What we had for our Reunion Dinner

Chinese New Yew reunion dinner is pretty quiet for my side since the family is small from my dad's side. It's usually just the 5 of us, grandma, dad, mum and Ed. However this year had my uncle from KL joining us, so that added in another 4 members. Just enough to fit the dinning table.

As usual every year my grandma would cook the traditional reunion dishes. First would be her ever famous Ju Hu Char (Chinese turnip -I think- thinly sliced with carrots, shreds of dried sotong, chinese mushrooms, pork meat cooked together with other secret sauces to form a nice sweet mushroom tasting vegetable dish. Dad loves to eat this wrapped with his salad leaves and topped with lotsa sambal belachan (makes it like as though it's popiah rolls)

Ju Hu Char

Kiam Chai Boi

Then there is the "Kiam Chai Ak" also known as the sour duck soup. This is Ed's favourite. To know more about this soup, you can view back my previous post (Dinner for Ed, Kiam Chai Boi)

Third dish would be the pork stomach soup with ginko. Now this is not my favourite or either Ed's favourite but it's a favourite for the rest of the family. I think if one year my grandma does not make this soup, for sure there would be a big fuss. Soupd has alot of Ginko seeds which are normally fought for among the diners on the table.

Pork Stomach soup with Ginko

Next to the list would be the Assam Prawns.....prawns cooked/ marinated in tamarind juice, sugar, salt and pepper.....ohhh lovely till the last suck and lick.

Assam Prawns

Fifth dish would be the roast chicken which was sponsored by my mum. One can never ask my mum what she puts inside as every time she cooks it the taste varies, why.... because she puts in whatever sauces and ingredients she can find in the fridge for marination. So far 95% of times it turns out good.

Mum's Roast Chicken

Last dish would always be the mixed vegetable. What I like to curi here is the broccoli, mushrooms and baby corn.....muahahhaha

Mixed Vege

Since my uncle came down to join we also had a bowl of Yee Sang to "lo" in luck for the new year. Apparently, this dish you are suppose to use your chopstick, gather all the family around and together mix the ingredients as much as possible tossing it up and down controlling it not from falling over to the table to form a "mountain shape" like. Basically the higher the yee sang is tossed and the higher your bump is on the plate shows how much luck you would be getting....pls correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Yee Sang before it's been mixed

Then after dinner we just hung around the house, cleared up the table, played some fireworks with my little cousins, watched some TV and headed back home before 12 midnight. Usually we would go back before midnight as my mum would usually sweep and mop the floor before the new year. This is the one and only superstition my family believes.....on the first day of Chinese New Year we would not sweep or mop the floor as the Chinese believe that one would be sweeping away all your luck for the new year.

So this is how my reunion dinners is celebrated every year.