The Year of the Dragon

Last Monday was the beginning of Chinese New Year.  Celebrations for billions of Chinese descendants began across the Globe to celebrate the year of the Dragon.  It’s not every year the Dragon is celebrated; it only comes around every twelve years.  The Dragon symbolises strength, good fortune and power in Eastern culture.

Kitchen Prep....already smelling delicious (this is turkey san choy bao)

The Chan Family descends from Hong Kong and come together every year to celebrate Chinese New Year, it is truly a global affair in this household with guests and ingredients hailing from all around the world to bring this dinner together.  

Evelyn has everything under control in the kitchen

This family really know how to put on an amazing feast, Cantonese style, with a local twist.  The meal is not just about the food.  Each dish carries unique symbolism and meaning to promote good health, wealth, happiness, abundance and prosperity and laughter in the coming year.
Evelyn has been preparing for this dinner for some time with a menu and run sheet pined to her fridge, my mouth was watering when she explained the menu to me (I think she has been in the kitchen for the last couple of days, her kitchen is much more orderly than mine when I am having 12 guests over! )

When I arrived the prawns were being prepared.  They have a touch of Australian to them, which are butterflied and then baked with garlic butter.   

Perfectly crafted prawns, the roe remained intact to maximise flavour, and of course they were delicious.

The prawn symbolises happiness and laughter.  They were amazingly fresh (sourced especially for the occasion).

Fish is an important addition to any Chinese New Year Meal, it will bring surplus and plenty in the coming year. 

Ryan cuts up some sashami, not quite traditionally Chinese but a family favourite all the same

Lillian has been preparing her dish since the 8^th of January.  She bought the Fish Maw (which is the stomach of the fish and considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine) on a recent trip to New Zealand and has been soaking it for the two weeks to bring it to a perfect texture.  She makes a kind of stew with oyster mushrooms and scallops.  This dish is very rich in both taste and the fish maw is important in bringing wealth and also beauty (Fish maw is a good source of collagen).

Fish Maw close up..check out the great combination of textures in this dish

Another of the dishes was called a “Pot of gold” consisting of dried scallops (All the way from Hong Kong) with whole garlic and broccoli carefully arranged on the plate to signify a pot of gold! Using the dried scallops is popular in Chinese cuisine as it intensifies the flavours. 

Lillian carefully arranged the scallops so they looked like a pot of gold

Roast pork is slowly cooking in the background it looks great.  When you roast a suckling pig you ensure the skin is crispy and red (ie tanned and healthy imagery), so it is a must to have some roast pork on the table symbolic of a healthy appearance for the coming year.  

The crackling was cooked perfectly, super crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

The smell of roast pork crackling is making my hungry, as the pork is being cut up i am luckily enough sneak a piece!

Snap shot of the table from back left, duck, chicken, sushami, prawns, san choi bao and the pot of gold

The rest of the family have also been slaving away in their own kitchens, they have all arrived with wonderful looking dishes, duck, chicken, pork spare ribs, exotic flavours are wafting through the front door as they arrived.

Mushrooms and Fa choi cooking just before sauce is added

More special dishes are prepared last minute in the kitchen with a dish called "Fa Choi", meaning wealth and indulgence.  Fa Choi is a moss or seaweed bought in from Hong Kong which is soaked and then cooked with oyster mushrooms, and then thickened with a corn flour sauce. The mushrooms give a meaty umami like texture with a smooth rich source, not sure I could re-create this one at home!

Fa Choi, wealth and indulgence.

However, I do plan to recreate the duck "Jiang Ya" which literally translates to soya sauce duck.  The duck was boiled in water first and then cooked in a broth of soya sauce, rice wine, star anise and water.  Presence of a duck at dinner is a good thing for those who believe in superstition, you will see duck at every Chinese banquet as it brings good luck and fertility. The year of the Dragon is a particular sort after Chinese Zodiac sign so experts are predicting a baby boom across Asia, as people conceive to have their baby born during the year of the Dragon.

Along with a whole duck there was also a whole chicken signifying prosperity and togetherness of the family.  A chicken served with its head, tail and feet symbolizes completeness…. a Chinese New Year dinner would not be complete without a chicken, in poorer times it was the only time of the year a Chinese family would enjoy a chicken together.  The chicken was served with a wonderful spicy ginger sauce.

The San choy bao is made extra special for the occasion with turkey to symbolise wealth.

San choy bao with a local twist with the use of cos lettuce and pine nutst!

For dessert large fruit platter was served followed by Yuanxiao, sweet dumpling representing togetherness and wholeness of family.  These dumplings were filled with black sesame paste and served in a sweet ginger broth.

Sweet dumplings, If I hadn’t eaten so much I definitely would have gone back for seconds!

What you need to know in a nut shell

1. Don’t try and get prawns out of their shells with chop sticks, it’s okay to use your fingers!

2. For perfect San choy bao cut iceberg lettuce into shape with scissors or cheat with cos lettuce.

3. Every dish has a meaning ask your host what each dish means

4. Red pockets (Lai-See) are only for those younger than you and single, they are given to encourage love and marriage in the coming year. Traditionally these are given on the first day of the New Year

5. Bring a large appetite; the food is beautiful so make sure you leave room for dessert

Evelyn, handing over Ryan his red pocket..hoping the year of the dragon will bring him luck on the ladies front!

A special thanks to Ryan and his family for inviting me to celebrate the Chinese New Year.  A big thanks to Evelyn and Roland for inviting me into you home and the rest of the extended family teaching me about your traditions, I had a wonderful evening.