2013 Chinese New Year Family Gatherings

Time flies, the 15 days of Chinese Lunar New Year(CNY) celebration had already ended last Sunday.  During those two weeks, we had quite a few house visiting and food gatherings among relatives and friends. As usual every household would either cook or cater food for the gathering where everyone enjoys the food and bonding time.

Below are some of our family CNY gatherings foodporn for your viewing.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 2 - OUR HOUSE

This year my mum decided to hold Chinese New Year gathering over at my place so that I could help her up with the cooking plus preparation. You can read more on this new year gathering plus some recipes over at this link HERE.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 3 - UNCLE LIANG's HOUSE

Every year without failed, Aunty Irene (uncle liang's wife) and cousin Sharon will whipped delicious homecook food for the group of us during our visit to their house. I always love her signature dish which is the "Braised Sea Cucumber" that is loaded with ingredients such as clam, mushroom, black moss, roast pork and etc.

Cousin Sharon's homemade Sushi

{Dessert} Yam Paste (or nee)

{Dessert} Cheng Teng

As for dessert, Aunty Irene prepared Yam Paste with lot of ginkgo nuts and lotus seeds which makes it taste lighter and not so greasy with just only those gluey mashed yam. Her homemade Cheng Teng was also very refreshing and fragrance due to the Osmanthus flower that she added. Love all her desserts to bits.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 7 - UNCLE ALAN'S HOUSE

This year due to one of my cousin taking "O" level and etc, Aunty Grace totally forgotten about pre-ordering the CNY buffet for family gathering. So leaving without much choices (as most of the caters already closed their CNY ordering), she settled with the buffet from eCreative.

The overall presentation and quantity of the food looks good but a few of the dishes were not up to our expectation perhaps due to festive cooking or mass production of the food.

As compared to their main dishes, most of us agreed that their high-tea items taste much better than their main. Love the Sweet Crystal Bun (水晶包) which is wrapped with red bean paste.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 8 - AUNTY LAICHOO'S HOUSE

At LaiChoo aunty house, we were amazed by her Homemade Fruity YuSheng which was so colourful and nicely done that we can't bear to toss and eat it. According to aunty she added some fresh fruits such as Strawberries and Pineapples to the the pre-packed Yusheng kit to enhance the taste and colour . 

Everyone gather together to toss the Yusheng!

After tossing this is how it look like. A mixture of fruits, shredded vegetables and fresh salmon slices.

The best thing I like about CNY gatherings is when all the relatives and friends get together around the table and enjoy the food and bonding time.

Above are 1/2 of the Steamboat ingredients that Aunty LaiChoo and Cousin Alvin prepared.

Other than those steamboat ingredients shown above, Aunty LaiChoo also cooks her signature Teochew-Style Braised Soy Duck which we all loves. The duck meat was tender and flavorsome plus aunty also add in extra firm beancurd and hard-boiled eggs to complete the dish.

Aunty who is very good in making desserts, prepared 3 of our favourite desserts which were Agar Agar, Yam Paste and Lotus Seeds Soup.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 15 - UNCLE HOCKCHENG'S HOUSE

On the last day of CNY, Uncle Hock Cheng invited us to his house for a lunch gathering where they specially prepared some of their home signatures such for us. Love the Sambal Prawns and Fried Spare Ribs that his helper prepared using homemade sambal sauce and special marinade for the ribs.

Besides all the yummy food above, Uncle Hock also prepared his signature Fried Oyster Omelette (Or Luak/Or Jian) for us. I was impressed with his fried omelette dish and I even I asked him for the recipe so that I could try it out on my own. If you are interested in making some fried oyster omelette do stay till for the upcoming recipe soon.

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Our 2013 Lunar New Year Reunion Dinners

Today is the 4th day of Chinese Lunar New Year and it seems like just last Wednesday we were all busy preparing to welcome new year and yet now it's already 3 days (out of the 15 days) past the new year celebrations. I find this year seems to be quieter as compared to previous years also you don't really find crowds around doing house visiting and etc. Perhaps due to the long weekends or raining weathers, most of the people rather choose to stay dry in doors or go for a short holiday trip too.

JING LONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Jing Long Yu Sheng (金隆鱼生盆)

As usual this year we also had early reunion dinner with in-law at Jing Long Seafood Restaurant together with my mum and etc. As this was our 4th year (past years dinner here) having yearly reunion dinner there, we decided to have the dinner a few days earlier before the Lunar New Year Eve in order to avoid crowds plus mass production of the dishes.

