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".