Dinner On 大年初二

往往大年初二的晚餐较丰盛 and after some preparations, Dad and I came up with the following dishes...

金玉满堂

金光闪闪七龙珠

和气发财

年年有余鱼头炉

Refreshing Yakult Green Oolong Tea with Ice Jelly

Lunch On 大年初二

Day 2 of CNY and most of the eateries nearby are still close due to the festive period, i decided to prepare some quick and simple dishes for lunch.

大福大贵乌金 ~ pan fried century egg with thai chili sauce.

天赐良鸡~ steamed chicken drum with thigh, serve with salty sesame drizzle.

如意鲍片翡翠痘苗

Dinner On 大年初一

Other families usually have their hotpot during CNY reunion dinner but our family is unusual! lolz... We always have it on 1st day of CNY.

大吉大利鸳鸯火锅

Assorted balls and yong tau foo...

Home-made fish paste tau kee, fried meatballs...

Our spead with wantons, chicken breast veggie and oops... i forgot to snap pic of the fish and prawns! lolz...

Our soup boiling with most of the food ready. 开动啦!

Last but not least, our drinks! I finally found my fav vita lemon tea in Singapore (Oh, i missed HK) and mum's all time fav red dates longan tea.

团圆饭 2012

To most chinses, CNY reunion dinner which falls on the eve of Chinese New Year is meaningful and normally during this day, the dishes will symbolise good luck and wealth. Our familys' dinner menu are as follows;

吉祥乳猪

黄金虾条

富贵海参饺

翡翠蒜

福气猪肚海参汤

Getting Ready For CNY 2012

Other than spring cleaning and buying new year clothes for CNY, there are plenty of other things to settle before the eve of new year.

Yearly affair of preparing Chinese Leek, which symbolize plenty of $ for us to count.

Bunch of bananas to bring wealth.

My all time favourite pineapple tarts and...

a huge basket of tidbits to much and eat during the festival! haha.. very likely to put on weight during these few days.

A gift box for Tabby and family while I go visiting during CNY.

Wow... loads of 好料 inside! Happy Lunar New Year!

梅菜扣肉粽子

Tomorrow will be Dragon Boat Festival and glutinous rice dumplings has been in high demand these days. They are soo... expensive and we Chinese need to make offerings on this day and we decided to wrap some glutinous rice dumplings instead of buying.

I wanted to make 梅菜扣肉粽子since last year but been so bz and i skipped the idea. Since this year i have the free tine and planned early, bought all the necessary stuff early.

Pipping hot glutinous rice dumplings out from the pot!

Ingredients;
Glutinous rice, washed and drained
Salt
梅菜肉fillings
Bamboo leaves
Strings for tying

梅菜肉fillings;
Pork belly
1 bowl 梅菜
Garlic
Shallots
Star anise
Oyster sauce
Dark soy sauce
Ground cinnamon
Salt
Sugar
-梅菜 has to be cook b4 frying. Chopped 梅菜 and boil with garlic and lard for 2-3 hours till softened. This can be done the day b4.
-Pan fry pork belly till lightly browned on a heated non-stick frying pan to remove the fats.
-Remove and set aside.
-Fry garlic and shallots in oil till fragrant, add star anis.
-Return meat to wok, fry for 2 mins and season to taste.
-Add 梅菜, continue to fry for a min, drained and let cool.
-Ready for wrapping.

Method;
-Overlap 1 piece of bamboo leave over the other, fold into cone shape.
-Place 1 tablespoonful of glutinous rice into the cone, top with 2 tbsp - 3 tbsp of fillings, top with glutinous rice.
-Hold the bamboo leaves firmly, fold over and shape into a pyramid.
-Hold tight and tie with stings.
-Continue until complete.
-Cook in boiling water for 2 hours, drained and serve.
-Enjoy!

There followings are steps demo by mum;

Glutinous rice mixture and 梅菜扣肉 fillings

With rice and fillings

Tie tightly with strings

Pipping hot glutinous rice dumplings

Cut off 1 from the bunch to check if it's ready

Golden pyramid....

花菇芙蓉蛋

Adam is so funny as he asked me did i add abalone to the 芙蓉蛋! Isn't it ridiculous to add abalone into egg and partly becoz he thought it is festive season and this dish seems like there are abalone hidden in the center. haha.. Obviously it is a no! keke...

Ingredients;
2 eggs
1 baby carrot, cut into strips
1dried mushroom, soak and shred
1/2 onion, diced
1 shrimp, diced
1/2 eggshell stock
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp light soy sauce
Oil for frying

Method;
-Fry onion in oil till fragrant, toss in carrots.
-Fry for 30 seconds and toss in mushroom.
-Fry for another 30 seconds and place mixture in a bowl.
-Add eggs,prawns & seasoning and stock to mixture and mix well.
-Pour mixture into a heated greased wok, mix and scrambled till eggs are cooked.
-Serve and enjoy!
My favourite 花菇 is a perfect match with 芙蓉蛋.

