lo bak koh (radish cake)

The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year, is the single most important festival of the Chinese social and cultural calendar. No expense is spared when marking the occasion, whether it's towards new home furnishings, spanking new outfits for the entire family, travel expenses to reunite with kin, or the most delectable and expensive culinary delicacies to share with both friends and family. So it's no surprise Chinese New Year is so high profile that everyone, Chinese or not, seems to know about it.

hup toh soh (chinese walnut cookies)

Hi guys! It's Nona Nona time again, and this month's theme, Chinese New Year, was picked by Biren, who helms Roti n Rice and Tea Tattler and is my blogger BFF and partner in crime. We've been at this for almost a year now, since our first Nona Nona collaboration, the object being to present two different dishes each month, on the same theme, without revealing to each other, what dish we're preparing, until the day of the reveal.

So far we've mostly managed to avoid colliding in the dark, save for our last two collaborations first here and then again here, when we both presented the same dish.

This time, I'm pretty sure we won't be duplicating each other, but fingers firmly crossed, all the same. Now that we're done with the intros, let's roll up our sleeves and get those aprons on!

These delightful and easy cookies are a Cantonese creation, which is no surprise, as the Cantonese do seem really fond of walnuts, turning them not only into amazingly fragrant and crunchy cookies, but also lovely sweet soups, and moreish caramel coated nibbles.

But, back to these cookies - they're my absolute favourite Chinese New Year treat, though I am firmly in the chewy cookie camp. I can't resist their crumbly and light texture, and the intoxicating aroma of toasty walnuts and sweet, creamy vanilla. But, the tipping point for me, is the salty-sweet flavour juxtaposition of these pretty morsels; it makes them irresistible and alarmingly addictive.

sweet potato tang yuan (stuffed sticky rice balls in pandan ginger syrup)

Hi guys! My lovely friend Biren from Roti N Rice and I are back for another round of brainstorming, cooking and surprising each other. If you're not familiar with Nona Nona, check it out here. In a nutshell, each month we choose a theme for a dish and without revealing anything else, we each decide on a dish that fits the theme.

chinese braised peanuts

Hi all! I don't know if you've noticed, but the last two months, Biren and I skipped out on our usual Nona Nona post as we were both chest deep in commitments and distractions. I'm happy to report now, that we've sorted everything out and we're game for another round of brainstorming, cooking and second guessing each other. If you're not familiar with Nona Nona, check it out here. In a nutshell, each month we settle on a theme for a dish and without consulting or discussing, we each decide on a dish that fits the theme.