RELAX
Singapore’s
Best Kept S cret
Farm-fresh produce,
delicious value, and a
feast fit for a king at
pauper prices; these are
all possible during this
Chinese New Year period.
We let you in on one of
our best kept secrets
when it comes to smart
grocery shopping.
Deep in the Tampines suburbs lies one (or perhaps
three) of Singapore’s best kept supermarket secrets,
a treasure trove of value-for-money groceries suitable
for Chinese New Year. Gems such as this rarely remain
undiscovered for long though and now that we’re at
the start of Chinese New Year, we thought it would be
a great idea to reveal to you one of our favourite family
supermarkets.
Avoid the crowds and journey to YES Supermarket to
pick out the ingredients you need for your next family
dinner. While most supermarkets jack up their prices
during this festive season, YES (which stands for “Your
Everyday Store”) believes in the maxim of value and
letting its items speak for themselves, while always
putting the consumer first and foremost in every
decision they make.
Creating a Delightful CNY Meal
Instead of going to pricey, mediocre
restaurants for your Chinese New
Year dinners with friends and
family, why not create a dinner that
will be talked about until the next
Chinese New Year? Thanks to YES,
we’ve put together a six-course
meal suitable for 10 people that
comes in at less than S$100!
First Course: Luo Han Zhai
(Buddha’s Delight)
A vegetarian dish, the Buddha’s
Delight is an auspicious dish to
have on the first day of Chinese
New Year to symbolise selfpurification. It’s Ingredients
includes dried beancurd sticks,
black fungus, Ginkgo nuts, lily buds
&Fa cai (or black moss)
Estimated price: S$12.30
••••••••••
and happiness, which is what
everybody wishes for in the
New Year. Priding itself on its
freshness, YES has you covered
with its ocean-fresh grey prawns,
a mainstay in any seafood dish.
Estimated price: S$16.90
••••••••••
Fourth course: Stir-fried Leeks
with Vegetables
Leeks are a popular vegetable
during Chinese New Year because
a part of its Chinese name 蒜苗
sounds a lot like “calculating” in
Mandarin, which is regarded as an
auspicious symbol for wealth (lots
of money coming in that you’ll need
to calculate) . Of course, just having
Second Course: Braised
Mushrooms with Abalone
The Chinese name of abalone is
鲍鱼, which bears the same auspicious
meaning as 年年包有余 (assurance
of a surplus in the year ahead), one
of the reasons why this is a highly
coveted item during this period.
Estimated price: S$30
••••••••••
Third Course: XO Sauce Prawns
The sound “ha” in Cantonese
or other Chinese dialects for
prawns symbolises laughter
26
Family & Life • Feb 2014
leeks in the dish can get boring, so
grab some other vegetables, which
go for less than S$5!
Estimated price: S$5.50
(for 1 kg of leek)
••••••••••
Fifth course: Snow Fungus Soup
Often cooked during this period,
Snow Fungus Soup or Tang Shui
tastes sweet, which symbolises
sweet blessings. Depending on
your family’s palate, you can
choose either black fungus or its
slightly cheaper cousin, the white
fungus.
Estimated price: S$5
••••••••••