Why hello. An invitation to a Chinese New Year dinner is always exciting, but when Veruca Salt told me that a suckling pig was also on the guest list, I could barely keep the grin of anticipation off my face.
Chinese New Year is all about getting together with family and friends. It's a time to cherish loved ones, be thankful for what you have, and to clear the slate for a New Year filled with the promise of good fortune. It's a bit like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year all rolled into one, and a bountiful feast is the best part of celebrations.
King crab
A feast at the home of Veruca Salt is never a modest undertaking. The table was overflowing with food, and the generosity of dishes was staggering. I've known Veruca Salt for over 15 years, and to be included as part of their family celebration was humbling. And delicious.
We relished the sweet flesh of the enormous king crab, cooked with tamarind and chilli and hoed into homemade spring rolls and stuffed chicken wings, packed tight with pork mince, black fungus and vermicelli.
Homemade spring rolls and stuffed chicken wings
Steamed silver perch
There are many dishes that feature regularly at Chinese New Year, usually because the names of the dishes sound lucky or auspicious. The word for fish sounds similar to abundance, dried oysters sounds like 'good things' and black hair moss sounds like the phrase 'to prosper, or grow rich'.
So a whole steamed silver perch took pride of place in the centre of the table, the flesh moist and fatty in a ginger, soy and shallot sauce.
Dried oysters with fatt choy black hair moss
Dried oysters were reconstituted, the flavour-intense bivalves cooked up with dried shiitake mushrooms and the treasured delicacy of fatt choy black hair moss, harvested in the Gobi Desert.
Chicken and jellyfish salad
Xoi Vietnamese sticky rice
Chicken and jellyfish salad has always been one of my favourite dishes, fresh with coriander and crunchy from celery and carrot shreds. It provides freshness and balance in-between mouthfuls of deep-fried spring rolls and chicken wings.
There are also three kinds of rice to choose from: fried rice; claypot chicken and Chinese sausage rice; and xoi Vietnamese sticky rice, faintly sweet from coconut milk.
Suckling pig
But really, I only had eyes for the suckling pig, picked up from a barbecue shop in Bankstown and waiting patiently in its red cardboard box.
EDIT: The suckling pig was bought from Big Hong Kong Garden, 292 Chapel Road South, Bankstown, Tel: +61 (02) 9793 8540. Cost was $43/kg (as at Jan 2012). The pig pictured weighed about 6.3kg.
Suckling pig
The loud and distinct splintering sound as the meat cleaver was pushed through the crackling was like music to our ears. It was almost like glass breaking, as the toffee-like skin split apart neatly in two.
Banh hoi
Vietnamese often have suckling pig with banh hoi, lacy bundles of fresh steamed rice vermicelli dressed with shallots that have been sauteed in oil. The banh hoi and pork is eaten together, drizzled with nuoc cham fish sauce dressing - others wrap it all up in lettuce leaves with extra herbs.
We just eat lots of it, savouring the juicy fatty pork crowned with irresistibly crunchy crackling.
Suckling pig plate with banh hoi
A night of good food and much laughter? I couldn't think of a better start to the Year of the Dragon!
everything looks GLORIOUS! zomg that suckling pig! my soul weeps at the lack of suckling pig in my life
ReplyDeleteWhere in Bankstown did you get the pig?
ReplyDeleteWhat a feast to be having for CNY. Happy New Year Helen!
ReplyDeleteI would love suckling pig to be part of every guest list on every event I go to! lol
ReplyDeleteZomg! I thought our families CNY feasts were good but that looks INCREDIBLE!!! I'd love to know where Veruca got the pig from??
ReplyDeleteOoh, I had some dried oyster recently and couldn't quite handle the intensity of flavour... But 'ello piggy!
ReplyDeleteHi Anons - The suckling pig was bought from Big Hong Kong Garden, 292 Chapel Road South, Bankstown, Tel: +61 (02) 9793 8540.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderfully appetizing feast of so many colours and flavours topped off by that suckling pig :D ! Thank you for sharing and DO have a happy and successful New Year!
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, First time commenting here (though have been reading a long time) because I just had to say that the suckling pig you have there is the stuff dreams are made of....
ReplyDeleteThe feasts for CNY always leave me gob smacked by their colour and festivity. How could it not be a celebration with that wonderful suckling pig at the party!
ReplyDeleteso much delightful dishes!! I wish my family lived in the country (but not close by). One this I miss is my family when celebratory occasions come around.
ReplyDeleteHow much did the suckling pig cost? I'm planning on ordering one for special occasion!
OMG. The suckling pig! The crab! And gasp, dried oysters with black hair moss from the Gobi Desert?!? That's incredible! So jealous!
ReplyDeleteThe head there frightened me at first but slowly, it transform into part of a porridge - okay, that's my hunger talking. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year Helen.
That suckling pig looks awesome! The steamed fish reminds me of the one my uncle used to cook (he was Japanese but worked for Chinese people and learned to cook Chinese-style).
ReplyDeleteHow amazing is that suckling pig? I love it that you can pick it up to takeaway! Happy Chinese New Year Helen.
ReplyDeletei only have eyes for suckling pig, and the pig looks absolutely divine! what a feast! gotta love CNY feasts! happy CNY to you too helen :)
ReplyDeleteOh look, a crunchy snout big enough for two. How romantic. You know what I mean. Happy New Year, young lady
ReplyDeletewhat a great feast, wishing you a wonderful new year :)
ReplyDeleteOoooh! I really want the chicken jellyfish salad, the dried oysters, and the bright pink rice. Happy New Year!! :)
ReplyDeleteBig Hong Kong Garden - watch out!! we will all be heading there. Can I ask how much the pig cost nd how far in advance you would have to order it?
ReplyDeletelooks better than many chinese restaurants i've been to. love the look of the king crab!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember ever seeing so much delicious food in one place before. The smells alone must have sent you to heaven. :)
ReplyDeleteOMGGGGG.. i want your suckling pig! That looks AWESOME! gong xi gong xi!
ReplyDeleteaww man!! thankfully I am eating while reading this otherwise my tummy will be rumbling like crazy!!
ReplyDeleteYum.. that pig is delish.. as is the Viet sides! Happy Lunar New year!
ReplyDeleteWOW we don't usually do CNY (or LNY) in a big way but thinking about starting a new tradition... really just an excuse to eat a fat little suckling pig!!!
ReplyDeleteCan I ask - what makes the Xoi vietnamese sticky rice so pink? I'm trying to solve the mystery of some pink rice I ate in Cambodia.
Happy chinese new year Helen! The pig and the crab made my heart melt!!
ReplyDeletep.s. I never knew Vietnamese sticky rice was pink!
it all looks amazing Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteomg that suckling pig looks amazing! I'm envious of your CNY feast!
ReplyDeleteHi Yas and Anon - The suckling pig cost $43/kg and the one pictured was about 6.3kg. It was ordered one week in advance but it's best to call them direct to check latest prices.
ReplyDeleteThe photos of that suckling pig quite literally took my breath away.
ReplyDeleteHopefully not a sign of impending heart attack, and instead just an indication of my enduring love for pork! :)
Hi dontthinkjusteat - The rice is pink from food colouring. Different colours can be used, but I think pink is one of the prettiest :)
ReplyDeletei'm gunna look up stuffed chicken wings.that just has so many possibilities.what a feast helen.
ReplyDeleteAlways a special occasion when there's whole suckling pig involved!
ReplyDelete