Archive for the ‘chinese new year’ Category

The festive season is almost upon us!

A time for eating and drinking and eating some more. A time for presents and new clothes and seeing your relatives and celebrations. A time for cleaning the house from top to bottom and eating nothing but leftovers for days on end.

(“Whaaaaat?” I can hear you say to yourselves. “This girl’s lost the plot. We just finished the festive season… didn’t we?”)

Well yes. And no. Not if you’re Chinese anyway.

So grab a lettuce for your local lion dancer and stuff some dollars (notes, not coins please) into a red packet because Chinese New Year comes Monday morning!

…continue reading dragon’s eggs (tang yuen)

“You get a birthday! And you get a birthday! You’re all getting birthdays!”

(I’ve clearly been watching way too much Oprah.)

“But, err, it’s not my birthday” I can hear all but one-in-every-365 of you saying. “I mean, I’ll take the presents and all, but…”

I should explain.

…continue reading pineapple surprise cake

I know. Chinese New Year ended a fortnight ago. But there was so much eating done, and so little time in which to record it. Like this meal, for example. A last minute affair, courtesy of 1x newborn baby in a hospital in Parramatta (not mine), the family being in a car to visit said baby, and a sign on the side of a building that said “Peking Duck”. Also, we conjectured later, it was the last day of Chinese New Year the next day, and we should probably celebrate somehow. We are very good at making up excuses when it comes to eating. Truly, we are.

It was with these plentiful excuses in our heads (and the promise of Peking Duck, and maybe even some crab) that we ventured into Carlingford Court on a quiet Sunday evening. We were greeted, promisingly, by a happy waiter (do I love me a happy waiter or what?) and plates of biscuits all laid out and ready for bill time. We were led, even more promisingly, to a table bigger than was necessary for us, away from the other diners (who were spread out across the restaurant) and (bonus!) one with good lighting. Complementary peanuts were served, and we began to peruse the menus.

the elements – awaiting assembly

I should warn you now, everything has a catch. That lovely sign, promising two courses of Peking Duck for $18.80 is the real deal. But for said real deal to apply, you also have to order three other dishes at full price. Ditto the fish special, and the crab special. Having already eaten half the peanuts at the time this was explained to us, and not wishing to move in any case, we settled instead for the banquet for four at a total cost of $98.80. (I’m pre-empting myself here, but should note that takeaway containers are $0.50 each. Ditto freshly cut chilli).

Many people order the banquet, explained the friendly waiter, because it is good value. Also, all the dishes on it are what would be ordered anyway.

the duck being carved

We started with the Peking Duck. Seeing I had a camera, the friendly waiter offered to carve the duck at the table (so I could get a better shot) rather than on the trolley (where it was usually carved). He was so obliging, even pausing at one stage to check that he wasn’t getting in the way of my pictures. Nice man.

peking duck pancake

The duck itself was lovely and crisp skinned. The pancakes were warm to the touch and not too soft, nor too floury. Yum.

1x duck – post chopping

Once the skin had been removed, the carcass was taken back to the kitchen, chopped up and brought again to the table for us to pick at. I’m used to having the meat separated from the bone and served up with fried noodles or similar so found this an interesting version of the “two dish” theme. It was not, however, a bad version as it meant that lunch the next day was super easy to throw together.

crab with tung-hoon; pre-stirring

Next up, the crab in hot pot with tung-hoon and XO sauce. *pause* My MY this was good! A clay vessel was presented containing nothing, it seemed at first, but noodle. And then we stirred. And then we cheered!

crab with tung-hoon; post-stirring!

I’m not normally a fan of blue swimmer crab (too fiddly, watery meat, brittle shell) but this one was a treat. Plump and meaty, with the flesh pulling away easily from the shell. The tung-hoon (a thick, translucent noodle made from beans) had soaked up all of the flavour from the crab and the XO sauce and was absolutely delicious. I have to say, this was the highlight of my night. Baby excluded of course.

crisp skin chicken with salt

The excess was followed by some stock standards. Crispy skin chicken with spicy salt was tender and succulent (even the breast meat). It’s so nice to see a simple dish well done. It also featured a whole chicken. Now, my family does not finish a whole chicken between us on a good day, so at this point, we decided that the chicken would most likely end up coming home with us.

bok choy

The veges, however, we scoffed down at the table. Sweet and simple, the bok choy was the perfect foil to the other, oilier, dishes. Though the slick you see on the surface of the vegetable kinda hints at it’s potentially-less-than-healthy cooking method.
And we were done. Or so we thought.

