Chinese New Year, Day 2

Date: 27 January 2009, Tuesday
Venue: Family house in Sea Park
Occasion: "Hoi Nin" (literally means "open year")

Every 2nd day of CNY marks the "opening of the new Chinese year". My whole family will gather in the family house for our 1st meal of the new year. Without doubt, we will have a soup & there will be some "annual CNY day-2" dishes like the waxed sausages, waxed duck, "zha yoke" & leak with roast pork :P *yums* Thinking back on these dishes makes my mouth water...

This soup is actually just radish boiled with dried oysters & pepper corns. It's quite a simple, yet mouth-blowing! XD

Waxed pork sausages are very delicious when fried. It's crispy on the outside & "juicy" on the inside :P It's best when drizzled with dark soya sauce mixed with the oil that was used to fry the sausages...the oil-mixture goes very well with white rice!! *drools* We can just have that sauce with rice alone... :P (super unhealthy)

This version of sausages is best steamed. You can fry it, but it may turn out slightly burnt. It's much softer in texture as compared to the version above. Not everyone likes it though...it's duck liver after all...I kinda enjoy it...it has the fragrance of rice wine *teehee*

Waxed duck is one of the more famous items during this season. It's like salted duck....and is best served steamed. What my family does is to place slices of arrow shoots ("chi ku") below the waxed duck & steam them together. The slices of arrow roots, which taste like potatoes, will absorb the salty-oil...and it makes those boring slices of arrow roots yummy :)

"Zha Yoke" is actually fried pork (3-layers...fat fat + thin) cooked with black fungus in fermented beancurd ("lam yue") gravy & dark soya sauce. The pork is marinated with 5-spice powder & cooking rice wine before it is fried to perfection. After that only will it be cooked with the black fungus :) This is one of my favourite dishes. I always look forward to it & can just eat this dish alone with rice!

Surprisingly, this humble dish is very tasty! I think it's due to the chicken stock or some "keng" stuff that was added to the dish :) *yums*

Leaks, to me, are a delicacy. It's either you love it or you don't like it at all. I love it when this veggie is stir-fried with roast pork in dark soya sauce. Super fragrant :P

Simple, easy, very delicious way of preparing prawns :) Just fry them in their skin 'til they turn orange, & it's ready to be served...sprinkle some salt upon dishing out...yums!

Not only were the dishes #1, even some of the stools were nicely 'decorated'! I was very amazed & amused...I wanna get these for my house next time! My aunt got them from Hong Kong...aiseh...I want!

Looney Tunes Series




Doraemon Series




At night, the family actually met up for dinner at a restaurant in Section 17, PJ. The restaurant's a corner shop, on the same row as Caring Pharmacy, opposite the Section 17 market.

The food there is pretty good, & it's one of the few places that my family frequents :)









- Ruth