Yu Sheng (鱼生) is always my favourite dish among the rest even when it was compared to abalone or lobster. I love the fresh ingredients especially with lot of shredded vegetables and pomelo that toss together with the Yu Sheng dressing. And having Yu Sheng as starter during Lunar New Year symbolized abundance, prosperity, luck and etc which makes this dish a must have during New Year gathering or dinner.

Shark's Find With Dried Scallop (干贝上汤翅)

Steamed Red Grouper With Crispy Salted Turnip (菜莆蒸红斑)

Interesting combination to add crispy salted turnip as toppings on the steamed grouper to enhance the taste of the fish with aromatic fragrance plus slightly salted flavour. Before eating we still thought the topping might be some "crispy bean (豆酥)" which was commonly used by Chinese restaurants on steamed fish

Stir Fried Assorted Vegetables With Fried Lotus (夏果白合皇)

This vegetables dish is simple and yet refreshing with lot of crunch from the assorted vegetables like celery, carrot, black fungus, lily buds and etc. But the most eye catching ingredient would be the paper thin fried lotus chips which added bonus point to the dish.

Lychee Prawn Ball (荔枝鲜虾球)

Apart from our favourite Wasabi Prawn Balls, this new Lychee Prawn Ball was indeed something different using deep-fried prawn balls coated with lychee fragrance mayonnaise sauce and served together with some fresh fruit salad beneath.

Hong Kong Style Pork Ribs (港式焗子排)

Steamed Lotus Leaf Rice (荷叶飘香饭)

Usually for Chinese New Year dinner the 2nd last dish always end with either Longevity Noodles or Steamed Rice with Preserved Meat which was wrapped with lotus leaf. Personally I would prefer noodles rather than rice which is too filling by the end of the dinner. 

Cheng Teng (雪耳八宝汤)

New Year dessert cannot do without Cheng Teng, Orr Nee (yam paste) or Red Bean Soup with Dumplings which symbolized auspicious meanings and sweetness for the coming new year. And for myself, my favourite new year dessert is always Orr Nee!!!!

The 8 courses menu shown above was for 10 persons which cost around S$388++ during Chinese New Year period and we find that the serving seems to be a bit lesser for 10 pax as compared when dine-in during normal days.   


金隆海鲜菜馆
JING LONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
412 Bedok North Ave 2
#01-152
Singapore 460412
Reservation: (65) 6442 9398
Website: jinglongseafood.com.sg/

JUMBO SEAFOOD
(The Riverwalk)

Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng (三文鱼捞起)

For the past few years we have being joining small aunty's family for reunion dinner during Chinese New Year Eve and this year our dinner venue was at Jumbo Seafood Gallery which located near Clarke Quay MRT station along the Riverwalk.

Assemble the Yu Sheng with fish, seasonings and lot of Auspicious words before the Lo Hei starts.

Everyone ready for the "Lo Hei (捞起)" which is a MUST have before having the New Year dishes.

Superior Shark's Fin Soup With Conpoy (干贝大生翅)

Steamed Live Boston Lobster with Minced Garlic (蒜香蒸波士顿龙虾)

For a 10 persons menu, 2 lobsters were served and they came with big claws too! But personally I prefer baked lobster, lobster sashimi or salad rather than steamed because I am not a fan of "garlic" if it was over loaded in the dish too.

Huge Live Boston Lobster

Stir Fried Scallops served 2 ways (鸳鸯鲜玉带)

Something that I like for that night's menu was their scallop which served in two different cooking methods within a plate. The whole scallop was wrapped with mashed yam and deep-fried till golden brown which resemble golden coins whereas in the yam basket, the sliced scallop was stir-fry with capsicum, onion and XO sauce. 

Steamed Live Soon Hock With Lotus Leaf (荷叶蒸笋壳)

Steamed soon hock was rather a disappointment as the fish was over cooked and the combination of "Xue Cai (雪菜/雪裡紅, salted vegetables) and Enokitake (金针菇)" at the base don't seems to bring out the flavour and sweetness of the fish. We still prefer the Cantonese Style of steamed fish with soy sauce.

Braised Whole Abalone And Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce (蚝皇原只鲍鱼扣花姑)

Braised Abalone with Mushrooms is a common dish which appears in most New Year Menu despite of whether having in the restaurant or at home. This was because most Chinese believed abalone symbolizes abundance of wealth which sounds like "年年有余" in Mandarin.