As we packed the remains up into takeaway containers (half a duck, most of a chicken), I spotted a table being served bowls of something, scooped from a pot behind the counter. “Please please please red bean soup” I muttered to myself. And it was to be! *hooray!*

free bikkies!

Complementary biscuits (one buttery and coconutty, the other crunchy and covered in sesame seeds) were brought to the table. One each and a couple spare.

oranges on ice

Then the oranges, served on a bed of freshly shaved ice.

hooray! red bean soup!

And finally, hot, citrussy, sweet and satisfying, red bean soup. *Ahhhhhhhhh*

So home we trudged. Takeaways in hand, mental notes made. Next time, for there will be a next time, the Peking Duck will make a comeback. As will the crab. The chicken will become a fish (for two birds in one meal is too much bird) and the red bean soup will be eagerly sought after.

King Crab Village Seafood Restaurant
Shop 19G, 372 Pennant Hills Road
Carlingford
ph 02 9872 9255

Opening Hours: 7 days 11am-3pm & 5pm-11pm

“I haven’t been to yum-cha in a-a-ages!” “Well then, let’s go Saturday.” “Oh. Ok.” This is how lunch plans get made around my place. One moment you have nothing planned for the weekend, and then it’s 11am on a Saturday and everyone’s running around and “Are you ready?” “The queues will get long! Hurry up!” and “I forgot my phone!” before we bundle ourselves into the car and brave the Chatswood traffic. Two will leap out early to get a ticket and the others will circle the ever-full parking lot before joining the first two with a “What number are we?” “What number are they up to?” and an “Oh… so many people!”

We finally make it inside, “Number forty-four! Sei-sup-Sei!” a tea menu is surveyed, “Better than drinking colour water, you know.” and the dishes begin to roll.

salt & pepper hairy crab

For some, largely unknown, reason, our yum-chas have recently tended to either start with, end with, or otherwise include whatever crab is being spruiked around the place. I don’t know how this tradition started, perhaps a conscious effort to eat that-which-is-not-normally-eaten, perhaps my mum & I on a trip, just the two of us, and a penchant for indulgence, but it stuck.

vegetarian dumplings

“Can you heat it up for us?” and while the trolley lady left her happy trolley alone, I snuck a picture of the vegetarian dumplings that we weren’t going to eat, and of the egg tarts (top image) I was hoping to get around to later.

The crab, when it came back, was, by the way, delicious. If somewhat frustrating to eat, being a non-mud crab and all. I digress.

sweet taro buns

While we were mid-crab (read: shell all over the table, our hands, our hair), we were offered some buns. “New dish!” said the trolley lady, in Cantonese, “Very good! You want?” “New dish!” said mum, all excited. “Yes please!” said we. And we did. It was sweet, not savory. And for a moment, we were confused. But then the crunchy butter and sugar top and the gooey purple yam paste took over and “Mmmmmm” was all that could be said of them.

shark’s fin & lettuce dumplings

But there was more to be had. Shark’s fin and lettuce dumplings (of which I got two!) with the taste of the lettuce really coming to the fore.

shark fin & seafood whole bowl dumpling

…and with vinegar!

A big bowl of dumpling (that’s right, a bowl of dumpling!) appeared. And when you break the skin, a veritable sea of prawn and shark’s fin (I know, more of it!) and scallop and sweet, sweet soup.

lo mai fan

Then the chickeney rice steamed in a lotus leaf. Which is usually good, but was this time a little dry, a little lacking, and we passed it around – not wanting to fill ourselves up, but not wanting to waste it either.

siu mai

At this stage, all were almost full. Except for the sister, who had passed on most of what came previously. “Fried or steamed?” we asked. “Steamed” said she. Trays came and went. Too many veges, too much meat. Too weird, not weird enough. And then. Siu mai. Which were nice, if a little plain and porky, after what had been previously.

xiao long bao

The xiao long bao came in tin foil cups. We looked at them. Pricked, prodded, success! “Oh no! A drip! You’re leaking!” But the tin foil cup caught the soup and all was saved.

egg tarts

The crispy flaky egg-tarts that I’d snapped at the beginning of this (now hour long) meal had long vanished. I made do with smaller, less flaky versions. I was a little sad about this, but it’s hard to remain sad through a mouthful of warm custard, so I was not sad for long.

to-fu fa

Just when we thought we could eat no more, someone mentioned to-fu fa.

