Reunion Dinner

Just like any Chinese, it is a tradition for my family to have our reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year. Our New Year's Eve typically involves prayers in the morning, followed by cleaning and cooking throughout the day. Every year, Ah Po would cook a dish of mixed veggie, Hainanese chicken, a whole steamed fish, and her famous pork stomach soup. The desserts vary from year to year. Sometimes, it would simply be agar-agar, rice cake or nin kou, Chinese mandarins (as they transliterate to "gold"), or the variety of Chinese New Year cookies, such as the pineapple tarts, or the combination of them all. When my brothers and I were little, we would grab some Jolly Shandy - to quote Carlsberg, it is a "refreshing mix of lemonade and real beer," of which its alcohol content effectively amounts to a great 1%... perfect for kids! And then, there is the main highlight of the night, which I most look forward to while growing up. It is when we would all gather around to wish each others well - in health, study/career, prosperity and luck, and the occasional "looking younger and prettier as the year goes" (as the ladies love to hear this) - in the coming new year, and the elders would give us kids the cash-containing red packets (or fondly called hong pau). And then, we would gamble off the money. Did I mention gambling is Ah Po's favorite pastime?

This year, in anticipation of the year of Tiger, I have decided to reenact Ah Po's Chinese New Year's Eve menu. Minus the Hainanese chicken. Plus, the eight treasures sweet tea or lin chee kang for dessert -- or, in my case, seven treasures sweet tea because I forgot to get some white fungus. I have a great helper - my best friend, Reena, who flew in from Chicago at 8:30 a.m. to join me in conjuring and savoring the feast. Luckily, Pat was gracious enough to come by and help with the food as well, at a very short notice. Reena and I has been anticipating to taste the pork stomach soup as its fragrance filled the kitchen, but I was worried that the name of the soup in itself would turn Pat's appetite down. And the fact that Pat had had bad experience with pork stomach wasn't helping. Fortunately, Pat was a good sport and wanted to try the soup after all and I was relieved when he said it was actually good.

I was glad that everyone enjoyed the meal. To think of it, this is the first Chinese New Year's Eve dinner/celebration that I have since seven years ago. And I am extremely grateful to my guests of honor for this wonderful time!

My guests of honor, Reena and Pat

Stir Fry Vegetables

Steamed Sea Bass, Cantonese-Style

Pork Stomach Soup

Eight Treasures Sweet Tea

So, that was dinner. For brunch, that is, as soon as Reena was picked up from the airport, we head to an Asian groceries store to pick up the rest of the ingredients. And I tricked Reena into making wonton mee for brunch. We may not have dumplings to symbolize wealth (because of its tael-liked shape), but we improvised with wontons. It's all about creativity!

Wontons wrapping

Reena, the great cook

Pork Stomach Soup

1 lb of pork bones

1 pork stomach

1/4 lb of pork intestines

1 bulb of garlic

3 tbsp of white peppercorns, slightly smashed (add more if spicier taste is preferred)

Clean the pork stomach and intestines thoroughly. This cleaning process involves soaking and rubbing them in salt water, repeatedly, until the smell is gone. The stomach needs to be turned inside and out, and the salt rubbed over and every inch.

Boil the water.

Put in the pork bones when water is boiling.

Put in pork stomach and intestines, garlic and white peppercorns when water is boiling again. Let simmer in medium heat.

When pork stomach is tender (i.e. when a chopstick can poke through), remove the pork stomach from soup. This takes about 2 hours.

Cut pork stomach into biteable slices. Then, put them back into the simmering soup.

Let simmer for another hour or so.

Add salt to taste.

Stir Fry Vegetables

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets

2 carrots, cut into slices

1/2 cup of snow peas

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 - 4 tbsp of soy sauce

2 - 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce

Heat oil.

Add garlic and stir until golden brown (or when you smell the fragrance, as I was told by Reena).

Add in carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and snow peas and continue to stir for 2 - 3 minutes.

While stirring, add in the soy sauces.

Cook and stir until tender-crisp, for about 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat.

Steamed Sea Bass, Cantonese-Style

1 - 1.5 lb of whole sea bass with head and tail, cleaned, scaled, and gills removed

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of white wine

3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped

4 tbsp of chopped scallions

2 tbsp of fresh ginger, finely minced

2 tsp of sugar

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 tbsp of soy sauce

Rinse the fish inside and out with 1/4 cup of white wine.

Use a round or oval platter that is large enough to hold the fish but will fit inside the top of a steaming utensil.

Place the fish on the platter and set the platter in the top of the steamer. Cover and steam over boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce base by combining the 2 tbsp of white wine, garlic, scallions, ginger, and sugar in a small bowl.

Check fish for doneness. When cooked, the flesh will be white and pull easily from the bones. Remove the platter and pour off the liquid that has accumulated around the fish (or transfer the fish to a serving platter).

Heat the oil in a wok or sauepan. When it is hot, add the sauce base. Cook, stirring until the sauce boils.

Pour soy sauce over the sea bass first, and then pour the boiled sauce over the fish.

Serve immediately.

Eight Treasures Sweet Tea (Lin Chee Kang)

150 g of pearl barley

150 g of gingko nuts

100 g of lily bulbs, soaked

50 g of white fungus, soaked and broken up

50 g of tai hoi larm (bunga memangkuk/poontala/sterculia lychnophora/malva nuts)

3 pcs of whole dried persimmons, scald in hot water and cut into 1 cm cubes

100 g of dried longan

100 g of lotus seeds

rock sugar to taste

Soak tai hoi larm, remove outer skin, seed and coverings. Retain jelly-like pulp, rinse in warm water and drain for use later.

Boil barley until tender, then add gingko nuts and white fungus.

When all are tender, add soaked lily bulbs.

Separately boil the lotus seeds until tender. When 'tong sui' (or sweet tea) is ready, add the boiled lotus seeds and dried longan and boil for another 5 minutes.

Sweeten the 'tong sui' with rock sugar according to taste.

To serve, sprinkle the persimmon cubes and tai hoi larm into individual bowls and ladle the 'tong sui' over.

Serve warm or chilled.