Its Chinese New Year!

I'm trying to impress my friends and family with my cooking skills and my Chinese New year tradition skills. I bet you did not know I know how to make two of the traditional dishes: ho see fot choy and jai.

I have a secret recipe and I actually combine the two to make one. I buy a big pork knuckle ("pork, bone-in, fresh ham"). My aunt pronounces it "ger jong" - pig something or other.... Thing is no one knows what I'm talking about when I order it and the Chinese butchers laugh at me, so I end up pointing to what I think looks right (or last year I bought some kind of pork that looked like the right one in Stop & Shop). I cut off two large pieces of the meat off the bone, brown it, then braise it for a long time with soy sauce and one of those star anise and oyster sauce.

After a long time, dump in the dried oysters (soak them if they're dried) and slow cook. The dried oysters are the "ho see", "good times.........ain't' we lucky we got 'em". I add in the hok gew mo (black hair stuff) and vermicelli bean thread noodles after awhile. It takes a long time to soak all the stuff like black mushrooms, bean curd thread (foo jok) + basically whatever you have in your cabinet. In the store yesterday I saw bok gaw (white nuts) + remember being tortured as a kid to break them open with a nut cracker or little hammer. Once we bought the canned ones and they smelled. I bought refrigerated ones yesterday so I'll let you know how that goes. (Also, sometimes the pork itself smells funny, so add a lot of ginger. Once the fat melts and pork gets tender though, its cholesterol city, but it tastes so good. Jake like to eat it)

My Aunt Eileen once told me you're supposed to eat two fishes on New Year's Day -- it means your parents will live a long life. I've put oranges in the living room, dining room, our bedrooms and hoping they bring good luck. Last year was such a good year, I need to do everything I can to make sure this one isn't bad. My mother used to put oranges in the bathroom too, but I think I'll skip that. I have some new year's decorations somewhere, need to find them. Also got some free red envelopes from the grocery store and asked for more, so should be stocked. It figures, when I have them ready (is $2.oo the going rate?), I don't see anyone. When I'm not prepared I seem to see every single person I know with kids. One year I forgot to give them to my kids and I figured, this is one of the only traditions I can easily teach my kids so I'll try to remember this year.

I remember as a kid getting at least 60+ red envelopes. With all our Aunties and Uncles we'd make out. We'd put all the envelopes in piles, sort by bills, it was fantastic. Our Uncles would play poker, then let the kids split up the winnings. We'd sit at the table, count up the # of kids, count up the winnings, put them in piles, and smile.

I was always afraid of fire crackers, and would wear hats and ear muffs walking down Mott Street on the actual day. Once or twice I thought I was tough and lit some off with my cousins. I decided a way to make myself brave was to walk down Mott St on New Year's and not be afraid of the firecrackers. I think it worked.

My mother would always fry shrimp chips and fun see the night before. I remember the greasy smell and loved eating them with her at night. They'd stick to your tongue and taste so good. Jake is allergic to shrimp so I don't make them. Just as well, too fatty (we have the pork for that).

Gong Hay Fot Choy its going to be a good year.