… and I forgot my DSLR. Resorted to take photos using my iPhone only. -.-”

It was so crowded there especially at the entrance since there was only one way in and out. The other entrance was blocked by the temporary stage, hence the terrible human traffic. I felt so uncomfortable when someone’s sweaty, sticky skin rubbed against mine. Luckily the jam was temporary only.

On the stage, local singers entertained all with countless of Chinese New Year songs. I took a glance to see who was singing at that moment (but I don’t know him! ops..) and walked faster to catch up with my parents.

Around the temple were stalls which mostly showcased the Chinese art and culture or things that related to Chinese culture.

I personally like the block shop and wanted to do one for myself, but then there were people queuing around the stall and I didn’t feel like waiting, so I left.

At the side of the temple erected a temporary Chinese paper wall, where people wrote auspicious word on the wall using gold ink.

I wanted to write one, but coincidentally the guy who stationed there was preparing the right mixture of golden ink (as it was too watery) and it took him quite some time to get the right mixture. -.-”

So I left.

As we walked towards the back of the temple, the Chinese exhibition changed to the pasar malam alike.

I like the rabbit coinbox. So adorable! But then mum already bought the adorable tortoise coinbox from this stall last year, so she said cannot!

From the temple, we walked back to the empty space behind that was ‘turned’ into night market. I don’t know if the night market is there prior to Chinese New Year festival or it’s a weekly thing, but it was fun to walk around the night market. It was at the night market that I fell in love with this cute pair of toddler pants.

I didn’t get this of cz, there’s no point of me getting one. So I left! Haha!

The night market disappointed me, as it was rather small. We went back to the temple compound and walked to the other side of the temple where fluffy, cute bunnies greeted us.

The bunnies were paraded to all for sale, and the kids couldn’t stop patting the bunnies’ little heads and stroking their soft bodies.

A little further down, we stopped by a tea stall for a bowl of pu’er tea.

Few walks to my left, I saw rows of handmade tanglung hung on this yellow steel frame. I think the tanglungs were being ‘contested’ as I could see number stuck on there.

I turned right and realised there were a lot of people in the pavilion. Wondering what’s there, I walked in… just to find that there were these paperfold art that I used to do when I was in lower secondary form!

Boy were I joyful upon seeing these, and I took quite a number of photos there. Haha!

We thought that we could exit the temple after walking straight down, but we were so wrong. The other entrance was blocked to give way for the temporary stage, so we had to embrace the human traffic again to get out of the temple. T_T

I wish there were more ‘Chinese’ heritage/art/element/culture paraded at the celebration. The celebration was alright, but there’s certainly room for improvement.

]]> http://phingelicious.com/2011/03/pre-cny-celebration/feed/ 0 http://phingelicious.com/2011/02/reunion-dinner-2011/ http://phingelicious.com/2011/02/reunion-dinner-2011/#comments Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:58:14 +0000 angeline http://phingelicious.com/?p=3085 The yearly tradition started as early at 9 in the morning this year!

Purposely cut all the needed ingredients so that I wouldn’t have to start cooking that early. Little did I know when I took nap at 2.30pm due to terrible headache, mum woke up me an hour later asking me to start cooking!

Of course, I snoozed the ‘alarm’ until 4pm, lol!

I thought I would have enough time to kaotim everything myself, but I’m so wrong again. Again, help was needed in the kitchen. Mum, sis and even dad crowded the kitchen, helped stirring, frying and washing the plates.

By 7.30pm, dinner was served.

Baked scallop and bacon with honey mustard sauce; Garlic beer prawn; Thai style steamed fish.

Omelette wrapped minced meat; Stir fry lotus root, peas and assorted mushrooms; Almond Chicken Strips.

Braised Abalone With Mushrooms and Garden Greens; Watermelon cube soya jelly.

Ahh~ I was so full after dinner… but now, don’t know why I’m hungry d. T_____T

Happy Lunar New Year!

This year I was abit late in listing down the recipes and going around looking for the ingredients. Didn’t know what stuff I got so busy with until almost neglected the most important Chinese culture. Lol.

I almost told my mum to just buy the ingredients for steamboat because I got ‘lazy’ just by thinking bout it! The agony of coming out with 8 entrée!

