Delicious Smoked Salmon Salad with JellyFish ( 烟熏三文鱼沙拉捞海蜇 )

We Chinese eat a lot of Smoked Salmon during the Lunar New Year, mainly for the Prosperity Toss session due its symbolic meaning. The auspicious " Lucky " symbol plays a vital role in the Chinese Spring Festival celebration, and Fish is considered a lucky food. Sounding like ' surplus ' in Chinese, we like to think that May There Be Abundance Year After Year ( 年年有余 )!

Be greeted by an explosion of flavours in this Delicious Smoked Salmon Salad with JellyFish ( 烟熏三文鱼沙拉捞海蜇 ) for Chinese New Year!

Filled with mouth-watering Smoked Salmon bought from Fassler Gourmet and Jellyfish from local supermarket, the easy-to-do salad is ready in no time!  I had a surplus of Yusheng ingredients, so I made a simple salad using whatever I had on hand and put my creativity to work. The result is an eye-catching colourful salad for my family of three. Let’s see how easy it is to make this!

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Ah Yat Abalone with Fauchon Foie Gras Platter ( 阿一鲜鲍鹅肝拼盘 )

Looking for some last minute CNY recipes? Not a good cook, but want to impress your family and guests on this festive occasion? Fret not, cause here is one hell of a simple starter that anyone can fix!

I love to stock up gourmet canned food like Foie Gras Goose Liver and Abalones in my kitchen so that I can whip up simple dishes like these if I am short of time.

I am using Crabtree & Evelyn Lavender Biscuits for my Fauchon Goose Liver, and Iceberg Lettuce for the Ah Yat Fresh Abalone. Trust me, you can churn out this Heavenly Twin Chilled Abalone with Foie Gras Pate ( 双天至尊冷鮑鹅肝 ) in just 30 minutes!

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Auspicious Bagua Abalone Yu Sheng Recipe ( 吉祥八卦鲍仔魚生 )

Bagua ( 八卦 ) represents the octagonal trigram template, with the center containing the Yin ( 阴 ) and Yang ( 阳 ) symbol, or Taijitu as in the Taoist philosophy. The Chinese believe that the Yin represents the receptive ( female ) force of nature, while Yang represents the creative ( male ) force of nature.

According to Feng Shui belief, the positive chi energy in one’s life, environment and living area should be balanced. Hence, Bagua is an essential tool used to map a location to see how the different sections correspond to different aspects in one's life such as fame, marriage, career, and wealth.

During Chinese New Year, Lo Hei ( 捞起 ) is a Lunar New Year tradition whereby Yu Sheng is served. It is a large colourful plate of salad consisting of numerous ingredients, and they get tossed during the “ Prosperity Toss ” session while shouting out auspicious phrases.

Well, the Auspicious Bagua Abalone Yu Sheng ( 吉祥八卦鲍仔魚生 ) was one of the few Yu Sheng I had created for the Chinese New Year. Are you a fan of Yu Sheng or Abalone too? Let's put on our apron!

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Hock Hua Tiger King Australia Wild Blacklip Abalone Salad

Happy New Year, and hope you had a great festive celebration! I would like to take this opportunity thank you guys for being so awesome and supportive all these years. 2016 was another great year for Luxury Haven except that we were hit by Google Penguin, and it took us months to finally get it resolved. Phew!

The setback, our Alexa Ranking went from 150K to the current 370K, which means our ranking dropped by more than half! I do hope that 2017 will be a better year for all of us, and we are definitely looking forward to climbing back to our Alexa Ranking of 150K again, so keep your love and sharing going cause we definitely can’t do it without your help. Of course, we will also work hard to bring you more tasty recipes and great product reviews in 2017. So do subscribe to our free newsletter via email if you haven’t, to receive our latest contents in your mailbox.

I am starting the first recipe of the year with this Delicious Australia Wild Blacklip Abalone Salad with Caviar! Using the Tiger King Australia Wild Blacklip Abalone from HockHua Tonic ( 福華補品 澳洲野生黑边鲍鱼 ), the Black Lip Abalone is the most popular abalone species in Australia, with the main harvesting area in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia.

