Happy (late) Chinese New Year! I'm finally starting to catch up with my posts. Yay!
Last Monday was Chinese New Year, but since my parents had to work, I went to their house on Sunday to celebrate.
My parents cooked a feast (like always) and it was filled with traditional Chinese New Year dishes and other favorites.
My dad made an amazing cold appetizer plate that included braised beef, jellyfish and smoked salmon (not the traditional American version). I love the braised beef. It's a little bit like roast beef and would go greatly in a sandwich. He made salt roasted chicken that was sooooo moist. I took a bite when it came right out of the oven it was so darn good. My dad also made pork chops braised in wine and tomatoes. It was a dish he frequently cooked when he was in the British Navy. It's always great to hear my dad talk about his past cooking experiences. :)
My mom cooked the rest. My favorite, clams in black bean sauce, is as good as I remember it. Shitaki mushrooms with sea cucumber and "fat choy" was the second dish. I'm not a fan of sea cucumber because of its slimy texture, but I'll eat it in small servings. I'm not sure what "fat choy" is called in English, but it's black, thin and hair-like algae. My mom always told me that if I ate a lot, I'd grow very black hair (I guess I never ate enough... :P). It's also suppose to bring prosperity since "fat choy" means that in Cantonese.
She also made Dungeness crab in curry sauce. I know it's delicious and I like crab, but again, I don't like eating off the bone...too messy! :P There was also a mixed vegetable dish that included carrots, mushrooms, pea pods, cabbage, black Asian fungi, bitter melon and vermicelli noodles. Other dishes I didn't take photos of were lotus, beef and mussel soup, boiled large shrimp, steamed egg pudding and fennel salad.
Needless to say, I was full by the end of the meal. I also had a ton of leftovers to take home. It was great to go back home and eat Chinese home cooked meals.
Happy Chinese New Year. I hope you all have a healthy and prosperous year. :)