My Lunar New Year Eve Reunion Dinner

Homemade Yu Sheng (some kind of salad with raw salmon) for 16 adults.

 

All ingredients in, before the tug in

Tug in and toss the lo hei.

Reunion dinner this year was like the previous years. It was pot luck
style. Each family brought a dish and we have a good mix of dishes. We use
to have steamboat but found that it is too challenging to manage for a
family of 16 people. We would need 2 or 3 cookers, otherwise it takes too
long to wait for the food to get cooked. Not everyone like to test their
patience for food during a reunion dinner..

We started with the Yu sheng which is everybody’s favourite. Each of us
have our seconds and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Within twenty minutes we
have almost finished the big plate of Yu Sheng which took a couple of
hours to prepare.

  Next we proceeded with the rest of the food like curry chicken, the
infamous vegetarian dish, home-made char siew, each has a bowl of fish
maw soup, battered fried prawns and squid

Then we had jelly for dessert after which we gave out hong pows (red packets) to the all the niece and nephews.

A Reunion Dinner

Chinese people from all corners of the world celebrate the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival according to the Lunar Calendar. Therefore, the Lunar New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are as important as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in western countries.

The reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's eve is usually a large and lavish meal, flavorful and delicious, because it is not only a dinner but also a family reunion. The whole family sits around the table and enjoys food and chatting. It is indeed a moment of happiness cherished by every Chinese.

This year’s Lunar New Year falls on 3 February. I and my family had our reunion dinner last night. It was a time of feasting and fellowshipping and catching up with one another on their life happenings. We had it in my home instead of in restaurants as what most families are doing these days. For us home is family and we can enjoy each others company much better and in a more authentic way.

In my family, we have this very special dish called the Yusheng (also spelt Yu Sheng) meaning "raw fish". It is a Chinese New Year dish, essentially a salad dish made of thin slices of raw fish and various spices, mixed with tossing actions by diners. A play on Chinese homonyms links the ingredients and tossing actions to prosperity and longevity, all adding to the good wishes for the New Year. In addition, we prepared about 10 dishes for the reunion dinner, both hot and cold. We also have some very unique family-made dishes which no restaurant serves. Furthermore, my 94 year old father-in-law would very much prefer to keep the traditional way of celebrating. They prefer to share this meal with their grandsons and granddaughters at home and enjoy the family atmosphere.

Reunion dinner is the most important event as Chinese people prepares to start a brand new year. For us, we appreciate each other’s unique ways and treasure the moments we spend together. But wherever you are, whatever people you join for this festival, I wish you a prosperous and happy Chinese New Year that is fill with abundance, joy, peace and good health.

GOT PURPOSE !

photos from here and here