Chinese New Year dinner

Celebrated Chinese New Year with M's sister C's family in Sydney.

C prepared a scrumptuous yee sang, a salad of raw fish, thinly cut vegetables and crispy wonton with a sweet and sour dressing. It's believed to be a Chinese Malaysian/Singaporean traditional Chinese New Year dish, and it symbolizes togetherness when everyone at the table joins in the fun of tossing the salad.

A duck, a symbol of fidelity, was served in many ways: peking duck pancakes, fried rice and in soup! Too busy eating, hence no pictures of the other dishes. For pancake recipe, see below.

And last but not the least, a whole steamed (barramundi)fish. This is apparently a symbol of prosperity, for the chinese word for fish "yu" sounds like the word for richness or abundance. It's also believed to make your wishes come true for this year.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Pancake Recipe:

1/2 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
1 cup water
1 egg
2 tablespoons oil
1 Peking duck (see note)
6 green onions, washed
1/2 cup hoisin sauce

Method:
Combine and whisk flour, cornflour, water, egg and oil.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Brush with little oil. Pour batter into frying pan and quickly swirl pan to spread the thin pancake to about 15cm. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 1 minute.

How to enjoy:
Remove skin and meat from duck. Thinly slice both skin and meat. Cut onions and cucumber into 10cm lengths.
Place some duck skin and meat, 1 onion and cucumber and 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce onto each pancake. Roll up. Serve.

Adapted from Taste.com.au

Ikan Goreng Taucheong (Fried Fish with Fermented Yellow Beans)

My husband's mom prepares this dish nicely. I don't cook just as good, and I hope my version's passes the Malaysians' tastebuds test!



400 g fish fillet (salmon, red emperor, snapper or nile perch)
2 tomatoes
small onion, sliced
3 slices ginger
chillies (optional)
2 stalks spring onion
coriander leaves
1.5 c water
2 T yellow bean sauce
plain flour
canola oil

Lightly coat fish in flour and pan-fry in little oil until brown and cooked. Set aside. Saute ginger, chillies,onions and tomatoes. Pour in water add beansauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add spring onion and fish and heat for a minute. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: Yellow bean sauce's soy beans are still whole and are sold in jars (this helps so you can see what the beans look like, for there are so many types of bean sauces sold).

Salmon and Mashed Potatoes

Serves 2

salmon fillet
900 g potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup milk
1 T margarine (light olive oil spread)
2 T chives, chopped
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes until soft. Heat milk and butter in the microwave and pour into mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in chives.

Season salmon with salt and pepper, and pan fry it approx. 5 min per side.

Source: Jen at work original