Or Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone! We were invited to my aunt's annual Chinese New Year reunion dinner. This is the dinner that's held with family and close friends on the eve. My aunt uses this as an excuse to get everyone together for a steamboat/bbq dinner. There are 2 tables - one of which is halal for her brother-in-law who is Muslim (although he's not picky as long as he's not actually eating pork). Thankfully it drizzled some so the air was cooler - almost perfect steamboat weather.

There were plates of vegetables, tofu, meat and fish balls that go into the soup pot in the middle while the meat (pork ribs, Korean-marinated beef and thickly cut streaky bacon) usually gets grilled in the surrounding hot plate, along with mushrooms, eggplants and prawns. All this is eaten with several flavourful dips like chilli and garilc, fermented tiny shrimp with chilli, onions and lime, and soy sauce. It's actually rather healthy IF you don't use too much butter/oil on the grill and IF you don't eat too much of the delicious chicken rice (rice cooked with chicken stock, garlic and ginger).

But we did eat too much (as usual!) and took a long pause before my aunt brought out her sticky toffee ginger pudding (thanks Delia Smith!), and my mom's own chocolate blacmange. We left, tummys full and sides splitting from laughter. There'll be more parties in the year, but these Chinese New Year ones are a hot, raucous affair, and will always remain my favorite.

Note: It must seem insane how Singaporeans can eat hot, soupy meals regardless of the hot, humid weather. I admit it takes some getting used to. But oh boy, the soup at the end of a steamboat is delicious, after cooking the vegetables and meat in it. Worth every bead of sweat, I promise you. And the perfect steamboat weather? Oh, that's when it's pouring buckets, like during the monsoon.

Labels: Food, Holidays