The festive months are a good time for family reunion meals in celebration of love and friendship. Often, family reunion dishes also come with a large helping of culture and tradition.

As we begin a new year, we asked our teams around the world to tell us about the special meals they look forward to sharing with their loved ones during their respective festivities. We also find out their unique family reunion food recipes which you can try at home or in the comforts of your serviced apartment.

Australia Day Meat Pie (Australia)

With Australia Day fireworks lighting up the skies across the country on January 26, thousands will join their family and friends to enjoy a traditional Aussie meat pie. While the larger pies are a favourite at national day get-togethers, smaller pies are also a staple at Australian sporting matches.

An old-school flaky pastry containing diced or minced Australia steak with gravy and sometimes onions, mushrooms and cheese, the humble meat pie is “the epitome of Australian food and the cause of many a burnt tongue,” says Samuel Wong, Business Development Manager at Fraser Place Melbourne.

The origins of this hearty dish date back to the early settlers from Ireland and England who brought their own versions of meat pies, such as Cornish pasties and steak and kidney pies. It was not till the early 20^th century that meat pies were associated with Australian football, and in 2003 that it was described as a national dish by former New South Wales Premier, Bob Carr.

Culture Tip: How best to consume a meat pie is a common point of debate. Many swear by removing the pie lid, pouring in tomato ketchup, and eating the meat first. Others prefer to put their ketchup on top and eat meat and pastry together.

SAMUEL’S AUSTRALIA DAY MEAT PIES

Ingredients (serves 6):

2 tbsp plain flour

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp sea salt

Black pepper, to taste

1.5kg chuck or blade steak, cut into chunks

1 can chopped tomatoes

5 garlic cloves, sliced

2 red onions, cut in half and finely sliced

1 stick celery, finely chopped

1 cup red wine

1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped

300g button mushrooms

30g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

375g packet puff pastry

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Cooking method:

Combine flour and paprika, and season with salt and pepper. Add beef and toss until covered in flour, then place in an ovenproof casserole dish. Add tomato, garlic, onion, celery, red wine and thyme, and stir. Cover and cook at 180°C for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add mushrooms, cover and return to oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, for one hour, until the sauce is thickened and the beef and mushrooms are tender. Remove from the oven and stir through the parsley. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C.

On a floured surface, roll out pastry and cut into six circles. Divide pie filling into six 325ml ovenproof ramekins and cover with pastry, pushing the edges down around the rim. Cut pastry tops with a knife to allow steam to escape, and brush with egg yolk. Bake until golden.

Chinese New Year Hotpot (Singapore)

Of the many traditions of Chinese New Year, the most important is reuniting at family reunion meals on the eve of the occasion, an event known as Nian Ye Fan.

A common sight in several parts of Asia with just slight variations, a traditional steamboat or hotpot meal—where marinated meats and vegetables are cooked in a steaming broth or on a hot griddle—is a firm favourite across generations, especially in Singapore. “Hotpot brings everyone together, seated around the table cooking the various ingredients as an activity,” says Victor Poo, Head Chef at Fraser Suites Singapore.

Having watched the preparation of hotpot by his mother since he was a child, Chef Victor says it’s the soup that makes all the difference. “You can get the best fresh ingredients from the wet markets – fish, pork bones and chicken feet – to boil your own soup stock,” he adds.

To take the fun up a notch, get creative by making your own accompanying sauces and dips. Popular ones include a simple soy sauce, sesame oil and crushed garlic mix, to elaborate dips with chives, coriander, lime and chilli.

Culture Tip: Leave a spoonful of rice at the end of the hotpot meal. This symbolises that you will have an abundance to eat in your next meal to come.

CHEF VICTOR’S FAMILY CHICKEN BROTH

Ingredients (serves 5):

1.5kg chicken, including neck, bones and wings

1 onion

4-5 slices ginger and cilantro root

1 tbsp rice wine

4-5 red dates

1 tbsp wolfberries

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooking method:

Put chicken in boiling water, skimming off the foam that occasionally rises to the top. Add in all the ingredients, season to taste, turn the heat to medium, and simmer until flavourful. Strain the soup to remove the bones and herbs before transferring to a hot pot.

New Year Toshikoshi Soba (Japan)

As people around the world anticipate the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, the custom of eating toshikoshi soba—year crossing noodles—is in full swing in Japan. Slurping up this dish before midnight is an important Japanese tradition that dates back more than 800 years. “Soba noodles roll out long and strong, representing long life,” explains Haru Fukuhara, Client Relations Executive at Fraser Residence Nankai, Osaka.

Soba noodles are usually cooked with seaweed, bonito flakes, soy sauce and rice wine and then topped with leeks and shrimp tempura. In Japan’s food capital Osaka, toshikoshi soba is cooked with herring instead, the same variety served to guests and staff at Fraser Residence Nankai, Osaka.

