Chai Kueh

One of my favourite kuih from Penang is the Chai Kueh, translated it basically means vegetable 'snack', I have yet to find an accurate translation for the word kuih/kueh to English. Anyway back to this kueh, as 'seng kuang' is a rarity here, I was experimenting with waterchestnuts, it turned out to be a good substitute, only caution would be that it remains cruchier and is sweeter after cooking so the amount has to be slightly reduced. My chai kueh turned out pretty good I must say... translucent chewy skin but not rubbery, if you get what I mean. Dunked in chilli sauce, they are lovely little morsels!

Steamed in authentic bamboo steamer

My version is a simple mix of carrots and waterchestnuts

Kiam Chai Th'ng (Salted Veg Soup)

This is the pièce de résistance of the chinese new year meal! This sour although the name suggests salty soup is the dish that all waits for, a certain level of patience is required or else the soup will not turn out well. The waiting is with the other dishes cooked for new year, they have to be at least a day old before the soup can be made. It is also known as the pot of gold, where we carefully ration ourselves over the first two days of chinese new year to ensure that we have enough leftovers for the soup.

Braised Duck

Braised duck is another Chinese New Year recipe at home and this is one of my favourites, it only appears on the table after the 2nd day of new year. The tender duck meat is to die for and sauce is delicous, if you can get pass the thick layer of duck fat. Finding the ingrediants here in Scotland was a bit of a challenge as I have the hokkien names but the shop is run by mandarin speaking chinese! However, the dish was successfully created and I had a satisfying CNY lunch!

Mixed vegetables

Although this is a simple dish in itself, it is part of the Chinese New Year menu that we have every year at home. The CNY lunch (reunion dinner is steamboat) is cooked by my eldest aunt. The dish is cooked and eaten for first 2 days and then what's left is dumped into the 'Kiam Chai Th'ng'. So the year that I did not go home for CNY, I recreated my aunt's dishes just for the 'home for new year' feeling but really I wanted to eat 'Kiam Chai Th'ng' and wanted it to taste authentic with 'leftovers' in the mix!