I was feeling guilty about missing the family Chinese new year dinner on Saturday, so I went over to my grandma’s on Monday night to visit. My mom and both my aunts were there as well, so we kind of had a impromptu girls night, eating leftovers from the feast, watching old movies and playing mah jong.

While I was sad to have missed the big dinner, I’m grateful that I got to taste the leftovers because everything was AMAZING. I really need to spend a week in the kitchen with my grandma and aunt to get these recipes. Soon.

Hoi See Soong – Ground pork and dried oysters combined in a savory filling which is then wrapped in crisp lettuce leaves. This is one of my all-time favorite dishes that my grandma makes.

Swamp Potatoes with Pork – Special starchy potatoes that are only available this time of year, stewed with roasted pork in a rich gravy. Really, really good.

Jie (The Eight Immortals Dish) – I have no idea what’s in this, but my mom calls it the hairy eyeball dish; it has this long, stringy fungus that kind of looks like hair, and some sort of nuts or ?? that look like eyeballs. It’s a traditional new year dish that is eaten for good luck. I’m not a huge fan, but I always take a small scoop because I need all the help I can get.

Green Onion and Cilantro Chicken – A really delicious chicken dish that my uncle makes. It’s sweet and salty and savory.

Shitake Mushrooms – Plump, plump fresh shitake mushrooms with bamboo shoots (I think) in a soy-based sauce. Really good.

Lop Chong & Rice – Plain white rice steamed with Chinese sausage on top. Always delicious and easy to make!

Taro with Pork – Taro stewed with large chunks of pork in a red bean sauce. Normally I’m not a huge fan of taro, but I really like this dish.

Happy New Year!