It was one of those Christmas deliveries that I had made for a group of special people. For the egglicious salad, I had experimented with Edamame, a popular side dish commonly found in Japanese Izakaya restaurants. The result is a refreshing tasty treat with crunchy bites. Put them into muffin cups, they make great party food!

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Celebrity Chef Recipes From Around The World for Home Cooks!

Food lovers, we have tasted Masterchefs' cooking in some of the best fine dining restaurants and watched a handful of cooking shows such as Asian Food Channel, Food Network, BBC Food, often drooling over their masterpieces in front of our TV. Now, here is your chance to pick up some tips and impress your guests with these restaurant-style dishes.

Lucky me, I had the chance to meet some of these famous Chefs during their media trips to Singapore. Now, I have rounded up a list of recipes from Celebrity Chefs and Top Restaurant Chefs from around the world just for you home cooks! From Asian to Western, there is something for everyone. Let's put on our apron and get started!

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Teriyaki Pork Belly Rolls with Okra Recipe ( 焼きオクラの肉巻 )

Japanese food lovers will probably enjoy these Ladies Fingers aka Okra Wrapped In Sukiyaki Pork Rolls, a popular sight in Yakitori ( 焼き鳥 ) or Kushiyaki ( 串焼き ) restaurants. These Japanese eateries offer both poultry and non-poultry items, deliciously skewered and grilled.

Home cooks, you can now make your own Finger-lickin' Good Teriyaki Pork Belly Rolls with Okra ( 焼きオクラの肉巻 ) in the comfort of your home. Depending on your preference, you can opt to substitute these sukiyaki pork with bacon instead. The difference? Well, you can control the level of saltiness with pork belly by adjusting the amount of seasonings but you can't with bacon.

So is it difficult to make? Check out the step-by-step photo instructions, and you will be an expert in making these in no time!

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Baked Eggs in Avocado with Bacon, A Healthy Breakfast Treat!

These breakfast treats are a great hit on the internet with countless of food shots surfacing online. Mainly consisting of Baked Sunny-Side Up Egg recipes on the net, I made my own version using Scrambled Eggs and topped with Bacon Bits and Mozzarella Cheese instead.

#Avocado is prized for its high nutrient, and eating this fruit can help lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. In this recipe, you can have your baked eggs plain with Avocado, but I suggest you add Bacon Bits as these give the dish a savoury kick.

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Yummy Crystallized Yam Sticks with Sesame Seeds ( 麦芽糖拔丝芋头 )

Sweet, soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside is what you make of this popular Golden Candied Yam. The Chinese name 拔丝芋头 literally means " Drawing Strings ", suggesting that you should be seeing these caramelized golden strings when you lift the yam sticks off the plate as shown in the above image.

I was first introduced to this enticing appetizer or dessert during a lunch outing with my girlfriends at a Chinese restaurant. Honestly, I am not a person with sweet tooth so I was hesitant to try. But since the gals strongly recommended the dish, I relented. Boy, I was instantly captivated by the " beauty " of this snack; it was love at first bite for me! It was yummilicious!

In the restaurant, the appetizer / dessert is served with a bowl of ice water which requires the diner to dip the yam sticks into it, turning the Caramelized Yam Sticks to delicious crunchy bites.

After returning to the restaurant on several occasions, I decided to give it a shot at home. I knew I just had to experiment with this tasty treat. I am so glad my Yummy Crystallized Yam Sticks with Sesame Seeds ( 麦芽糖拔丝芋头 ) was a success and hubby could not stop munching!

Eat it with or without Roasted Sesame Seeds, hear the crunch as you bite into these tasty Yam Fries! Be warned! These Candied Yam Fries are highly addictive!

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Unicurd Tau Kwa with Ikan Bilis and Taucheo ( 黄豆干炒江鱼仔 )

Tau Kwa is the Chinese name for Bean Curd, and the Yellow Tau Kwa has a rich beany taste as it is made from 100% premium soya beans. You can easily find the Unicurd Yellow Tau Kwa in local supermarkets like NTUC, Sheng Siong, Cold Storage, and Unicurd also carries the Black Tau Kwa.

