A mid autumn streamboat dinner

Two of the things surrounding the mid autumn festival are lanterns and togetherness. We did that on Saturday night over a steamboat dinner (thanks to Winnie and her travelling electric steamboat pot), with Christmas lights adorning our make shift sideboard where all the food was placed because the table is really meant for 4 but sat 7. I made lanterns, like the ones we made in primary school for decoration and symbolism.

Between EL and I, we bought most of the food. I bought most of the meat and marinated it in the morning before heading out for the day. Prawns and pork marinated in garlic, dark and light soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper. Beef marinated in garlic, dark and light soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and pepper, and chicken marinated balsamic vinegar, light soy sauce and pepper. The half a day (6 hours or so) was enough for the marinade to permeate the meat and we have a very yummy BBQ steam boat.

Chinese dinners usually tend to be very quick affairs. The food comes. We eat the food. We pay (if at a restaurant). We leave. We once had Reunion Dinner at a Chinese restaurant and were out within the hour, stuffed but not have talked much. And Chinese food doesn’t usually come in courses unless it’s a wedding dinner. So with steamboat, it’s good coz you have to grill your own food and the plate is sufficiently small that you have to do it in batches.

While EL and his Swiss German girlfriend left early (mid way through dinner whilst cooking the food, she was already going on about wanting to leave which I felt was a little rude) the others stayed on and talked over the remaining rose and Chinese tea. We budgeted the meat better this year and only had a small amount of leftovers but overbudgeted the fishballs and mushrooms. Thanks for the dried scallops!