Oops – just a little late in posting images from our Reunion Dinner (life and work has just been all consuming). Alas, this is the feast we endured at Aunt Jenny’s place. It’s a hardship, eh?
Dan’s grandma was responsible for slicing, dicing and food styling of this cold dish. Sliced abalone, sliced braised abalone (oh, this was gooood!), seaweed salad, cuttlefish, jelly fish, century egg and pickled ginger to go with.
Then it was on to shark fin soup. But wait! This was not real shark fin, but a faux version made with mung bean. The crunchy strings of fake cartilage were quite interesting. The stock itself was absolutely marvellous and thick, and we seasoned it generously with white pepper, black vinegar, fresh coriander leaves and even a lick of cognac!
Snow peas sauted with garlic. Crunchy and at their best.
Garlic chives needing no extra garlic, cut into finger lengths and stirfried with prawns.
This is Dan’s Mum’s sweet and sour fish, heady with shitake, carrot, bamboo shoots, spring onions and coriander. The sauce is thick and tart with vinegar.
Aunt Jenny stir fried up these mung bean vermicelli with dried prawns and the soaking liquor from the abalone. Sliced spring onion and sliced egg omelette topped this great plate of noodles.
But my vote went to the fried Hokkein noodles, bursting with greens, prawns, mussels, calamari and beef in a salty and slightly sweet soy sauce. It was smoky and just delicious.
Dan’s Mum also prepared braised duck with bamboo shoot and sea cucumber. The braising liquid is just amazing – soy, oyster, rice wine/sherry, ginger, star anise and a number of other secret ingredients. I just love the textures – the softness of the bamboo, the jelly chewiness of the sea cucumber and the tender stringy duck.
And finally, Dan’s Mum’s chicken curry, which is just out of this world. My favourite part is the curry soaked potatoes, and they are always the first things I go for.
For dessert Dan’s Mum (along with my help!) made some Kueh Ongol Ubi (the green things) and red agar jelly. I’ll post the recipe for this amazing tapioca coconut pandan sweet treat (the kueh) shortly. But let’s just say, the sweets went down VERY well, especially when licked with some maple syrup.
Anyway, wishing everyone a Keong Hee Huat Chye (Happy New Year).
Oh my, that whole feast makes me so jealous, I want to round up my family just so I can eat like this. I would love to eat all of that food right now.
Uh huh…my soon-to-be inlaws are excellent cooks! We were warned to bring take-away containers with us, and I must admit, they were full when we left! We had leftovers for days!
What a feast! EVerything looks so delicious and fresh! I would not bring take-away containers, I would have brought massive pots to fill!
It was a huge feast! And don’t worry, they may have only been take away containers, but they were many!! We ate for like three days afterwards!