Jai
"Like how you make gravy" — Mom
Mom explains as I voice confusion over her directions. And then it makes sense—it's a gravy she's telling me how to make, which she only knows after watching my many attempts at Thanksgiving gravy. And it's rather appropriate because we're discussing the dishes of Chinese New Year, another food-centric family gathering.
Steeped in tradition—between the fireworks, music, lucky money, and of course, food—it really is the party of the year. Different regions celebrate in their own way, but I'm going to rely on the Cantonese traditions because, well, I'm Cantonese. With too much to cover in one post, this will be a multi-part series. Today will cover the significance of the food, and the following weeks will delve into the dos and don'ts, as well as zodiac predictions (because that's half the fun) so you have the best Year of the Monkey possible!
Food
A Chinese New Year's feast means a table covered in delicious traditional food, each meant to bring the diner a bountiful new year. Mom and I selected a few dishes that play starring roles on the table because of their significance—and the Chinese are nothing if not superstitious.
The first dish: jai.
You know that scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, when the boyfriend is introduced to the family and they find out he's vegetarian, and the unwavering aunt says, "That's okay, I make lamb!"—well that's my family's particular take on jai. The dish stems from the Buddhist belief in the need to cleanse the body with vegetables. Except on Chinese New Year's, preparing the dish involves steeping it in pork broth, so it's not entirely vegetarian.
Jai is a general term to describe all vegetarian dishes, but for Chinese New Year's, you can't just toss in veggies willy-nilly. Typically the dish will contain dried shiitake mushroom (dong gu) and tree ear fungus (ha mok yi), representing longevity; dried oysters (ho see) representing good luck; black moss (fat choy) representing wealth and prosperity; bean curd sticks (foo juk) representing blessings for the home; and romaine lettuce representing spring. Not all have to be present—it's really up to you and which fortunes you want to be #blessed with.
Other Noms For the BEST YEAR YET
Braised Pork Feet + Lotus Root: pig feet represent raking in a fortune and lotus roots represent abundance.
Lap Cheong Links: represent always having more and never lacking—you eat one link on New Year's Eve and the other after New Year's, at least if you want the full effect of symbolism.
Whole Fish: represents a good start and finish to the year—also eaten after New Year's Eve.
Nian Gao: a steamed cake made with glutinous rice flour (like for Tangyuan), with dates placed on top which represent achieving new heights in the coming year.
The Tray of Togetherness: Eight compartments filled with various sweets and candies like melon seeds, dried sugar-coated lotus roots, winter melon, water chestnuts, etc., to be shared with friends and family.
Clementine: Placed in each room of the home and eaten after New Year's; represents wealth and good luck.
Prep: 1 hour Cook: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS* (FOR 2)
| 6 dried shiitake mushrooms | 5 tbsp soy sauce |
| 2 dried oysters | 2 tsp sugar |
| 4 romaine leaves | 1/2 tsp corn starch |
| 1/4 lb pork feet | 4 cups water |
*As noted above, it's really up to you what you want in your jai dish, but most of the ingredients do need to be re-hydrated.
PREPARE
1. Dried shiitake mushrooms possess a beautiful, earthy aroma that any food lover will appreciate. As a kid, I would dig through the cabinet to find our stash just to smell it. The scent isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely mine, which means it's my favorite mushroom to re-hydrate. Give the mushrooms a quick rinse, then take 1 cup of the 4 cups of water and pour in a bowl. Place mushrooms to soak and let them sit for about 45 minutes to an hour.
2. As the mushrooms re-hydrate, place pork feet and remaining 3 cups of water in a stock pot. As with any broth, add in a generous sprinkle of salt. Bring stock to boil and then let it simmer.
COOK
1. When the mushrooms are fully hydrated, place in simmering pork broth. Then add the cup of water you used to soak the mushrooms.
2. Put dried oysters and any other ingredients you want in the Jai. Let simmer for at least 1 hour. Since the soup is meant to be drunk, the longer you let it simmer, the fuller the flavor will be.
3. After 45 minutes, mix the soy sauce and sugar in a small pot, then add corn starch until it thickens and becomes gravy-like in texture. Set aside.
4. When the hour is up, or however long you wish to let it stew, put in the romaine lettuce until softened.
5. Take out the romaine lettuce and form a bed by layering the leaves on a plate.
6. Take out the mushrooms, oysters, and any other veggies you have in the stock and arrange over the bed of lettuce.
7. Drizzle the soy sauce gravy on top.
EAT
Serve the jai with a side of rice and when you're done, top off the meal with the stock. If you ever wondered what Chinese New Year's tastes like, drink the soup—it pretty much encompasses the flavor of the holiday.