But then the tradition must go one – since it started by me. *sendiri cari pasal la* So, when the day came, I started chopping up the ingredients at 3.30pm as mum requested to eat earlier at 7pm.

Mum would drop by the kitchen, asking if I need her help. But thinking that I have plenty of time left, I told her that I’ll be fine on my own.

Little did I know, time really FLEW!

By 5.30pm, only 2 courses were done and I had to yell for my sister to help me in frying few things as I was busy preparing for the major dishes!

Bacon wrapped scallop

Sat came at 6pm – cause I told him too. And I thought of asking him to help up. But he dressed up so nicely and calling him to the dirty kitchen would mess him up.

So just me and my sister. She went on deep frying 2 dishes, and stir-fry the vege on my behalf while I frantically ran in and out the wet kitchen getting more and more ingredients, the correct plate; did wrapping, decorate dishes and food tasting.

Stir-fry mixed vege with love apple

Guinness stout spareribs

Firecracker prawn

By 7pm, the fish was put into wok for steaming and the plates were laid on the table, together with glass cups, chopsticks and spoons. Followed by the dishes soon after that.

Restaurant style steamed white pomfret

The dinner started half an hour later as I got carried away with the timing. However the highlight of the dinner was still in the oven by the time we started eating. LOL!

After 15 minutes into eating, I took out the chicken from the oven. This dish supposed to be double-steamed, but because mum gave away the steamer to her friends last time which I didn’t know about that (–”), we have to ‘bake’ the chicken.

Lotus wrapped 8 Treasure Baked Chicken

Thank god it turned out well despite the black burning of the lotus. *Phew

If you noticed there are only 6 photos available. That’s because I forgot to take picture of the dessert – which doesn’t really matter since it was half fail. Half fail because the tastewise was good, but lookwise it didn’t! Probably putting ice cream on top of the supposedly cake would make it nice! Haha!

As for another one, it supposed to be fruit salad – which I didn’t make because everyone couldn’t eat anymore at the end of the meal. We only took dessert 2 hours after dinner as we were too full!

Having been the ‘major chef’ on the CNY eve since 2006 continuously is seriously an honourific task. From choosing the right recipes (in order not to clash with superstition beliefs) to cooking the dish out and decorating them requires an enormous work and energy and time! But it’s all worthwhile. Afterall reunion dinner only occurs once a year, so no complains!

Maybe next year I should reduce to 5 entrée and 1 dessert. 6 (pronounced as lak in Hokkien) sounds like LUCK tho the Cantonese’s ‘fatt‘ (8) which means PROSPER! sounds even nicer! Haha

Well, we’ll see about that next year…

As usual, I’ll be doing the cooking for the reunion dinner and this year I’m gonna do something unusual. Instead of eating rice like what we’ve did for fast erm.. 4-5 years, I’m gonna swap the rice for noodles!

Mum was abit tension when she heard bout me wanting to do noodles cz she knew I never cook that type of noodles before. So, she asked me to do a trial today. I agreed as we’ve been eating out for weeks and I’m quite free recently. Kaka!

Once I got home, mum already asked me to start cooking which I deemed it was rather early. Nonetheless, I obeyed her – taking my own time taking out the ingredients, cutting them up, marinade the meat. Reason : I knew I can cook this up in within 15 minutes.

Ingredients for my stir-fry egg noodles – broccoli, garlic, crabsticks, chicken (which I’ve marinated) and egg noodles.

Boiled the noodles, ran over cold water and clotted with extra virgin olive oil since the noodles will become sticky if dry.

Mum walked into the kitchen, wondering why I didn’t start cooking yet. So, I began throwing in the rest of the ingredients and stir fried them together. The noodles was abit dry after being thrown into the wok, signaling it’s time to put in a cup of water to ‘wet‘ them up.

After few round of tasting, the noodles has done and ready to be served!

It tastes nice when served hot, but not-so-nice-anymore when it is left to cold.

This dish has passed the family’s SIRIM test. So, this Saturday gonna make exactly like this but in smaller portion as I fear we couldn’t finish all 8 dishes. Keke.