A SMOOTH SAILING AHEAD FOR EVERYONE

21/2/2016
SUNDAY

Happy birthday "girl" with baby Audrey, Kit and Hyejung.

My dearest sisters.....


more happy faces with my brother and wife....


this is a classic... why ? because its baked by my sister who hardly venture into the kitchen except to make her salads :D

So while over in Melbourne, they were celebrating my sister's birthday,  I cooked an advance Chap Goh Mei dinner for her husband and family. 

One of the must-buy vegetable for the Chinese New Year have to be Leeks for its symbolic sound/meaning in Chinese "smooth-going".

The filling - minced pork, diced yellow taufu and leeks of course.

Baozi ready for pan-fry 

 

This time, I used slightly more oil for the pan and a medium-low heat  to get even brown bottoms (though still 2-3 of them were stuck in the pan).  Serve with the dipping sauce of black vinegar, sugar and soya sauce and lots of ginger!

I saw someone (sorry, I just cannot recall which blog) posted this dish. So I copied the method of making this steamed vegetarian dish.  The green outer leaves of the long Chinese cabbage are blanched in boiling water till soft and an ice bath. I used the remaining cabbage in the Fish Maw Soup.

The mushrooms, dried oysters, dried scallops and taufu have been lightly braised beforehand.  Then they  layered into the "cabbage bowl" . 

I topped more with gluten balls (mein gan) and vegetarian fu-chok. Pour the sauce over. 

Cover and steam 

This turned out beautifully.....only I should have steamed it longer so that the cabbage leaves are softer as it was a bit messy to eat the long and chewy cabbage... maybe cut them before serving?

The rest of the dishes: Waxed duck Rice; sweet and sour pork, stir-fry green veg and Fish Maw Soup.

My version of the Fish Maw soup: (could not find any photo of it!!!!)

Prepare the soup base using pork bones and pork meat.  Boil/simmer for at least 4 hours. 

Soak the fish maw till just soft (depend on the fish maw, we don't want them too soft or they will break up easily)

Stuffed the soften fish maw with fish/minced meat paste and steamed for 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Remove the bones and meat from soup.  

Add a piece of chicken breast to boil till just cooked.(or you can steamed the chicken breast).  Remove and shred into thinly when cooled.

Add the sliced cabbage, carrots, can of button mushroom and enoki mushroom to soup.

season to taste.

To Serve:  Cut stuffed fish maw into slices.  Place into bowl with shredded chicken. Ladled the soup over and garnish with chopped spring onions and coriander.  Enjoy ! 

   

    

STEP BY STEP TOWARDS SUCCESS

20/2/2016
SATURDAY

Step by Step towards your goal and success  

We were invited to join my brothers' company annual CNY dinner at the Pullman Hotel, Bangsar.

Their company had done some works for the hotel premises.   It is heartening to meet the staffs and their spouses and even their children.  All of them have been with the company for a long time and we even have a second generation staff!.   It shows the harmonious and trusting relationship between the bosses and the staffs. I can truly say that all my brothers are hardworking, capable and generous bosses.     

Sampler of basic yu sang  outside the Oriental Thai Restaurant.

Rather misleading name but it is a Chinese Restaurant indeed. 

We had the abalone yu sang - everyone too busy with their "Huat-Ar"  no photos!!!

Here were some of the dishes for the night:-

Mixed Seafood Soup 

Treasure Pot speaks for itself ....

The goose feet was soft and tender and so was the abalone.... yummy. 

We started to dig in before the photographer (not me this time) said "Wait".....  

I think this was roasted duck but rather gamey smell.

Lastly the Waxed Duck with Yam Rice... 

the combination yam, spring onions and rice - delicious! We all have second helpings. 

The last plate of waxed duck .... till we meet again next year. 

Steamed Nian Gou served with ground peanuts, grated coconut and toasted sesame seeds

Sure- huat this year -with the teeny weeny gold leaf on top the nian gou!

Dessert- Osmanthus Flower and Lemongrass jelly - thumbs up for this-- good good good

art deco around the lobby

Thank you KKKJ for a wonderful dinner and time together.  May God bless you all abundantly throughout the year.  

FISH FOR ABUNDANCE

15/2/2016
Monday

All things bright and beautiful - from Sarah and Esther. 

12 roses from Jeremy, Eunice and darling little Alexa

I want to say a BIG thank you for everyone's wishes and greetings.  I am so blessed to have family and friends (yes, even though we met through facebook, I consider you my friends) to surround me this day with their sincere wishes and greetings. I am glad and happy to be in your thoughts. 

My daughters suggested to go out for dinner but I decided to cook instead.   I have not been cooking much during the festive season and its time to use up the food items which I had hoarded up before the New year. I reprimanded myself that since I won't be cooking much during the new year so not necessary  to buy so much foodstuffs (and moreover at inflated prices too)... but I guess most Chinese families have to stash  away at least some chicken, pork and most important a fish or 2 besides the symbolic vegetables so that throughout the year, we are ensure of abundance of food!   

So, I decided to cook my late father's fish recipe- Braised Fish with ginger and spring onions.

Pan fry fish till golden brown. Set aside

Hahaha maybe should not break the fish head but it was too big! Anyway, the fish head always goes the cats of course it also new year for them after all!

The rest of the ingredients: plenty diced spring onions (separate the white part and green part) and finely minced young ginger, whole garlic cloves and some roasted pork.

Saute the garlic cloves till golden brown, add in the roasted pork and fry till fragrant.   

Add the white part of spring onions and a tablesp of cooking wine.  Next add water and make sure it cover the roasted pork and cover  and cook for around 5-10 minutes till roasted pork is soft. 

Season to taste (salt, pepper and sugar), add the fish and green spring onions, cover and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Thicken with cornstarch solution if desired.  Serve hot. 

"Lin Lin Yow Yu" (abundance throughout the year) 

I added some chinese celery as I had some in the fridge. Can also add some coriander (optional). The brown garlic cloves were so tender and the sauce is so tasty, so best served with rice. 

Stir-fry celery, eryngii mushroom (king oyster mushroom) , red pepper and fresh lily bulbs.

It's truly a cornucopia of  symbolic meaning of abundance and flavours- the crunchy celery, the aromatic smooth texture (abalone-like) of the mushroom, the peppery and spicy of the red pepper as well as the sweet and tenderness of the lilybulbs and only a splash of soya sauce, (no salt at all) was all it takes to bring out their own flavours. 

To top it all - the flavourful Green Radish, Carrot and Sweet Corn soup.

I used chicken breast and some dried scallops as the base of this delicious soup.

Happy Meal with my love ones. 

The Chinese saying: "it is better to eat a simple meal with loved ones than have a banquet with strangers/ foes".

  

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2016 FAMILY PROTRAITS

8/2/2016
1st day of Chinese New Year

GONG XI FAI CHOI from the Chan Clan, Malaysia

GONG XI FA CHOI, the Chan Clan, Melbourne

The Red Stairs, Melbourne

Time to try out Lady Luck.

Mini hampers from my nephew..so thoughtful!