LONGEVITY MEE AND RED COLOURED EGGS

25/2/2015
Wednesday

Today is the Birthday for everyone. It is the 7th day of the Lunar New Year.

According to Chinese legends, the Goddess of the world created the animals on different days and human beings were created on the 7th day after the creation of the world.  The list is as follows:- 1st day Chicken, 2nd day-Dog,  3rd day- the Boar, 4th day- Sheep; 5th day-Cow; 6th day -Horse and 7th day- Human. Since these days are considered the "birthdays" of the different animals, Chinese avoid killing them on the respective "birthdays".  Hence the answer as to why we should go vegetarian on 1st day of Lunar New Year.     

The lucky food we prepared for our "birthday" dinner... 

longevity noodles, red-coloured eggs and rainbow yee sang!

How to dye the eggs red colour......

These are soft boiled eggs - only 7 minutes in simmering water.  Remove and dip in solution of red food colouring and water  plus a few drops of rice vinegar.  

setting up the Rainbow Yee Sang - 

Brilliant hue -In China, red colour symbolises good luck and represents happiness and prosperity

Lucky food - Rainbow yee sang 

The significance of tossing (upwards move) of  the yee sang is for our fortunes to rise and expand during the coming year.   The variety of vegetables associate with all things auspicious and fish is added for abundance as the word "fish" in Chinese is similar to the word "surplus".  

Longevity noddles 

Received a box of longevity noddles from my sister instead of the usual mee sua.   In Chinese birthdays, noddles are eaten for a long, happy and healthy life.  The strands of the noddles are normally left uncut.  However the noddles were broken by the time I blanched them.   I just mixed them together with the fried dried prawns (pre-soaked with chinese cooking wine), shallots and lots of spring onions, sesame oil and salt and pepper.   

May the year brings you a long, happy and healthy life....