Celebrating Chinese New Year

I am not of Chinese descent but I always find a reason to celebrate.... Ergo... Chinese New Year celebration with my family.

My Ate said we should have a whole chicken for new year. I remember cooking something similar when I was younger. I am not a fan of fried food but I can indulge occasionally. I cooked 2 whole fried chicken.

Chinese-Style Fried Chicken

1 kg. whole chicken

1 T. Rock salt

2 thick slices of ginger

2 pcs. Star anise

1 stalk leeks

1/4 C. Soy sauce

Rub the salt on the chicken including the cavity.

Insert the ginger, star anise and leeks inside the chicken.

Place chicken in a glass or ceramic pie dish. Pour soy sauce.

Steam for an hour.

Drain, place on a rack and air dry for 3 hours. You may also use an electric fan. Refrigerate overnight without wrapping the chicken.

Half-fill a wok with cooking oil. Fry chicken until golden in color.

The taste was a cross between Savory and Max's chicken. It was a hit with everybody.

I served the chicken with kropeck.

I also cooked Fried Rice with shrimps and Chinese sausage.

I bought Sapporo Long Kow the other day at the market.

Mona said it is the brand of the sotanghon I asked her to buy for me the other week. Mona's noodles were clear and glossy but the noddles I bought turned into mush. Mind boggling because I bought the same brand but the noodles were so different from what I used the other time, I wonder why?

I used the leftover chicken stock for Corn Soup.

We also had Vegetable Spring Rolls.

My family is not a vegetable eater. Imagine, there were still 3 spring rolls left out of 9.

Hermie cooked the Tikoy from my Chinese tenant. I loved the way she fried it! I never did like Tikoy until today. The Tikoy we used to cook was soggy unlike Hermie's.

O

Mayette and her family also celebrated Chinese New Year. She invited me to join them for dinner at her brother's house in Quezon City.

Of course.... The reason why she invited me......

PD would have loved the Lechon! The skin was so crisp and attached to it was a thick layer of fat! It looked like a mahjong piece! I ate till I had my fill.

My Chinese New Year celebration was indeed "Happy" .

 

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