Chinese New Year Goodies 年味

Hi, all my dear steemians, how are you getting on?

We are going to usher in the Year of the Dog in a few days. For many, this is a time when their families would gather around to make delicious Chinese New Year snacks and traditional dishes, learn finer cooking skills, and also share recipes.

During the Chinese New Year period, every family will prepare various snacks and fruits, both for the family and visitors. Placed in candy dishes, these Chinese New Year snacks and fruits are picked for their auspicious symbols of good wishes for a new year. Most prominently, the Chinese like playing with words and symbols. Often, homonyms (words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings) give certain foods their meaning, while others hold a symbolic value because of their resemblence to things like gold bars or inglots. 

马来西亚是世界上华人人口比例最高的一个。更加难得的是，马来西亚的华人很好地继承了中国的文化传统，而在国外，春节期间最有年味的地方应该就数马来西亚了。

市道好或不好，新年总得照样地过;吃的喝的,少不得都要往家里存一些.而年味当然不是在除夕的团圆饭的欢腾和午夜的鞭炮声中酿造出来.过年重要的工序之一是年饼活,这都是赶在过年前的几个周休日进行.

食物随着时代的变迁不断在演变,年饼也不列外.近年来,新年年饼十分符合现代人追求快速与便利的烹饪方式.

My mom is a traditional women, she have learn to make most traditional snacks or dishes from my neither grandpa nor grandma. I am very grateful I can had all these goodies during my cny and enjoy the time of making of it. Though I am obsessed with western dessert, but also learned from the mother for some of these.

我很庆辛,家里每一年过年都少不了一些传统小吃.我母亲是个传统妇女,外公,外婆和婆婆那一代人传承下来的传统菜肴或小吃,她都记在脑海里.而我虽然醉心于西式甜点,但也从母亲大人那里学到了一些.

Here, I would like to share with all steemians some of my CNY traditional snacks.

借此,我与大家分享我家每年都少不了的新年小吃.

Nian Gao

Nian gao, sometimes translated as year cake or Chinese New Year's cake, is a food prepared from glutinous rice and consumed in Chinese cuisine. While it can be eaten all year round, traditionally it is most popular during Chinese New Year. It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during this time, because nian gao is a homonym for "higher year." The Chinese word 粘 (nián), meaning "sticky", is identical in sound to 年, meaning "year", and the word 糕 (gāo), meaning "cake" is identical in sound to 高, meaning "high or tall". As such, eating nian gao has the symbolism of raising oneself taller in each coming year (年年高升 niánnián gāoshēng).

传统的年糕是由糯米粉与红糖制成。“年糕”音同“年高”，有着年年高升的意思。所以，在农历新年是吃年糕，也意味着在新的一年会升的更高。我的妈妈通常会将年糕切成薄片，粘上蛋液或夹上番薯和芋头片再沾上调味过的面粉糊，将它们炸至金黄。

(top right)

Honeycomb Biscuits

These twisted treats go by many names, and are popularly called matt fung dao in Cantonese. In Malay, they are known as kuih ros (due to their rose shape) or kuih goyang (‘shake’) due to the practice of shaking them off their moulds after dipping them into hot oil. They are believed to have been adapted from an Indian kuih called achappam. In Chinese lore, they are said to represent family togetherness.

蜂巢饼

过年必吃的年饼之一就属蜂巢饼了，因为外型像蜂窝一样而因此得名，用特定的模型，沾了加了糖的面糊后放入锅油炸，待脱模后炸至酥脆就完成了，看似简单却也非常考功夫.  

(clockwise from top left)

Love Letters (Kuih Kapit)

These sweet snacks are believed to have originated from the Dutch or Portuguese, who assimilated their cake baking techniques into various Southeast Asian countries through conquests and travels since the 14th century. That’s why these snacks are sometimes called ‘Kuih Belanda.‘ Popular lore has it these biscuits were used to as a method for thwarted lovers to pass romantic messages to each other, hence the name. Their edible quality made it easy for any evidence of a tryst to be quickly destroyed, while consuming the cookies meant the message had been taken to heart. Dang, these ancient lovers really had game!

