Chinese New Year celebration potluck party [General]

2008 Feb 18
We had a wonderful Chinese New Year (the year of Rat) pot-luck party at our friends’ house. Our friends’ dining table was loaded with many great home-made food and desserts.

The highlight of the dinner was the salmon fish that one of our friends made (look at the photo, isn’t it cute?) The salmon was inside the pastry. Although many of us claim to be a good chef at home, we admit that we can’t make the fish dish that our friend made. We all want her to teach us how to make this fish dish. Not only it looked good, it tasted great!

For Chinese, having fish in Chinese New Year celebration is significant since fish is a symbol of plentiful food for a family (fish sounds like “plentiful”). Our friend also placed two Red Packets (with money in it) beside the fish to symbolize luck and wealth.

Note: Traditionally red packets are handed out to younger generation by their parents, grand parents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends during Chinese New Year. They are also popular gifts for weddings and birthdays. When I was a kid, I was always excited to receive Red Packets during Chinese New Year.

2008 Feb 18
Another friend brought a big pot of pork meatballs stewed with Chinese napa. This dish is called Lion’s Head 獅子頭 (and is also called Four Happy MeatBalls 四喜丸子).

2008 Feb 18
Although our attention mostly went to the salmon fish, the dish that a friend's mom made at home was the one that every one was looking forward to eating again. Our friend's parent are retired chefs in Singapore. They brought all the spices from Singapore that we can't buy in Ottawa. We tried their spicy tomato chicken last year and we always talked about it. So, per every one's demand, our friend brought the same dish to satisfy our appetite. Our friend's parent even made extra sauce for few friends to take home since they like the sauce so much!

I tell you the sauce was spicy enough to create enough heat in your mouth. But we all loved it! OMG sooooooo great! We told our friend that his parents should open a restaurant here in Ottawa.

2008 Feb 18
This was the sweet and sour spare ribs. We asked our friend for the recipe for this dish. She told us 1-2-3-4-5 (one tablespoon of vinegar, 2 TS of wines, 3 TS of sugar, 4 TB of ? and 5 TB of water) and cook it for 20 minutes. I need to get the recipe next time I see her.

2008 Feb 19
The friend who made the salmon fish also made this bean curd roll. This was a vegetarian dish. Shredded vegetables wrapped in bean curd sheet.

2008 Feb 19
I also made the bean curd rolls. My friend's rolls were a dry version whereas my rolls were a wet version (just like the bean curd roll dim-sum dishes you see at Chinese restaurant).

Originally I wanted to make a spinach dish with a variety of mushrooms. But I changed my mind and forget that bean curd roll was already on the menu list. So, we had a duplicate. Luckily, the ingredients I used were different. I put shredded pork meat, shredded mushroom and bean spouts inside the rolls. Besides, after deep-frying the rolls, I simmered the rolls in chicken broth for another 20 minutes to enhance the favour.

2008 Feb 19
This is a very authentic Cantonese dish - "Curry fish balls, octopus, pork skin" pot. Have you tried this? You can buy the fish balls from Kowloon Market.

2008 Feb 19
My friend (the host) bought the BBQ duck and Char-siu from Kowloon Market, Kowloon Market. We told her that she can try Jo Ming Ting's BBQ duck, Jo Moon Ting .

Our friend also made some choy sum vegetable dishes (no photo).

2008 Feb 19
For the desserts, we had mango pudding (see photo), jello ice-cream cubes, chocolate mousse cake, lemon mousse cake (from Costco) and fruit platter.

To make the mango pudding, it is best to buy those mango can from Indian grocery store.


2008 Feb 19
This is the jello ice cream cubes my friend make. The recipe has been posted before. See www.ottawafoodies.com

2008 Feb 19
It is a good habbit to have fruit after dinner. This was the fruit platter.

2008 Feb 19
Chocolate mousse cake from Costco.

2008 Feb 19
Lemon mousse cake from Costco. Good price and good cake!

2008 Feb 19
Thanks Ashley... Nice Food Porn !!!

2008 Feb 19
All that food porn made me drool. Looks amazing!!! Especially that spicy tomato sauce chicken that you describe, I want some now!

2008 Feb 19
Ashley, may I just say I love these 'round up' type posts you do? Where you post tons of tasty looking pictures of some event you attended? They're great and they always make me hungry, haha!

2008 Feb 23
Oh! Forgot to add the photo showing the Margarita cocktail table and wine bottles (Jackson-Triggs white wine, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and Chinese brand white wine that I didn't try). Wines are meant to accompany good meals!

Note: My friend also placed a Chinese calendar (with the word good fortune, or happiness in Gold color on red background) on the table along with fresh red roses for decoration (fresh flower for good Feng Shui). Do you know that most of the banks here give out Chinese calendar to their Chinese clients?

2008 Feb 23
yeah, i agree with Candice on this: great photo summaries!

i have 2 questions.

Are those green chilies or green beans (or...?) sitting atop the Singaporean chicken dish?

And, second, the Chinese wine you refer to: is this a grape-based wine? Or, is it more of spirit? Can it be purchased locally?

2008 Feb 23
Any 53% Maotai ??

"GAN BEI !!!!"




2008 Feb 23
Thanks for the pics, everything looks fantastic.

And i'll agree with chimichimi, I could go for some of that spicy tomato chicken right about now.