Baby Leonie's Full Moon

Roast Suckling Pig with the thinnest, crispiest crackle

On another cold Melbourne day we were invited to my cousin's place to celebrate his daughter's full moon, a very important milestone in Chinese Culture. Beautiful baby Leonie is now one month old and this gave our family the opportunity to catch up and feast on a range of Chinese and Vietnamese Dishes - a Whole roasted suckling pig, a Vietnamese Mi Bo Kho served with bread ( a delicious slow braised beef brisket stew with carrots, tomato, star anise and cassia bark), spring rolls, fried noodles, fresh garden salad and wide range of condiments including hoisin sauce, chilli, nuoc cham, vietnamese mint and an array of Malaysian Cakes including the obligatory Ang Koo which is always served in honour of the baby.

Mi Bo Kho

We all sat in my cousin's garage grazing on the spread before us. Was it glamourous? No. Was it absolutely freezing? Yes. Was the food great? You Bet. The drinks were thrown into the wheelbarrow with the ice bags and were further cooled by the falling rain. It was chaotic, and the venue could not have been anymore rustic and yet the sense of family and occasion made the rain and wind tolerable. It really was a lovely way to celebrate baby Leonie's "debut"into the world.