Sabrina’s first memories of Chinese New Year celebrations stem from her early childhood in Hong Kong. The extended family (aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins) would all converge on her grandmother’s apartment in Wan Chai on Hong Kong island for a noisy, chaotic party. After the ritual gifting of cash in red envelopes to the children, and small mandarin trees in pots for prosperity in the year to come, a spread of hot food including long soft lo mein noodles for slurping, (it is considered bad luck to have crispy noodles which ‘break’ as you eat them), fat squares of Moolie pudding and deep fried sugar and peanut snacks (‘little horns’), was prepared by her mother and aunts in the communal open air kitchens on the roof terrace of the apartment block. These were accompanied by shop-bought trays of candied fruits and coconut.
Inside the apartment, the men smoked and drank while Sabrina and her siblings and cousins got under their feet as they played together, while celebratory firecrackers exploded loudly in the street below. After the dishes were cleared away, the noisy click clack of Mahjong tiles took over as competitive games were played long into the night.
The cast has changed and gotten smaller in the ensuing decades but wherever we are we always celebrate the Lunar New Year as a family. Though funnily enough, it wasn’t until we moved to California that Sabrina rounded out her New Year experience in the temples and shrines of downtown Los Angeles’s Chinatown.
'Kung Hei Fat Choi’, from our family to yours!
Moolie Pudding is my favourite of all the festive Lunar New Year dishes. I’ve inherited this preference from my mother, who loved it so much she used to make it all through the winter. Like mother, like daughter!
Moolie Pudding: Serves Six
2 oz dried shrimps
1.5 oz dried mushrooms
5 preserved Chinese sausages
2 tbsp oil
3 lbs Daikon radishes, peeled and shredded
16 oz Rice Flour
6 chopped Spring Onions, 2 of which are for garnish
Seasoning: Quarter cup of oil; 1 and a half tbsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar,
Half a teaspoon pepper
3 tbsp soy sauce
Soak the dried shrimps and mushrooms for 30mins then squeeze the water out, then mince the shrimps and dice the mushrooms and Chinese sausages (reserving the water used for soaking).
In a large bowl mix the rice flour with 2 cups of water which includes the soaking water from the shrimps and mushrooms, but make sure you don’t add the sediment as it can contain grit. This should be the consistency of thick cream.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok or large fry pan and sauté the minced shrimps, preserved meat, mushrooms and spring onions, mix well; add the seasonings and mix thoroughly. Add the shredded daikon radish (Moolie) and mix throughly, cover and cook on medium heat until the radish is cooked, reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the rice flour slurry and stir continuously until the mixture is quite stiff.
Pour into a 10 inch greased cake mould and put in a large steamer to cook over a high heat for 40 minutes or in a steamer oven for 35 minutes on high. To check if it is done poke a chopstick in the centre and if it comes out clean it’s ready.
Remove the radish (Moolie) pudding from the steamer and smooth the top with an oiled spoon. Sprinkle chopped spring onions on top. Chill in the fridge for two hours then cut into half inch thick slices. Shallow fry, until both sides are golden brown and serve hot.
I would be interested to know if the ritual gifting of cash in red envelopes to the children is still practiced as an important part of the tradition.
Always interesting to hear how festivals and holidays are seen from a child’s point of view. Always wishing to be part of the adult celebrations but looking forward to the treats and special food.