Dishing out the cuttlefish

Let’s face it.  If I even have the remote-est chance of hosting a Chinese New Year reunion dinner in my home in the future, I had better learn how to cook Jiu Hoo Char, a very popular palatable Hokkien delicacy, that is never missing from any Hokkien household during Chinese New Year reunion dinner.  The fried cuttlefish dish that has shreds of carrot and turnip in it, is both visually appealing and tasty too, especially when wrapped with fresh lettuce leaves

Lately, hubby has been asking (more like *daring*) me to see if I can create this favorite dish.  It looked simple enough, although I have never cooked it before.  I had been forewarned that the preparation time would be way more tedious than the cooking itself.

So yesterday, I decided to give it a shot.  I had grated the carrots and turnip (bangkuang) the night before, so that saved me a lot of time.  I soaked the dried cuttlefish (jiu hoo) in balsamic vinegar for about 20 minutes before squeezing it dry.  And just as Hannah drifted off for her afternoon siesta, I quickly prepared the dish.

Not bad for a novice like myself, I would say.  Hubby gave his approval for it.

And when I was busy taking a picture of the dish, Ethan asked, “Mommy, you bought this?” 🙂

That certainly made my day.