Admit it, you're jealous...

...That you didn't get to come to our Chinese New Year celebration last Saturday. I would be more humble if I were bragging on my own fine cooking, but really, Jim was the star. He spent the whole day (and part of the previous evening) laboring over a dish that was a particular tradition in his family. The dish's name means "no meat," or something similar, which is important to clarify, because the style of cooking from which this dish comes finds a way to sneak meat into everything- tofu dishes, vegetable dishes, dessert (not really). 

When we were merely dating, Jim had the urge to try his hand at this dish, just from memory. The result was not so edible, and I assumed my Western palate was to blame. When his parents and mine first met, his mother made this dish, and I whispered a warning to my mom, something like "Don't take too much of that one!" Then I took a bite and realized that I had not actually tasted this dish before. Yum! So this time, Jim not only got the recipe from his mother, he went to this new Chinese grocery store here that actually had all the ingredients, including tofu skin, Chinese cabbage, red dates, rock sugar, three kinds of mushroom, two kinds of sea fungus (??), and of course, more than one kind of fermented tofu. 

So many of the ingredients have to be prepared separately before preparing the whole dish, and the dish, when all together, has to cook quite a while. So Jim spent the day dry-frying, soaking, simmering, and deep frying. So engrossed was he in his cooking duties, he neglected to take even a single photo, which is why there is no enticing picture of the fruits of his labor- a shame. He also made ribs, and I made broccoli with tofu and a dish called shrimp ball, which I admit with a further lack of humility was pretty delicious, and a big hit with the toddler set. 

Happy Year of the Rat, you all. Wish you could have been with us!