirl topping, sardine rolls and many more.

Fruitcake is a must-bake for her as it is everyone’s favourite and sought-after.

Originally from Teluk Intan, Perak, Audrey had since lived in Sabah due to her work commitment as a lecturer.

Audrey is also a member of Rotary Club of Likas Bay and had developed the sense of putting charity as part of her mission in life.

Every Christmas she would arrange for charity activity with her group called ‘Sharity of Hope’ where she is one of the members.

“I have wonderful friends and great supporters in Sharity of Hope when come to doing any charity activities. We make it a point to carry out our programme each time during Christmas.

For this year, we celebrate Christmas party with children at Kg. Kipuovo, Penampang. Other programme, we took 60 kids from Bundu Tuhan Children’s Home to watch Beauty and the Beast movie at Citymall,” she said.

Maria Sho, a volunteer who always visited children in the rural area shared that Christmas is a time for giving. She always looks forward to December as it is the time when she can travel to the rural places to send goodies to the children.

This year she and her friends visited Kg. Tegawi in Paitan sending goodies to thirty eagerly waiting children there.

Prior to her visit to the villages, she would get assistance from close friends and relatives to pack the goodies and usually did the arrangement at her home.

“This has been my routine project every year. I gather donation of goodies, sweets and other things from generous donors who are my personal friends and siblings.

We pack them all and we set date to visit the particular villages. I feel sense of satisfaction having helped these underprivileged children. This will be my yearly charity for the rural children,” she disclosed.

Apart from sending goodies, Maria also taught women in the villages how to bake cakes. She recently visited Kg. Bilangau in Pitas and taught some twenty six interested housewives the technique of baking cakes.

She said imparting knowledge and skills to other women is very important so that women (in the rural area) could use the skills for their family and continue to practise for the good of the community as a whole.

She believed in sharing skills to people who are less fortunate could create an impact to their life and hence, could help uplift their livelihood.

Christmas is the time for many good deeds to be shared with one another as it is the spirit of giving and sharing that lead people to be humble and remember the great sacrificial act of Christ the redeemer, said Maria.

“When we have the feeling of helping another less fortunate being, we are actually following the footstep of our Almighty who is compassionate and loving. Giving is more important than receiving. This is the spirit that we want especially during this Christmas season.”

Merry Christmas Steemians!