"Jai" and "Chai"

On the first day of Chinese New Year, we usually stay home because my step brother and his family will come to my house to “Bai nian” (Friends and relatives will call on each other to exchange greetings and wish another the happiest possible New Year. )


My mum on the other hand will welcome them with vegetarian food. On Chinese New Year's eve, my mum stayed up till almost midnight to cook the family’s all time favorite “jai”, a traditional "must have" dish in most Chinese families on the first day of Chinese New Year. She always cook "jai" one day ahead because it taste better the next day as flavors merge and intensify.

Click on the photo to get the recipe

Early morning yesterday, she was already in the wet kitchen, cooking up another storm.  Other vegetarian dishes that she served yesterday were:


deep fried roast duck, 
stew vegetarian pig intestines with spices and 
sweet sour vegetarian oysters. Reapeat: these were the vegetarian versions of these dishes.

Every year, we will eat vegetarian food only, on the first day of Chinese New Year and according to my mum, it is believed that abstaining from eating meat will not only enhance longevity but also purify and cleanse our body. For her, it is a way to honor a Buddhist tradition that no living things should be killed on this day.

Another Chinese New Year tradition that we still practice in our family, is serving tea to the elders on the first day. This year, our son, Nick served us tea in a different way. Instead of serving us the usual Chinese tea as in the past years, he came to our house yesterday afternoon well prepared, with all required ingredients to make us a tea called “chai” tea. It is actually black tea that is brewed strong with a combination of spices and is diluted with milk and sugar.  The spices used can vary from recipe to recipe, but usually consist of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and ginger. "Chai" tea is traditionally consumed hot and sweet. It was perfectly made with the right amount of spices and sweetness. Not only did it have a perfect taste, the effort put into doing this for us is more than perfect! Thanks Nick, we enjoyed the tea very much and appreciate your thoughtfulness.

My brother and his family, together with the boyfriend of my niece and the girlfriends of my nephews, came “bai nian” yesterday and stayed for an early dinner. We had another round of a hearty vegetarian meal together. Another day of good food, good company and good memories. 

My life may not be exactly like I want it to be at all times, but what I thought I wanted may not have let me enjoy the present moment like now. I never know when my present moments will come to a halt, so I have learned to want what I have. If eventually, I am lucky to have had what I wanted, then, it will impact my life with even more joy than now. Whatever the Dragon year will bring upon me seems not so important; what I know is, I had a great start of the year, bonding with my love ones.

“Jai” (Mixed Vegetables in fermented red beancurd)

My mum get requests from us to make this vegetarian dish rather often because we love the taste and find that even if we eat a lot, we don’t feel “Lau” (stuffed). Moreover it is a one dish meal that is very quick and simple to cook.  A bowl of fragrance white rice topped up with “Jai” and soaked in the gravy is all we need for a satisfying meal. As for me, I prefer to eat it with lots of chilli padi (birds chilli) in soy sauce.

Although we eat this quite often, we never get tired of it. In fact, on the first day of each Chinese New Year, my mum will cook a huge pot of “Jai” to serve family and friends who come visit us. They all love it and I have yet to see any of them to stop at one bowl. That’s the reason why a HUGE pot is necessary. Do not worry about left overs because this dish taste better as it aged.

Ingredients:

½ kg Chinese Cabbage

6 cubes of fermented red beancurd (nam yu)

10 shitaki mushrooms (soaked till soft and squeezed dry)

5 florets of wood ear fungus -

(soaked for 30 mins and drained)

5 florets of cloud ear fungus -

(soaked for 30 mins and drained)

3 tsp sugar

2 tbp oil

2 cubes bullion, vegetable stock

Method:

Fry red beancurd in oil till fragrant.  Add Cabbage and stir till it is soft.  Add button mushrooms, shitaki mushrooms, and stir fry for 1 minute.  Add water till it is ½ inches above the vegetables.  Add sugar and vegetable stock and bring it to boil.  Turn down heat and let it stew for about ½ hour or till the cabbage is limp.