CNY Reunion Dinner...at home and out

[tankee]

Belle2011:

I have been to restaurants that have THREE sittings!

:scared: :yikes: :faint:

[tankee]

Funz:

Reunion arrangements with PILs usually will involve some frustrations and last minute changes and some drama. This year, DH managed to confirm the date and book dinner at the restaurant early and without any issues. Unfortunately, there will not be any dinner at the restaurant as FIL passed away suddenly. We will have a quiet dinner at home instead.

Sorry to hear that. Condolenses Funz.

[qms]

Funz:

Reunion arrangements with PILs usually will involve some frustrations and last minute changes and some drama. This year, DH managed to confirm the date and book dinner at the restaurant early and without any issues. Unfortunately, there will not be any dinner at the restaurant as FIL passed away suddenly. We will have a quiet dinner at home instead.

Sorry to hear that, Funz. :hugs:

[Funz]

Thank you all for the condolences. :oops: Did not mean to 'hijack' this thread. Just lamenting on the irony of it.


Please continue on with sharing about reunions. Good restaurants, good food and good takeaways.

We will still be going ahead with reunion with my parents. Just that the dinner with the MIL will be more low key, still gotta eat anyway. I can still like order pen cai for our dinner with MIL right? Any recommendations?

[tankee]

Funz:

....... I can still like order pen cai for our dinner with MIL right? Any recommendations?

I saw on Mediacorp show early this year about this HK chef based in Singapore, went home to cook a meal for his mother and siblings. He cooked pen cai. And according to him, there is no authentic pen cai in Singapore, especially so during CNY as corners are cut & some ingredients replaced, so as to make it more economical and faster to cook. He said something about using Oyster Sauce, which is not part of the traditional recipe.

[auntieM]

We tried the panchai from Lei Garden at Chijmes before… …so-so only…

[cherrygal]

Pen Cai is not very nice… at least to the kids and me… what’s so spectacular about all the mish-mash of flavours? The roasted pork inside was so soggy, the abalones hard…


IMHO, a simple fare of home-cooked food is still better. Who said CNY cannot have just 6 dishes? No need to spend so much on a basin of food.

Sample simple CNY menu:
1) Pan-fried garlic giant prawns (10mins)
2) Steamed red grouper (15mins)
3) Leeks with lap cheong (5mins)
4) Broccoli with scallops (10mins)
5) Roasted duck or chicken (can buy)
6) Lotus Root soup (1hr or 6hrs in a thermal pot)

All these can be whipped up easily in less than 1 hour (minus defrosting) and there’s no need to marinate.

This year, MIL wants to eat out so she will book Soup Restaurant. I will have my home-cooked reunion dinner with my own parents.

[cherrygal]

And if you really want to make it 8 dishes (fatt fatt fatt), just add a plate of Yusheng with abalone slices (buy) and another plate of German Pork Knuckle / Roasted Pork (buy).

[Manfrotto]

For steamboat we love to have it with this Japanese sauce by Mizkan Kinnogomadare sauce!

[Mrsbongz]

I usually make my own pencai, so i only put wat we like to eat. I tend to also cook everyone’s favourite dishes too. Afterall we hardly gather such a big grp to eat together.


There is no fixed recipe for pencai, just the layering n timing should b done well for a tasty meal. For my family, everyone chips in, bringing the goodies to fill the pot. Quite fun.