The noodles are eaten again on Shogatsu (New Year’s Day), where families come together for a special meal called Osechi Ryori. This meal includes toshikoshi soba; otoso (a spiced sake); and ozoni, a special soup containing mochi rice cakes. Osechi Ryori is served in a box called a jubako, which resembles a bento box.

Culture Tip: Eating toshikoshi soba at the stroke of midnight is considered bad luck, as it symbolises bringing all your trouble from the previous year into the next.

HARU’S TOSHIKOSHI SOBA WITH HERRING

Ingredients (serves 4):

½ cup soy sauce

4 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp sweet rice wine

1 cup stock

8oz dried soba noodles

3 tbsp sesame oil

2 onions, diced

1 sheet nori, sliced

Sesame seeds

Cooking method:

Mix 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of sweet rice wine, 1 teaspoon of sake and 4 teaspoons of soy sauce. Use it to marinate 4 smoked herring fillets for 20 minutes.

Simmer soy sauce, sugar and rice wine, and add stock. Allow it to cool. Add soba to boiling water and cook until tender, then drain and rinse with water.

Divide the sesame oil among bowls for serving, and ladle half a cup of soup into each bowl. Add noodles, diced onions, sliced nori and sesame seeds. Grill herring until charred and place on top of noodles.

Christmas Roast Goose (Germany)

Decked out in twinkling lights, with the scent of mulled wine and cinnamon at every corner, Hamburg is a magical city in which to experience the festive season. The centrepiece of the celebration, in many homes, is a traditional roast goose served on Christmas Eve.

“Hamburg gets very cold and dark in the winter months,” says Daniel Thompson, Head Chef at Fraser Suites Hamburg, “but you’re warmed by the lights of the Christmas markets and the rich, festive food like roasted goose – crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle.”

Chef Daniel says he has stuffed hundreds of geese since moving to Hamburg from the UK nine years ago, and it has become his favourite meal of the season. As goose isn’t served at any other time of the year in Germany, the mouth-watering aroma of the bird being roasted in the oven has also become a highly anticipated event for many homes.

Culture Tip: Preserve the goose lard, called ganseschmalz, from this meal. This coveted cooking fat makes a delicious bread spread and can be packed in jars to be gifted in January.

CHEF DANIEL’S CHRISTMAS GOOSE

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

1 goose (5kg)

1 onion, peeled and quartered

3 bay leaves, plus extra for garnish

3 small red apples, cut in half horizontally

3 oranges, roughly chopped

½ bunch marjoram

A few sprigs of mugwort

Sea salt flakes and black pepper

Cooking method:

Place all ingredients and herbs in a bowl and season. Stuff a 5kg goose, tying the legs together using kitchen string, and leave uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours.

Place goose in a pre-heated oven at 120°C, making sure you have a tray underneath it to catch all the fat and juices. Cook for 3 hours, then increase the heat to 220°C for 30 minutes to crisp the skin.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving with braised red cabbage and potato dumplings.

National Day Lamb Machboos (Dubai)

Every December 2, the United Arab Emirates celebrates National Day, a celebration of the unification of the seven emirates. It is one of the most highly anticipated holidays of the year and is marked with festivities and feasting on traditional dishes, such as machboos.

Machboos is a dish of rice, meat, vegetables and spices cooked slowly together in one pot. The meat—usually lamb or chicken—may be prepared in one of three styles: mandi, where it is barbecued in a deep hole; mathbi, where it is grilled on flat stones; or madghut, where it is cooked in a pressure cooker.

“The best lamb to use is locally farmed and fresh, while the best spices come from Yemen – they add a depth of flavour and authenticity to the dish,” says Sohan Singh Negi, Chef De Partie at Fraser Suites Dubai.

“Middle Eastern culture focuses on sharing meals with the people you love, as it’s believed to lead to a happier, healthier life. This holds true for a lot of other cultures that live here too, whether it’s sharing a big pizza, a pot of biryani or machboos,” he adds.

Culture Tip: Traditionally, this dish is eaten together with family or friends from one large plate. Mint-infused red tea is usually served after the meal, which aids digestion.

CHEF SOHAN’S CELEBRATORY LAMB MACHBOOS

Ingredients (serves 3):

1 onion, diced

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tomato, diced

800g lamb with bone, cut into pieces

1 sachet Kabsa Arabic Mix

2 dried limes, cut in half and seeds removed

2 litres water

2 cups basmati rice

1 cup golden raisins

Cooking method:

In a large rice pot, saute diced onion in vegetable oil until golden. Add tomato and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add lamb pieces, Kabsa Arabic Mix, dried limes and water, and bring to a boil.

Once lamb is cooked, add rice and raisins, and adjust the water level so that there is around 3cm more water than rice in the pot. Cover and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is fully cooked.

Serve on a large platter with sliced cucumber and yogurt raita. You can also add vegetables such as carrot or peas to the lamb machboos to make it a complete meal.

Adapted from Fraser Cachet Issue #37 © Frasers Hospitality and SPH Magazines