Sunday 25 January 2009

Steamboat Miniğım

Don't worry about the title, it reads "Steamboat Mini", a nickname Turkish came up with ;)

I prepared steamboat for our Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. Well, it would be a great deal back when I was really a mini because my family and I would return to Grandma's in Penang, so would my uncle and family from the south.

Hence, it's called the reunion dinner where members of the family, near and far away, get together for the celebration. The venue is usually in the home of the most senior member of the family and dinner is sumptuous. Traditionally, we have it steamboat-style.

I tend to carry it on!

Showing off my new apron LOL

Turkish helping me out in the kitchen ;)

Turkish loved Sah Jek's steamboat sessions, he got so excited when I suggested we have it this evening. Aaahhh.. the good old rice cooker pot from Pisa and Boss! It still serves us very well! There were quite a number of choices for ingredients on the table. We had fish, prawns, meatballs (we didn't have fishballs), crabsticks, sausages, vegetables, mushrooms and more fish LOL

Some pictures of the commoners:

Sweet, sweet Siberian prawns

I take pride in marinating meatballs!

The plate of pre-fried "Sea Tongue" fish

The hot pot mix boiled to perfection!

Eating steamboat is an art, it requires patience and a tongue made of tyre (food's pipping hot!). First, guess why is it even called a steamboat? I just found out. Originally, they were referred to as "Steambowl" for the simmering hot pot of broth. Then the Chinese migrants who can't pronounce anything right, spreaded this word till today. People would throw tofu in your face if you call it Steambowl.

Turkish carefully dishing out some goodies :)

Hehehehee we spent 2 hours on the dining table

You can't go wrong with steamboat unless the ingredients aren't fresh. Especially with seafood. Otherwise, it is super yummy and in the very end of dinner, scoop up a bowl of soup and it will be the juiciest and tastiest broth ever! We had a lovely time with this practice, ate slowly whilst drinking Liu Bao Cha (Six Treasures Chinese tea) courtesy of Sah Jek.

Happy ushering the year of the Ox, peeps!

I'll miss being with my family on this day. Always.

Hahahahahaaa and I recalled what happened last year.

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