L♥ and myself were invited over to Best's place for Reunion and to join the family in celebration of Aunt G's birthday as well. We got her a flora scarf and glad she loved it. Meeting the whole family for the first time was nice and warm. Really friendly and had great hospitality!
Families and friends we all knew since the old days gathered together to usher the 6th Day of the Lunar New Year. Great food, great company, and a bunch of good laughs too.
Nian Gao fried with egg and flour.
Reunion Dinner: 初七/人日.
The seventh day, traditionally known as 人日 (Ren Ri), common man's birthday, is the day when everyone grows one year older. In some Malaysia and Singapore, it is also the day when Yu Sheng is eaten for continued wealth and prosperity. And Yu Sheng we had!
For good health, prosperity, luck, etc.
Mom also cooked leek with tofu & prawns and 盆菜 (Poon Choi) also known as Pun Choi/Big Bowl Feast. It is a traditional Hakka dish originating from Hong Kong village, and is served in wooden, porcelain or metal basins. This dish is special as it is composed of many layers of different ingredients., and is also eaten layer by layer instead of "stirring everything up".
Ingredients added in this dish includes, pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, abalone, ginseng, shark fin, fish maw, prawn, crab, drief mushroom, fishballs, squid, dried eel, dried shrimp, pigskin, beancurd and Chinese radishh. For ours, Mom added chicken, abalone, fish maw, prawn, mushroom (dried shiitake and bai ling), scallop, sea cucumber, carrot, broccoli and Chinese cabbage.
Day 13 (初十三).
Just Googled and found out that on the 13th day, people usually eat pure vegetarian food to clean out their stomach due to consuming too much food over the last two weeks. However, that didn't stop me from preparing a Korean Feast specially for dear Yina who has yet to try my cooking.
Earlier that day, L♥ and I made our way over to one of my ex-colleagues house for lunch and finally savored her mother's Mee Siam and curry chicken which I have longed for. It was also great that everyone from the old gang were fully present. We played Black Jack (luckily I made $9) till it was time for me to head back home to cook.
Day 14 (初十四): 'Lantern Decoration Day'.
L's♥ clique aka 'The Saints' had their Reunion dinner at Wei Chen's place and it was my last round of steamboat and Yu Sheng till the next Lunar New Year.
The birthday boys, and many more years to come.
Have heard so much about the Lychee Martini cake from Pine Garden and it is officially my favorite cake now. Definitely going to order this for my birthday this year!
We were introduced to a new board game called 'Dixit Odyssey'. Besides Saboteurs, Dixit Odyssey is another great party game I had to get my hands on. I bought another good board game which I'll post about it soon.
Day 15 (初十五): Lantern Festival.
The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as 元宵节 (Yuanxiao Festival), aka 上元节 (Shangyuan Festival), otherwise known as Chap Goh Mei (十五暝).
汤圆 (Tang Yuan), a sweet glutinous rice ball brewed in a soup, is eaten on this day. Candles are lit outside houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.
In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a love partner, a Chinese version of Valentine's Day. And, did you know? Normally, single women would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.
L♥ and I stopped by our favorite Ramen restaurant, Noodle House Ken for dinner after getting the board games. Tucked in a quiet corner away from the main street, this small Ramen stall was one of the first few food places we went when the both of us were still dating. Sure brings back memories!
Noodle House Ken
150 Orchard Road,
#01-17/18 Orchard Plaza
Singapore 238841
Tel: 6235-5540
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat 6pm to 2am (close on Sun)
With this, it marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.
No comments:
Post a Comment
0 Comments