Abalones - every Chinese New Year it's a ritual to braise them for the reunion dinner's piece de resistance - pencai. It's a painstaking effort of braising these critters 3-4 hours, then reusing then braising liquor for sea cucumbers, which are braised for an hour. The resulting elixir then goes into the broth base for the pencai; it'll take on more flavors as it is simmered with daikon, dried seafood (scallops, conch, oysters), prawn broth, pork bone broth, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and Jinhua ham. At the end, the stock becomes a versatile broth for rice, noodles... practically everything. For the rest of the new year week. #ovenbirdhomekitchen #singaporefood #singaporehomecooks #foodiesg #foodie #instafood #instagoodsg #homecooked #homecooking