Inner Solace

{023} Home-made yee sang. Adapted from Adam Liaw’s Dragon Yee Sang.

Since we went to a Japanese restaurant for reunion night, we not only missed out on lion dance and firecrackers, but also yee sang[1].

I was going to be lazy and buy a yee sang kit from the Chinese shop to prepare at mum’s, but apparently (and obviously) my spontaneity was ill-timed since the kit had sold out of the ten shops I could find in a 10km radius of my home.

So I did it the old-fashioned way.  I made a few adaptations to Adam’s recipe due to time constraints and personal preference for flavours, but it worked a treat.

Also, those wonton crisps were my first time deep frying anything. Reaffirmed that I don’t like deep frying. It is a dangerous activity.  Delicious results, but much danger.

Also also, deep frying with a weak exhaust is a bad combo. Apartment smelled like oil for a day.

[1] Although we did have a nice little dish with raw fish and a poached egg which seemed like an almost yee sang-like dish.

{022} A Japanese cheesecake with azuki from Halu, Mt Hawthorn.

In the past, we’ve had trouble finding a Chinese restaurant that is able to maintain a high standard of dishes during the rush of the first week of Chinese New Year.  Stuff is under done, over done, mushy, dry, slow, blah blah blah.  So this year my family had reunion night dinner at a Japanese restaurant instead.

We weren’t the only Chinese in the restaurant, so evidently we’re not the only ones who have this problem.

I do miss the lion dance and fire crackers though. So if anyone in Perth can recommend somewhere that’s up to scratch, let me know.

theworldwelivein:

Penang, Malaysia - Colour Of Chinese New Year (2011) (by Mio Cade)

(via disoriented)

Chap Goh Meh Dinner

We celebrated Chap Goh Meh a couple days early because one of the sib’s partner’s parents were in town and leaving the next day.

This was our last Chinese banquet of the season with some of my favourite things.  Left to right, top to bottom: Steamed oysters with black-bean sauce, snow crab with longevity noodle and butter sauce and two courses of peking duck (pancake and san choi bao - stir-fried duck meat wrapped in lettuce).  And another three courses. :P