FollowToday is Yan Yat — the birthday of all humankind, the 7th day of Chinese New Year.
Growing up, this was a day I quietly looked forward to. My late maternal grandmother would cook a comforting pot of fish and chicken porridge topped with fresh lettuce — Yue Sang Gai Jok. She would fry fermented bean paste with garlic as a savoury side. Simple food, but unforgettable. Grandma was from Guangdong, and though self-taught, she cooked with the kind of love that stays with you for life.
After she passed on, my dad carried on the tradition. Every year without fail, he cooked the same porridge — even when I wasn’t home to taste it. And for many years, I missed it.
This year, I finally had it again. Back in my ancestral home, sitting at the same table, tasting the same warmth. Dad slow-cooked a beautiful pot filled with fresh grouper, abalone, prawns, dried oysters, pumpkin, carrots, and chicken. Just before serving, he placed raw lettuce at the bottom of our bowls and poured the hot porridge over it. One spoonful, and it felt like time folded in on itself.
Fish during CNY symbolises abundance and a good beginning and ending to the year. Elders also believe that feeding children porridge on the 7th day helps them do well in their studies.
But beyond symbolism, today reminded me that traditions are really memories in edible form — passed quietly from one generation to the next.
Do you have a Yan Yat tradition too?
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Our Yan Yat porridge today, cooked with rice, millet, grouper fish, prawns, abalone, dried oysters, chicken, pumpkin, carrots and served with raw lettuce.
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| My dad gave me this bowl where the ‘liu’ (ingredients) are more than the porridge. |
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