Firm in texture and high in protein, the yellow bean curd makes a great dish when fried with Anchovies and Taucheo Paste. This savoury Unicurd Tau Kwa with Ikan Bilis and Taucheo ( 黄豆干炒江鱼仔 ) dish is perfect to go with a bowl of nice plain porridge, and you can add some red cut chillies to spice it up too!

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Yummy Fried Food You Must Not Miss + Diffuser Giveaway!

These days people are all into healthy food, but don't you think it is so hard to resist finger-licking fried food? Personally, I am a huge fan of fried food, and I think it doesn't hurt to indulge occasionally, does it?

I guess one of the factors why people are avoiding fried food has gotta to do with the cooking part. After all those deep-frying, your kitchen will smell especially when frying fish not to mention all that smoking.

I am a fan of #aromatherapy and recently, I have placed an Aroma Diffuser in my kitchen and it works wonders. Besides eliminating those deep-frying oil odour and smelling great in the kitchen, adding pure essential oil has many beneficial properties too!

Here's a good news for you! Luxury Haven is giving away a Diffuser from Nila Aromatherapy that's worth $78, and also a range of Essential Oils which help to boost your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being! Come check out these yummy recipes and submit your entries to win one of these aromatherapy prizes!

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30-Minute Recipe: Fortune Abalone with Ice Berg Lettuce!

It's gonna be a quick and fuss-free meal, but loaded with lots of goodness with these canned Fortune Baby Abalones.

Adding Iceberg Lettuce ( 西生菜 ) to your diet, and you will also be boosting your intake of vitamin A and vitamin K, both supporting the health of your skeleton. The light and crisp texture makes it perfect for any stir-fried dishes. Check out how easy it is to cook this 30-minute Fortune Abalone with Ice Berg Lettuce ( 财神鲍鱼炒生菜 )!

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Halal Japanese Potato Salad Cake, A Tasty Eye Candy Recipe!

Hey foodies, did I catch your attention with my latest eye candy? Aesthetically appealing and sinfully tasty, this Japanese Potato Salad Cake is one of the 13 dishes I had prepared specially for a group of guests at a recent BBQ party at home.

Delight the eyes as your teeth sink into this potato salad, filled with ingredients like Corn Kernels, Carrots, Shredded Crabsticks and Ham. And yes, I had specially searched for Halal Ham as I had a Muslim guest. I was happy to have found the Ballgus Halal Chicken Ham and it is very appetizing. Ready to dig in?

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Crunchy Tomato Salad with Pea Sprouts, Simple and Refreshing

It has been a terribly busy week as I had to prepare for a 11-pax BBQ last Saturday with no helper. To make matters worse, my home internet was down the entire week and my freezer broke down just a day before the BBQ. I almost died of heart attack, but thank goodness I have 2 refrigerators at home. Managed to transfer some stuff over to the chiller and also the spare fridge. I am glad the BBQ was a great success and guests were happy with the food that I had prepared for them.

Well, my internet has just been restored. I will be back with more reviews cause I have lots of backlog to clear, but just a quick post today on this appetizing Crunchy Tomato Salad with Pea Sprouts.

This was the 13-Course BBQ Menu for the party, and the tomato salad was one of the appetizers. Topped with Chopped Onions and drenched in a Japanese Sesame Dressing, this is a no-fuss recipe and extremely refreshing.

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Festive Thai-Style Abalone Salad with Italian Baby Spinach

This is a quick and easy Abalone Salad using Fresh Tomatoes and Foglia Sublime Baby Spinach drenched in Sin Sin Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce.

Using the #HockHua Tiger King Australian Wild Black-Lip Abalone, this was part of my Chinese New Year BBQ/Steamboat Dinner early this year. Instead of adding the abalone into the steamboat, I turned it into a sweet and spicy salad.

This Festive Thai Style Abalone Salad sitting on a bed of crunchy Italian Baby Spinach, is so tasty with the sweet and spicy dressing, definitely a must-try especially for the novice cooks! Best part, only 4 ingredients needed!

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Sauvignon Blanc Seafood Platter Recipe with Emerald Crawfish

Be tantalized by this mouth-watering oceanic love filled with Shrimps, Clams, Mussels And Baby Lobsters, cooked in a potion of Sauvignon Blanc White Wine and Scented Thyme Leaves Olive Oil.