蛋卷

亦称加必糕、娘惹鸡蛋卷，从峇峇娘惹时代传给华人的制作方法，反而在华人新年里发扬光大，充满蛋香味的蛋卷除了卷筒状还有扇形的，在许多华人眼里依照是个古早味的必吃年饼！

Arrowhead crips

While western countries have potatoes chips, in Singapore and Malaysia, we have arrowhead chips which is as crispy and tasty. In recent years, this snack have become a very common Chinese New Year item to serve visiting house guest and commercially, it was sold at quite a steep price. There is actually no recipe for this snack, it is just deep frying some thinly sliced arrowhead and what I am sharing will be some pointers during the preparation of this snack.  

炸慈菇(芽菇)脆片

是一道春节期间才找的到的零嘴，味甘稍微带点苦，味道非常独特。

Crispy Seaweed Crackers 

It’s preparation are very simple and this savoury snack is very addictive. It has a strong seaweed aroma and very crispy. 

海苔脆饼(或称紫菜脆饼)

是用烧寿司海苔(yaki sushi nori)和春卷皮制成。它的做法非常简单，只需用少许蛋液把这两种食材结合在一起后剪成小片，然后放入热油锅里炸至金黄色即可。 

Mahua

or Fried Dough Twist is a Chinese dough twist that is fried in peanut oil. It has a shiny and golden look. It was prepared in various ways with or without yeast but usually have a more dense and solid texture than youtiao when made. 

麻花

是中国的一种特色油炸面食小吃。外形呈铰链形，故又称“铰链棒”。有甜、咸两味之分。  

Pineapple tarts / balls

Pineapples are considered very auspicious fruits for Chinese New Year. Therefore, eating cookies made with sweetened pineapple jam comes as no surprise. The Chinese word for pineapple is ‘Ong Lai’ in the Hokkien dialect, which ‘means good luck is coming’. Therefore, having more pineapples around is always a good thing during Chinese New Year. Pineapple tarts come in several forms, but it always consists of pineapple jam surrounded by a slightly salty pastry. The salt in the pastry actually serves to bring out the sweetness of the jam and the two go very well together. 

黄梨饼

身处热带国家，黄梨随手可得，不像台湾的凤梨酥，这里的黄梨饼比较小，黄梨内馅偏酸，纯粹加了糖的黄梨保留了其热带水果原始的味道，包裹在加了奶味的酥皮里，华人新年糕饼绝对榜上有名。

Hakka Steamed Pork Belly with Taro  

Originating from Hakka, this traditional Chinese delicacy may seem to take a bit of time to prepare but it’s easier than you think. The simple trick to achieving that gorgeous bubbly crisp layer is to prick lots of holes in the skin without puncturing the meat itself. Slather on dark soy sauce and submerge it in hot oil, watch as the delicate layer of skin slowly puff up into that perfect golden brown coating.  

客家芋头扣肉

是客家人每逢年节，酒席或宴席上的必备的一道菜;芋头芋头，吃了后会带来好意头.在外的游子离家多年心心念念的也是那一口记忆中的扣肉的味道.

I am going back to my hometown for CNY soon. As usual, I am the one in-charge for "western" CNY snacks. So, I have bake some CNY cookies for this celebration.

Bubble Rice Chocolate Chips Cookies

Macadamia Nuts and Chocolate Chips Cookies

Cranberry Shortbread

Nougat Crips

Matcha Butter Cookies

Nutty Biscotti

Walnut Cookies

I can't wait to go home and have these nice goodies also gathering with my family and relatives.

Last, wishing all my fellow steemians Happy "Wow Wow" Year & Gong Xi Fatt Chai!!