I’ll be honest. The to-fu fa at Kam Fook is a force to be reckoned with. It’s a big, BIG bowl. Split between four, we had enough to be content and wanting just that little bit more, but not so much that we were to-fu’d out (as has happened when split between two). Warm and gingery syrup, smooth, silky tofu. A perfect end to yum-cha-cha-ing with the family.

the bill: $88.90

Kam Fook
Shop 600, Level 6
Westfield Shoppingtown
28 Victor Street
Chatswood NSW
Tel (02) 9413 9388

also at:
Shop 6010, Level 6,
Westfield Shopping Centre
100 Oxford Street
Bondi Junction NSW
Tel (02) 9386 9889

“You have to have fish” she said, with authority. “Fish, oysters, sea cucumber stewed with mushrooms and pork feet. Pork balls because they’re round, prawns so you’re always laughing in the new year. Yee sang, so we can toss it for prosperity, fat choy because it sounds like good luck. Chicken,” she continued, “Chicken because after cooking all day, I want to eat something that I didn’t have to cook myself.” …
Chinese New Year is a big deal around our place. And on New Year’s Eve, after the biscuits have been made, the house cleaned thoroughly and brand new (preferably red) clothing has been donned, we eat. Each dish has significance – though none of us are sure how much of the ‘significance’ is significant and how much is merely a result of mostly accurate memories and “I think I remember Aunty X saying…”

yee-sang, ready to be tossed!

Yee-Sang is a Chinese New Year staple for our family (both local and extended). The meal starts with everyone grabbing a pair of chopsticks and tossing the salad around in the air – the higher you toss, the more prosperity in the coming year!

We purchase a box of yee-sang mix each year and add our own julienned carrot, lettuce and cucumber to the mix, as well as a generous amount of smoked salmon. My sister and I especially love the crunchy bits in the salad, so this year, Mum added some fried won-ton skins to the mix for extra crunch!

oysters with tetsuya vinaigrette

Oysters, also called Ho-Si are eaten for happy times, or good events in the coming year. We normally eat these dried, as part of the pork trotter and fat-choy stew below. Luckily (for me anyway), a quick family survey uncovered that Dad was the only one who enjoyed them cooked this way and freshly shucked oysters became part of our menu.

pork trotter & fat-choy stew

Fat Choy is eaten for good fortune. This dish is made thick with dark soy sauce, mushrooms, gelatinous pork trotter and fat-choy, or as my sister likes to say “the hair”.

stir fried prawns

This is one of the more dubious inclusions. The word for prawn in Hokkien is “ha”. Mum likes to tell us that we should eat prawns so that we laugh a lot in the coming year. The rest of us aren’t so sure about that, but are happy to agree with the translation as long as it means we get to eat prawns!

deep fried pork balls

OH! These were so yummy! Pork mince, chinese mushrooms, shallots and egg, rolled into balls, tossed in breadcrumbs and deep fried to a deep golden brown. The Chinese obsession with round things comes into play here. Because all money used to be round, back in the day, it’s thought that (seeing as round things attract each other?) by eating these, money will come your way!

whole steamed fish

By this stage, I was getting pretty full. But fish must be eaten, and eaten whole. The head and tail are served intact for happy beginnings and happy endings. And with the firm white flesh mixing with the flavours of ginger and coriander in my mouth, I was convinced of its effect almost immediately.

crispy skin chicken

This one was a buy-in. But seeing as chicken brings success (and seeing as Mum needed something to eat that she hadn’t spent all day cooking herself), it had to be done. And no-one regretted the decision. Mmmmm…..

stir-fried veges with fat choy

You can never have too much fat choy in one sitting. But you definitely can have too much meat in one sitting. So I was glad for the vegetables, and I was glad for the end of dinner. I think I ate enough in this sitting to last me well into the New Year.

Eight dishes, four people, full tummies. Calls to family back in Malaysia, broken Hokkien and hurried cleaning. And then a quick trip up the North Shore to friends and dessert and games of mah-jong and screaming at the tennis until early the next day.