This seafood platter was prepared for our threesome Valentine's Day. It was just a simple affair at home in February, pairing this dish with a bottle of Moscato and Toasted Foie Gras Ciabatta. The Duchessa Lia Moscato d'Asti, a gift from my BFF, is a sweet sparkling wine which is perfect for the special occasion.

The hightlight of the Sauvignon Blanc Seafood Platter is the Emerald Whole Crawfish ( 清水小龙虾 ) which I found in NTUC Finest some time back.

I was intrigued by the box of baby lobsters and knew I just had to bring these babies home to experiment. Hence, the idea of this shellfish platter was born.

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Chinese Spring Festival Jellyfish Yu Sheng ( 中国春节海蜇捞鱼生 )

Lichun ( 立春 ) traditionally signifies the beginning of spring in East Asian cultures, and Chinese New Year is celebrated around this time. Chinese New Year, also called Chinese Spring Festival ( 中国春节 ), is the most important and majestic annual event for us Chinese people.

Lasting 15 days, the big occasion kicks off with a family reunion on the eve of the Lunar New Year New where families of different generations sit around dining tables to have a feast together.

During the CNY Reunion Dinner, a traditional salad dish popular in Singapore and Malaysia called Yu Sheng or Prosperity Toss ( 捞鱼生 ) symbolising good luck is served. Since the Lunar New Year is also known as the Chinese Spring Festival ( 中国春节 ), I decided to make a Yu Sheng with the Spring ( 春 ) character, representing the joyous season.

Typically, the Lo Hei dish will have raw fish, plus other ingredients like white radish, carrots, turnips, pickled ginger, sun-dried oranges, jellyfish, chopped peanuts, sesame seeds and crackers, with seasonings such as plum sauce, sesame oil etc.

As my sister-in-law has some diet constraints, I decided to omit fish and abalone in the Jellyfish Yu Sheng and prepared a separate Thai Abalone Salad with Baby Spinach for other family members instead.

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Chinese New Year Lo Hei: Salmon Yu Sheng with Jellyfish!

Be enticed by the prismatic colours and flavours in this traditional festive salad! It's the time of the year again for the Prosperity Toss aka #Yusheng ( 鱼生 ), a Teochew-style raw fish salad. Every Lunar New Year, Chinese folks will feast on this auspicious multi-coloured salad with different variations which I had highlighted in my past Lo Hei posts.

If you already know me, I love playing with food. Hence, I really enjoy making my own Yusheng, coming out with whatever designs I can think of. The latest I have made is this Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng with Jellyfish ( 发财鱼生捞海蜇 ) resembling an aquarium, with fishes swimming around a bed of seaweed on sandy ground.

These cute Chinese New Year auspicious fishes, made of Carrots, Radish and Japanese Tobiko Fish Roe, symbolise abundance throughout the year.

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Chinese New Year Abalone Recipe + Vegetable Flower Tips!

Can't believe Chinese New Year is just around the corner! Are you just as busy cracking your brains planning what to cook for this CNY?

Besides planning the menu, I am always thinking of ways to present the dishes too. Of late, many restaurants have come up with an innovative way of cutting vegetables, turning them into pretty flowers. The good news is, they are not difficult to make at all.

Today, I will be showing you a very simple recipe for novice cooks: Chinese New Year Fortune Baby Abalone with Bok Choy ( 财神鲍鱼炒小白菜 )! Trust me, this is a no-brainer recipe so you do not need to be a professional cook to dish out a 5-star restaurant recipe! So let's get started, shall we?

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Grilled Calamari Salad Recipe with PurelyFresh Rocket Leaves

Salad lovers, you are in for a healthy tasty treat with these succulent Grilled Calamari on a bed of aromatic greens! Using the scoring method, the fresh squids curled up into pretty treats waiting to be devoured.

Guess what? For convenience, I put the squids on the Kenwood Sandwich Maker using the griddle plate for making Panini, and it worked like a charm!

Dress the Grilled Calamari and Wild Rocket aka Arugula in a light olive oil salad dressing with garlic and lemon juice and they are good to go!

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