So, a new year means a new start and it kind of sucks that the lunar calendar is out of sync with the Gregorian calendar, because it would have been pretty epic to have a "party all day party all night" kind of mindset over winter break. Oh well, what can you do?
Like any other New Year, this marks, well, a new year. The main difference is that the people who follow the Lunar calendar go based on the phases of the moon. I'm not sure about the other different ethnicities that celebrate Lunar New Year and what traditions they follow to celebrate accordingly, but all I know is that in Vietnam and with the Vietnamese people, we eat a lot and drink a lot. Pretty simple, but it's quite effective and sometimes less is more (or maybe bigger is better, I don't know).
Anyways, there really isn't anything that differs from the Lunar New Year and the Western New Year's besides the choice of food probably. Of course, Lunar New Year food is better (a wee bit bias but it's the same difference so whatever) and here's a little glimpse into the feast that we had:
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| The famous Vietnamese spring rolls with ground pork, grated taro root, carrots, and mushrooms |
Let me tell you a little something about these spring rolls: they may look like the Chinese egg rolls, but these are less oily (an attractive element for certain individuals), because we cook the filling first and that means that these lovely bundles of happiness spend less time soaking the oil from the deep fryer. Quite genius if I do say so myself. Another special aspect of this spring roll is that we add grated taro root - this is probably my favourite part of the spring roll (and not just because I love everything taro), but because it add texture and depth to the actual spring roll. I know that the wrapping is already crunchy but -flails arms- I dunno, they just taste better, trust me on this one. Annnddd now I'm ranting about freaking spring rolls, great. Onto the next dish:
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| What's a get-together/celebration without a little sushi? |
I don't want to say that we're major sushi enthusiasts (no hate against sushi, I really love it though, but we aren't that hardcore), but somehow and someway, sushi always makes it way onto our menu. Is it intentional? I'm not sure. Is it convenient? I don't really think the idea of sushi making is 'convenient' per say, because damn, wrapping all that takes some hard work! I don't know the answer to this question, but I do know that the sushi was delishhhhh!
Slight program interjection: Okay I've just realized that look back at these pictures are making me salivate. Maybe a partial reason is because it's almost lunch time and I'm real hungry, but that's okay!! Resume the food descriptions!
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| Bitter melon stuffed with ground chicken, mushrooms and tofu for the soup element |
My mom always encourages the consumption of bitter melon because in individuals that have a high level of internal heat, causing them to break out in cold sores (for example), the bitter melon has some substance that helps to counteract that. So I guess you could say that it has cooling effects? The level of bitterness varies from melon to melon and if you're lucky, you've got one that's mediocre, but on a side note: THE STUFFING'S GREAT! Note to self: don't get distracted by food, keep going.
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| Some hella large prawns stewed in coconut milk and a pinch of red Thai curry for seasoning |
Anything with coconut is warmly welcomed onto my palate, because I find that coconut is a rich fruit that it great with anything, whether the dish be sweet or savoury. So, this is basically prawns the size of my fist steamed and then tossed into a red Thai curry paste with coconut milk and this was completely on point. Shoutout to my aunt for not killing us because this was the first time she made it, woot woot!
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| Steamed turbot fish with ginger and green onions to garnish |
Personally, I'm not a big fan of this fish, because it is rather fatty and I just ain't about that fatty fish life. I know it's probably some beneficial omega fats but nah, fat and fish (especially fat in the fish) just about kills me. Usually, we pan-fry this fish, but this method was equally as good and finally, we have:
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| Mixed vegetable stir-fry with peas, mushrooms, onions, broccoli |
This is just a straight up vegetable stir-fry with various vegetables and I don't really know what could be better than steamed veg, lightly tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.
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| Two of my favourite desserts ever: the brown caramel coloured one is a sweet cassava cake with coconut milk and the green layered one is a gelatinous cake infused with pandan leaves (an aromatic which smell heavenly) and mung beans |
Right then, the desserts above are probably one of the greatest things of life. So, there are two on that plate: one is a sweet cassava cake and that is probably my favourite dessert, hands down. I don't what it is about the cassava cake, but it just reminds me of my childhood and brings back pretty good memories so, nostalgic food is always the best kind of food. The green coloured dessert is one that contains one of my favourite aromatic scents used in Vietnamese cuisine and just the thought of it makes me happy. How I've heard that they eat it in Vietnam is by slowly peeling back each of the layers, and it's quite sticky so it's a mission to peel each layer without breaking it.
And there it is! I can't believe another year has come and gone. I wish you all prosperity and longevity for this year.
