After a healthy dose of vegetarian food on the first day of Chinese New Year, it’s time to bring out the meat dishes. Here are two of my favourite CNY dishes since childhood.

This is cured duck meat, also known as 腊鸭 in Chinese. I would dice them first. Though I’m not fanatical about low fat food, you may observe that I’ve sliced off the skin and visible fat. Believe me, this thing is still dripping with fat after my “lipo”.

My next ingredient – garlic sprouts, also known as 蒜苗。 Slice them up nicely. Till they look something like this.

I would set this aside and fry the cured duck meat until oil oozes out. There’s no need to add cooking oil. Next, the garlic sprouts go in. I’d fry until they turn soft, then add some cut chillis and sweet black sauce.

All done in less than 10 mins. Our next star of the dinner table during Chinese New Year is none other than abalone. Canned abalone always tastes better than fresh abalone, so don’t try to be smart here.

Pick out the abalone and cut it into thin slices. Keep the liquid in the can. Next, fry up some garlic in oil till brown and fragrant. In goes the abalone slices. Toss them around to soak in the garlic oil, then pour in about half of the liquid from the can. The other half can go into your soup. Next, flavour with a couple of tablespoons of oyster sauce. Stir till the oyster sauce has all dissolved. Add some corn starch dissolved in Chinese cooking wine, chopped cilantro, chilli slices and a very tasty and expensive dish is done.

You don’t have to be an expert to make these great dishes. Do try them at home. Happy New Year!