Another great evening

 

On May 25, we had another wonderful time having a Supper Club to celebrate the birthday of Colin (pictured below).  His friends were all very nice, interesting people and they were eager to taste new and different dishes. It is a good feeling to cook for people who really appreciate my work.

 

 They really enjoyed the super big cake (it took me two days to make; I still need to work on the presentation a bit).

 

Here is what we served:

Appetizer

Shanghainese style marinated Edamame

Soup

Steamed egg with ground beef and salted duck egg（Shanghainese dish）

Salad 

Vermicelli mun-bean sprouts and tofu salad(V.)

Main course (with rice) 

Anchovy butter chicken

Dessert 

Baked alaska with chocolate cake and homemade chocolate ice cream

Also offer jasmine tea or green tea

V. = vegan and veggie

 

Ready for the guests to arrive!

 

2013 Chinese New Year Dinner

Feb. 9th will be CNY(Chinese New Year)eve.It's a really important day for most Chinese people. Actually I haven't had a CNY eve banquet for many years, because I love travel more than the food, so I always used the vacation to travel with my friends.My parents they didn't care that I was absent. Our family is kind of unusual in this way.

But this year we are in the UK which is a new home for both of us. I miss the CNY atmosphere from when I was a kid because CNY was really exciting. I'm returning to the tradition now I'm older. So I decided to invite all the guests from my last year supper clubs to celebrate and share the CNY tradition and food together with us.

We will have 9-10 guests who have different dietary restrictions: vegan、gluten free、vegetarian、orange allergy. It's a challenge for me.

Here is the menu we will serve:
Spinach with ginger sauce(酱汁菠菜）
spinach、fresh ginger sauce、sesame、soy sauce、sesame oil

Hot and sour cucumber （蓑衣黄瓜）
The shape is like a Chinese straw rain coat.

Stir fried vegetables with five spices （炒素）
Black wood ear、shiitake mushroom、lily flower、tofu skin、carrots、jujube、peanuts
These are traditional and very nutritious Chinese ingredients

Deep fried aubergine with vegan garlic bread crumbs （避风塘茄子）
Hong Kong style food

Vegan Mapo Tofu（麻婆豆腐）
Soft Tofu、shiitake mushroom、celery、chill、black bean sauce

Knotted kelp salad(凉拌海带结）
Kelp, garlic, vinegar, sugar, chili, sesame oil
Kelp includes over 70 minerals, trace elements, enzymes, iodine, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and 21 amino acids

Slow cooked beef shin with five spice(卤牛肉）
This cooked for several hours with many spices (more than just five), then sliced and served cold.

Yuan yang shrimp（鸳鸯虾）
This is also called red and white shrimp, because the shrimp are cooked two different ways and placed together on the plate, separated by snow peas. It symbolizes affection and happiness, so is good for the New year.

Stewed chicken in the pot（鸡公煲）
Simmered with bell pepper, onion, celery, seasonings, chili sauce and most importantly, beer.

Rice

Dessert:
Isfahan sorbet
Rosewater, lychee and raspberries

Are you hungry now?