Chinese New Year 2011 and 2012 - Mom

It was 2 days before 2011 Chinese New Year, my mom was diagnosed with cerebral bone spur (very painful symtoms) and was temporarily bedridden. She has already bought all the ingredients to cook for our family reunion dinner. I know that this dinner is very important to her and she would very much like our family to enjoy her cooking. Although I can whip up the same dishes, my cooking is not up to her standard. The only dish that she managed to prepare was the lobak (Five spice meat roll). Anyway, I have to take over her kitchen and cooked up the festival dish below.

Clockwise from the top : Lobak, Curry Chicken, Fried Mix Vegetable, Tau Eu Bak (Dark soya sauce Pork Belly), Pork Stomach soup, lobak again, Accar (Nyonya Spicy Sweet Mix Salad) and Jiu Hu Char (Fried Turnips with Dry Squid strips, Not in photo). My mom says the dishes are ok but I think my Accar was a little lack of flavours.....got to work on the recipe! LOL!

Pre Reunion Dinner Meal - Tau Cheo Fish for mom to eat with rice......

Pre Reunion Dinner Meal - Crispy Butter Cereal chiken for the children.

Morning breakfast- My signature Fried Mee (Yellow Noodles)......

My sister has already bought all the ingredients to cook Penang Assam Laksa, so we cooked it on the 1st Day of New Year....yum yum!

Year after year, ever since my mom married my dad, she never fails to pay respect to our ancestors in the form of food offering. Last year was the only year she was not able to do so. My dad, wife, kids and me took over her role and set up this simple altar in the house. I want my kids to remember their ancestors, pay respect to them and also learn about Chinese Tradition.

You can see my youngest son doing his lion dance routine while we were busy praying. LOL! Look at all his toys that he left at my dad's house in the box next to our old fridge. My mom's wheelchair is next to the fridge.....my son would push it near to my mom's bed everynight. He will also place the walking stick next to my mom at night before going to bed. Never ask him why he did that...........

I was very busy the last six months and didn't blog much because I was getting my house ready to bring my mom and dad to stay with me, so that they can have proper home cooked meal and care. My mom has been caring and cooking for my siblings and me for far too many years. I guess it is time for us to do the reverse. In my house, most of the time my kids would be around to accompany them too.

For this year (2012) Chinese New Year Celebration, mom told me that she and my sister had bought some of the ingredients from the wet market. I was still wondering how she managed to go there, walking so slowly with her walking stick???

Anyway, I have prepared some of the dishes upfront and would be bringing them back home!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

 CHERISH EVERY MOMENT YOU SPENT WITH YOUR LOVED ONES DURING THIS FESTIVE SEASON!