Stewed Bee Hoon With Seafood (黄焖海皇米粉)

Red Bean Soup With Glutinous Rice Balls (红豆沙汤圆)

Menu for the Reunion Dinner

JUMBO SEAFOOD GALLERY
The Riverwalk
20 Upper Circular Road #B1-48
The Riverwalk Singapore 058416
Reservation: (65) 6534 3435
Website: http://www.jumboseafood.com.sg/


Lastly I would like to wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year with abundance of health, love, happiness, wealth and etc.....

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Usher In The Year Of The Snake @ PARKROYAL on Beach Road

To celebrate coming Chinese Lunar New Year, Plaza Brasserie is having the Prosperity Buffet from 28 February to 24 February 2013 as well as the Prosperity Buffet Feast Reunion Dinner on 09 February 2013 to satisfy all cravings.

In addition, Chinese New Year banquet dinner can also be celebrated at their ballroom on 09 February 2013 where guests can look forward to lion dance performance, Tea Appreciation performance by the Si Chuan Dou Hua tea master and the God of Fortune who will be making guest appearance to celebrate the Luna New Year with the guests too.

Ushering into the Year of Snakes, Chef Jackson has come up with a new creation of Fruity Yu Sheng which consists of fresh tropical fruits like Mandarin Oranges, Peaches, Rose Apples, Rock Melon, Dried Persimmons, Green Manago and Papaya. This new creation of Chef Jackson symbolizes an abundance of wealth and a well-rounded life which enhanced with Chef's fruit Flavoured Sauce.

Personally I love the sweet and refreshing after taste of this Fruity Yusheng which makes me craving for more after each mouthful.  But if you are not into fruits, traditional Yu Sheng will also be available too. 

Mini Pen Cai

Although the this is known as "Mini Pen Cai" but within you could find many special ingredients such as Fish Maw, Prawns, Sea Cucumber, Sliced Abalone, Roast Duck, Chicken, Pork, Cabbage, Black Moss and etc building up this pot of luxury comfort food.

Chili Crab

Crystal Pork Slices With Thai Dressing

Fish Maw Soup

Kong Ba Bao

Steamed Fried Rice With Preserved Meat with Lotus Leaf

Other than the highlight on Fruity Yu Sheng and Mini Pen Cai, there are also many other auspicious dishes like Eight Treasure Boneless Duck, Chilli Crab, Braised Pork Knuckle with Dried Oyster and Black Moss, Fish Maw Soup, Braised Sea Cucumber With Roasted Pork, Kong Ba Bao and many others.

Assorted Colourful Sushi and Sashimi

Despite of all the delicious Chinese New Year cuisine, whenever I visit Plaza Brasserie, the first station I start with is their Sushi Counter where I love to pick up some colourful sushi and salmon sashimi as starter. Sushi lover should not miss out this station where you get to enjoy some of your favourite sushi, tuna/salmon plus edamame and teriyaki chicken.

Traditional Egg Tarlets

There are quite a range of dessert at their buffet line where you could pick your choice from Pineapple Tartlets, Love Letters, Almond Cookies, Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls in Red Bean Soup, Egg Tartlets and Lapis Cake too.

Durian Nian Gao With Bak Kua

But out of all choices, my favourite is still their Durian Nian Gao with Bak Kua which I recommend you to give it a try if you like the combination of sweet nian gao with durian fragrance to pair with some savory bak kua (BBQ pork) toppings.

Plaza Brasserie @ PARKROYAL On Beach Road
7500A Beach Road
Singapore 199591
Reservation: (65) 6505 5710
Website: Prosperous Celebrations


FESTIVE BUFFET
Pre and Post Chinese New Year (28 January - 24 February 2013)
Lunch
28 Jan - 24 Feb 2013: S$45.00 (Adult); S$27.00 (Child)
09 Feb 2013: S$45.00 (Adult); S$27.00 (Child)
10 - 11 Feb 2013:  S$62.00 (Adult); S$37.00 (Child)

Dinner
28 Jan - 24 Feb 2013: S$58.00 (Adult); S$35.00 (Child)
09 Feb 2013: S$78.00 (Adult); S$47.00 (Child)
10 - 11 Feb 2013:  S$62.00 (Adult); S$37.00 (Child)

Banquet Reunion Dinner
09 Feb 2013: S$65.00 (Adult); S$39.00 (Child)


Reunion Steam Boat Buffet at Banquet (min 8 persons per table)
09 Feb 2013: S$58.00 (Adult); S$35.00 (Child)

*Child below 4 years old dines for free.
Prices are subject to service charge and government taxes.

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