What Chinese New Year Snacks Beckon in the Year of the Ox?

In anticipation that we'll be stuck at home most of the time due to strict SOPs during Chinese New Year (CNY) such as no interstate or inter district travel, I made sure I had an ample supply of CNY snacks to get us (more like him) through this period.

I'm actually not a habitual snacker (like my other half) but will maybe eat a wee bit more this year coz what else is there to do at home other than be a couch potato...and one will need snacks for that, right?...hee..hee! ;)  So, what snacks did I buy, make or receive?

Well, first of all, I had to go online to check out what I could get as gifts instead of physical shopping during MCO 2.0, so a poke poke here and a tekan tekan there....and I ended up with these, something different along with my usual gifts of snacks.

I got this Lay's CNY Gift Box (RM55) because of the lovely packaging and the variety of items which is ideal as a gift to a family that enjoys eating chips.

Here's a peek inside....I didn't even know what flavours I'd be getting when I ordered it as the descriptions were all written in Chinese! >_<  But, never mind-lah, chips are chips....any flavour will do.  I only knew the flavours when I opened the box (as the actual packs had English descriptions).

The gift pack included 20 individual packs of chips ranging from 15g - 40g for a total of 588g.

2 x Cheetos (Chicken & Beef Flavour)

2 x Potato Chips (American Classic Flavour)

2 x Potato Chips (Cucumber & Italian Red Meat Flavour)

2 x Crinkle Cut Chips (Grilled Pork Flavour)

2 x Crinkle Cut Chips (Grilled Squid Flavour)

2 x Crinkle Cut Chips (Roasted Chicken Wing Flavour)

2 x Yam Crisps (Cucumber & Tomato Flavour)

6 x Crispy Fries (Seaweed, Tomato & Original Flavours)

I also bought this Ban Heang Bundle Gift Set (RM43) from PenangToGo, again because I was attracted to the nice packaging but more so for the apt CNY wishes for a recipient who prefers blessings than snacks.

The gift pack contained:

(The Descents of Blessing) 2 x Coconut Crisps (2 pcs/pkt)

(Lucky star shines on high) 3 x Almond Slice - Original, Salted Egg & Cheese (2 pcs/pkt)

(Fortune & Prosperity) 3 x Crisps - Salted Fish with Seaweed, Cheese &Salted Egg (2 pcs/pkt)

(May the entirety be as you wish) 2 x Cookies - Butter & Almond (2 pcs/pkt)

(Harmony & Joy) 4 x Marshmallow Bites - Fruity & Matcha (2 pcs/pkt)

Perhaps this might seem a little pricey (and not so worth it) for the small amount of 28 pcs of snacks (individually wrapped in twos) but you can't deny the fact that the set (and wishes) makes for a rather appropriate CNY gift.

Now that I've gotten some gifts taken care of, how about some snacks for mua?  Something for my own consumption.  I'm not a big fan of cookies (neither is my spouse), so I don't need to bake any.  The snacks my family likes are the fried and crispy kind.  And why bother to slave in the kitchen when you can easily buy all your favourites.  The only snack I'm bothered to make (every year without fail) are prawn crackers and that's because I've not seen anyone sell these type of crackers.

I make these every year as giveaways (which are always well received by my intended recipients, in fact they're never enough) and this year I had to double up on the portion (RM30 for 600g of uncooked crackers) as I gave more away (the above is from one portion) + we started snacking on them well before CNY...in fact, right after they were fried! ;P

Besides crispy keropok, I also like these crab sticks (surimi) snacks (RM16).  I used to think these were just crab sticks shredded, tossed in cornstarch and deep-fried...and they should all basically taste the same, right?  Wrong.  I realised there was a difference in taste when I bought one this year (from a coffee shop I've never bought from before) that turned out really nice when I ate it simultaneously with one I received from my sister-in-law.  There was indeed a difference.  This one, though crispy as well, was slightly harder to the bite.  I even detected some mild fishiness.

The one I bought was super crispy and slightly more savoury.  You bet I'll be looking for it again next year (well, at least it had a telephone number on it).  I better hold on to the container then! :D

I bought this kuih kapit or thin crispy love letters (RM18) just because of the way it was folded into a unique shape (not often seen).  They're usually folded into quarters (fan-shaped) or rolled-up (like a cigar).  This one was cone-shaped with sesame seeds and not too sweet.

Then I chanced upon these caramel popcorn (RM8) at the mini wet market near my home...and soon realised a lot of vendors were selling these this year (but theirs were retailing for RM12).  My spouse finished one can in two sittings, so  I immediately returned to my wet market and got another 4 cans (two to give away).  With popcorn in one hand, now all that's needed is a good movie. ^_~

These are chocolate-flavoured meringue cookies that's predominantly made with just egg whites and icing sugar (+ cocoa for flavouring).  These ones are further studded with tiny chocolate chips.  My husband says they look like Hershey's kisses (probably that's where the inspiration came from).  They're super light, airy and crispy....it's like eating air!  These two snacks are for the sweet-toothed person in my family (which isn't me!).

I received a gift of prawn muruku.  I've eaten muruku but don't think I've eaten a prawn-flavoured one before (now there's even a salted egg yolk version).  I can't say I detected much prawn flavour though + this one was missing the traditional flavour of Indian spices like a proper muruku should be.

This year, my neighbour made and gifted me her pineapple rolls again.  The pastry is, of course, fresh tasting and the pineapple jam wasn't as tart, an improvement from the ones she gave me two years ago.  Like all cooking (which I can vouch for), or baking, it gets better with practice.

Because of the MCO, I didn't go out to the mall to get my usual supply of bak kwa this year.  So, I decided to get a pack from one of my frequented roasted meat stall to try (I've seen them selling for years but never bothered to try coz then I had my favourite brand, Oloiya to rely on.  Oloiya's prices this year is about the same as last year, RM58 for 500g.  This one I got was RM45 only for 500g.  Taste wise, nothing can beat my favourite.  This is just an interim measure until I'm reunited with my Oloiya...lol.

I also tried my hand at assembling my own gifts.  All you need is to get a couple of small containers and fill them up with different CNY snacks and make it pretty with a ribbon.  This way your recipients will get a variety of snacks instead of (say) just one container of the same thing (+ it can also be more cost saving if you're on a tight budget or have many recipients).

I received a couple cans of abalone too, not quite a snack, but it'll come in handy for my braised mushrooms, abalone and dried scallops dish that I intend to cook (and had already cooked) for the CNY reunion dinner.

I'll use them together with these dried mushrooms (a product of Japan) which my neighbour gave me to make my braised mushroom dish.  Glad to report that they taste similar to Chinese dried mushrooms (only better quality, thicker and tastier).

Now that's not a lot of snacks, is it?  Hee....hee...hee.  Whatever snacks you're munching on in this Ox-picious new year.....enjoy......and munch on! ^_~