Happy Chinese New Year!

Chinese new year, the equivalent to Xmas of the western world, is a time for family gatherings, and more importantly - FEASTING. Without a public holiday to celebrate the traditional event in Australia, we make it up with a fantastic feast (and over-indulgence for some).

This year is the first time we hung up some spring scrolls, Chinese calligraphy on long scrolls of red paper, writing about the arrival of spring, the new year, happiness, prosperity, good harvest and anything of good fortune. Dad's calligraphy teacher kindly presented us with a beautiful scroll this year, adding that festive ambiance in our little apartment.

Every year we prepare dishes specially for the new year celebration. Some are always made (like the cured meats, assorted sticky rice cake, and a vegetarian dish made of ten different vegetables), as well as dishes we have for special occasions (such as the steamed pork spare rib in pumpkin, giant pork ball stewed with cabbage). Fish is a must as it symbolises "excess" (well, in terms of accounting, a positive balance at the end of the year), just that we have different methods of preparation to jazz it up every year. The steamed rice pudding ("rice mound with 8 jewels") decorated with dried fruits and lotus seeds are also a must, it symbolises prosperity, and is a favourite with almost everyone. This year we also brought back a very simple yet absolutely divine dessert called "happiness round", made of puffed brown rice and black sesame stuck together with maltose. It is consumed as a "broth" - hot water poured over the rice to melt the maltose. We really wish this lovely dessert with a fantastic festive name can be revived - as we can't find this anywhere in the shops anymore. Happy new years everyone! May the year of the golden pig be a prosperous and joyful

恭喜發財 紅包拿來~~~~~ 農曆新年 每年最吃喝玩樂的日子 在澳洲當然沒假期 也沒有年節的氣氛但是年還是要過 所以 沒有長假 就用美食來補償 今年我們第一次掛春聯爹的書法老師大筆一揮屋子裡就喜氣洋洋啦 年菜 每年有差不多的幾樣 如醃肉 什錦菜 年糕也有不同菜色換換口味 如今年的獅子頭和粉蒸排骨年年要有餘 所以年年有魚 只是年年不同口味色彩繽紛的八寶飯 也是不能缺的 我們還做了簡單 但是寓意美好的歡喜團爆開的米 炒香的黑芝麻 和麥芽糖黏成圓球吃時用滾水沖開 簡單但是口齒留香 這樣點心 以前台北鍋巴大王有賣 但現在已經找不到了 十分可惜 有點希望我的部落格能將歡喜團推廣開來 以後就不用自己做啦～