why i like chinese new year

I loved Chinese New Year when I was little, cos' it was full of festivities. My mum would get me everything new to wear - pyjamas, dress, undies and shoes. We would get real busy shopping 2 months ahead for new stuff and all other Chinese New Year goodies.

She would rope me in to make pineapple tarts ... that's the part I love most ... not just the pineapple tarts that I love to eat but the pineapple juice that I get to drink from preparing the jam from the tonnes of pineapples she would buy. Then there's the melt-in-your-mouth peanut cookies ... gosh ... heavenly ... she would sun the peanuts, roast them, blend them into powder to make the mix for the cookie. And not forgetting my other favourite : kueh bangkit. Pan fry the flour with pandan leaf and roll in into a dough with coconut milk. I loved to help her stuff them into the wooden mould and knocking them out, little pretty flowers and animal shapes. Loved the way they melt-in-your-mouth. Then there's the love letters I would help to roll and fold, the kueh bulu, the soft ones that are so spongy, that takes forever to fill a tin can, cos' we would be popping them into our mouths!

Then there's the candy tray filled with goodies that was to be put together after reunion dinner. And reunion dinner takes the whole day to prepare. Dishes were prepared from scratch. As Cantonese, my mum would prepare this 'Zai Choy' (another of my favourite) after reunion dinner that she would serve on the first day of Chinese New Year. It has cabbage, mushrooms, gingko nuts, homemade gluten, black fungus, black sea moss and many other ingredients. This is one dish that I've learnt to cook with success and my boys love it!

Chinese New Year today is so different, everything can be pre-ordered if not bought over the counter in nice packaged boxes, lacking the personal touch and taste. Really wished I had learnt and kept those recipes (although I wouldn't get that near to initiate a bake and kueh making party).

The best part of Chinese New Year now is the opportunity to dress up the house to the festivities, which I enjoy the most! The colours infiltrating the household, the ambience and the feeling of being at home. And the fresh flowers! Looking forward to the next Chinese New Year which isn't too far away ...