金镶银鲍鱼炒饭

Abalone again? Today is the 3rd day of Chinese New Year and this is our 4th time eating abalone. Oh doesn't matter ya since it is festive season. Haha...

Ingredients;
Some cooked rice
2 eggs, scrambled
1 stalk spring onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium size abalone, cut into strips
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp chili paste
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method;
-Fry garlic in oil till fragrant, toss in cooked rice.
-When rice grains are loosen, make a well in the center and pour in beaten eggs.
-Mix well, season to taste.
-Toss in spring onions and abalone, fry on high heat for another min and serve.
-Enjoy!
奢侈的享受~Dad says the market rate for abalone fried rice is about $12-$15 per plate but hey, mine is Mexico abalone ya, not cheap! haha...

Top view of the fried rice.

红烧猪肉炒米粉

This is not a yearly affair. The last time i ate this bee hoon was more than 15 years ago. Seems long ya? haha... The taste of of the bee hoon still remains fresh in my memory. I used to have it on almost every occasion whenever there's a celebration or gathering in our family. Hmm... tired of it during that time. Since dad suggested having this dish for breakfast this morning, i had no choice but to give in.
Ingredients;
1 can roasted pork meat
1 packet dried bee hoon, soaked and drained
1 handful of beansprouts
Some shredded cabbage
3 dried mushroom, soak and shred
5 baby carrots, cut into sticks
1 clove garlic, chopped
Salt to taste
Stock
Oil for frying
Cashew nuts
Green chili pickles

Method,
-Remove roasted pork from can, shred into smaller pieces.
-Filter roast pork oil and discard oil residue, set aside for later use.
-Fry beansprout in oil for a min, remove and set aside for later use.
-Fry mushroom for a min, remove and set aside for later use.
-Fry garlic in oil till fragrant, add carrot and fry for a min, add in cabbage and fry till soft.
-Toss in roasted pork, add stock and bring to boil.
-Add in bee hoon and mix well. Add more stock if necessary.
-Return mushroom and beansprouts to bee hoon and mix well.
-Serve with cashew nuts and green chili pickles.
-Enjoy!

Close up on our breakfast.

Canned roasted pork...so sinful! haha...

兔年纪念钱币

It is only day 2 of Chinese New Year and seems like my posts are almost half of the quota which i normally post for a month. (",)
Uncle Oor will be leaving for a holiday to China tomorrow and he gave me a present b4 he leave. Guess what's my pressent?

Oh well, it is a 纪念钱币. And as this is the year of the rabbit, it has a logo of rabbit. Hmm... interesting ya?! Every year there will be a different design and it has to depend on the zodiac for that year. I got 1 this year! :-P Thanks uncle oor!

Dinner on 正月初二

Every year, our dinner on 初二 tends to be sumptuous and i have already design the menu way before Chinese New Year. I know it is abit exaggerating to say that but just on thinking of the names to link will CNY already killed lots of my brain cells. keke...

金玉满堂
~Abalone with xiao bai chye in mushroom oyster sauce

嘻哈大笑
~Buttered prawns with nestum

金鸡展翅
~Crispy chicken wings with spicy sauce

五香黄金卷
~Fried wu xiang with sweet hoisin sauce

年年有余
~Teochew style steamed garoupa

团圆甜蜜
~桂圆红枣茶

Our big feast...

Abalone Salad In Filo Cup

A combination of salad and snack!
Think along the line for something light yet full of flavors, but not greasy. Yes, an abalone salad to suit the festive season.

Ingredients;
2 sheets of popiah wrap
Abalone, cut into strips
Iceberg lettuce, shred
Cherry tomatoes, cut into strips
Lemon juice
Thai chili sauce
Roasted cashew nut, chopped
Roasted sesame seeds
Coriander leaves
Oil for greasing

Method;
-Cut each sheet of popiah wrap into 4 squares.
-Place onto greased foil cups.
-Bake for 3 mins until golden brown.
-Remove to cool.
-Mix lettuce, tomato, abalone with lemon juice and chili sauce.
-Toss well and drained.
-Scoop into filo cups, sprinkle cashew nuts and sesame seeds over.
-Serve with coriander leave.
-Enjoy!
My inspiration comes from kueh pai tee and i was surprised when mum told me this snack reminds her of a crispy cup popiah where she tried donkey years ago. Hey, i didn't tell anyone about how i got my inspiration!