Chinese New Year Meal
- 大展鴻圖 daaih jín hùhng tòuhassorted barbeque meats and jellyfish
- 龍生鳳猛 lùhng sāang fuhng máahngsauted shrimp and lobster with broccoli
- 飛凰騰達 fēi wòhng tàhng daahtroasted chicken with shrimp crackers
- 鴻運生財 hùhng wahn sāang chòihsliced pork hock with mushrooms in lettuce
- 發財好事 faat chòih hóu sihblack hair moss with dried oysters with braised pork feet
- 名成利就 mìhng sìhng leih jauhbeef or pork tongue braised in oyster sauce, with broccoli
- 年年有餘 nìhn nìhn yáuh yùhlarge steamed flounder (with head and tail) in ginger & onion sauce
- 從心所欲 chùhng sām só yuhksharkfin soup
- 週年順景 jāu nìhn seuhn gíngsweetened red beans with lotus seed
New Year Goodies for guests and ceremonies
- New Year steamed cake
- fried shrimp crackers (the best are from Indonesia)
- fried sticky rice balls filled with lotus seed and covered with sesame seed
- steamed turnip cake
- steamed taro root cake
- fried taro root
- fried donut, molded in Chinese characters
- candied: carrot, winter melon, coconuts, lotus root, lotus seeds
- melon seeds
- chocolate and hard candies
Reunion Meals
The women got together and prepared a nine course meal:
- Steamed chicken with ground salted ginger and onion
- B.B.Q. pork, lean cut
- roasted pig
- Japanese big mushroom with lettuce in oyster sauce
- shark fin bisque
- steamed flounder, or two fried fish, like buffalo fish (with a lot of fine bones)
- pan-fried big prawns
- sea cucumber with broccoli in oyster sauce
- fried rice
Peanut sweet rice rolling balls 大糰圓
Peanut sweet rice rolling balls were made of sweet sticky rice flour, rolled in the shape of big marbles, onto layers of crunched peanuts.
Dim Sum 點心
Dim means a little piece or a tiny drop. Sum means the best in our heart. Dim Sum together means a tiny piece of the very best. Traditionally, we only find Dim Sum style of serving in a Cantonese Tea House: a small café which serves any flavor of tea and some small appetizer dishes such as these traditional items:
- 蝦餃 hā gáausteamed shrimp dumpling
- 叉燒包 chā sīu bāausteamed BBQ pork bun
- 燒賣 sīu máaihsteamed pork dumpling
Similar to Spanish tapas, dim sum are served in small portions as appetizers for customers to taste food, not intentionally to fill bellies. They are steamed in a circular bamboo steamer about 2" deep by 5" diameter. Dim Sum is not easy to make and needs a lot of skills and patience to make well. Mainly, customers enjoy their cups of tea with small bites of appetizer for taste. In the past, Dim Sum was very popular among the merchant community, to conduct their business transactions or arrange social gatherings regarding their business relationships.
When Hong Kong became so prosperous during late 1960 and 1970s, people had surplus enough to enjoy Dim Sum beyond these business commercial connotations. A lot of restaurants were opened and invented many new Dim Sum items. Nowadays, you can find about 75 different items in some of the more creative Dim Sum restaurants. These are called Restaurant 酒樓 (jáu làuh) instead of Tea House 茶樓 (chàh làuh).
Some people nowadays go to a restaurant as early as 7 a.m. and have their breakfast there. Going to eat Dim Sum is a big family event. The restaurants usually serve Dim Sum until 2:30 p.m.
Generally, in Hong Kong or any other traditional Chinese restauranst at any China Towns in the world, people still practice their historical ritual of thanking the server for refilling their tea by tapping the table with three fingers three times. According to Hong Kong Tourism Board published in 2002, when Qing Emperor visted South China, he once went into a teahouse with his companions. For preserving his own anonymity, he took his turn at pouring tea. Emperor Qing ordered his shocking companions to thank him by tapping their three fingers three times on the table without their physical kowtow and revealing his identity. Clever! One finger represented their bowed head and the other two represented their prostrate arms.
I've found out Dim Sum is so popular that you can find it anywhere in the world. I have been to Dim Sum restaurants in Jakarta Indonesia, Caracas Venezuela, Tokyo Japan, Taipei Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Singapore, and of course New York, San Francisco, and Houston in the U.S., and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.
My family loves Dim Sum, especially my children. They eat everything. It becomes a full meal, not just an appetizer anymore.
Here are the most popular Dim Sum dishes in today's restaurants:
- 蝦餃 hā gáau
- 燒賣 sīu máaih
- 叉燒包 chā sīu bāau
- 魚翅餃 yùh chi gáausteamed pork & shark fin dumpling
- 山竹牛肉 sāan jūk ngàuh yuhksteamed beef meat balls
- 豉汁排骨 sih jāp pàaih gwātsteamed spare ribs with bean sauce
- 叉燒酥 chā sīu sōubaked BBQ pork bun
- 芋角 wuh gokTaro root fried turnover
- 蝦腸粉 hā chèuhng fánshrimp with rice noodle
- 鮮竹卷 sīn jūk gyúnsteamed soy sheet pork rolls in oyster sauce