Chinese New Year

Last Wednesday we celebrated the Chinese New Year, this year it’s the year of the snake. It is a tradition across most of Asia to enjoy a lavish feast to celebrate the new lunar year.

In China, festive red lanterns, loud firecrackers, fireworks, new clothes and fancy haircuts are all part of the celebration to usher in the new year.

Friends and families gather the night before to celebrate and enjoy a lavish feast together. The foods enjoyed on that night are all classic dishes which will bring
daji: good life and great prosperity. What is cooked holds great meaning. Most households make an assortment of dumplings and or potstickers, many from scratch.

Whole fish is cooked and enjoyed; this symbolises abundance. Crispy spring rolls symbolise bars of gold and bring wealth and prosperity in the year to come. Noodles play an important part in this feast, the longer the noodles the better and this represents the wish for a long, happy and healthy life.

These are all good reasons for us all to enjoy any of these delicious dishes this weekend!

Potstickers with Hot Chili Sauce

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup water chestnuts

6 dried black mushrooms, softened in warm water for about 20 mins, stems removed

40 wanton skins

seasonings

3 tbs minced ginger

1/3 cup chopped chives minced

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs rum (optional)

2 tsp sesame oil

1½ tbs cornstarch

Hot Chili Sauce

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs sugar

2 tbs water

1 tbs hot chili paste

1 tbs minced fresh ginger

1 tbs minced garlic

Vegetable oil for frying dumplings

In the bowl of a food processor chop shrimp, chestnuts and mushrooms.

Add all the seasonings and stir well to mix. Stir in the cornstarch, the mixture should be stiff.

Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling in the centre of one wanton skin.

Moisten the edges with water. Fold over in half to enclose filling. And press the edges to seal.

Repeat until all the filling is used up, arrange dumplings on a tray and dust with cornstarch.

Heat a large frying pan add some oil and pan fry the dumplings until golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Remove with a strainer and drain. When you have fried all the dumplings, add the chili sauce to the pot and cook until bubbly, add dumplings back to pot, add a little water if necessary and cover for a short time.

Serve the dumplings at once.

Tropical Spring Rolls with Tamarind Plum Sauce

4 cups finely shredded cabbage

2 carrots, shredded

4 blades fresh chive, finely chopped

2 tbs chopped chadon beni (cilantro)

4 Chinese dried black mushrooms, reconstituted, caps removed and chopped

1 tbs chopped garlic

1 tbs minced ginger

¼ cup minced shrimp

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

25 spring roll wrappers or 50 wan ton skins

Vegetable oil to fry

Paste:

½ cup water

1 tbs cornstarch

Combine cornstarch with water and set aside

Heat a clean wok, add one tablespoon oil , when hot add garlic and ginger.

Add, shrimp and stir and fry for 2 minutes add vegetables, except chadon beni and chives, and stir and fry until well blended.

Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle on sugar.

Remove from heat and sprinkle on herbs, cool.

Place wrapper so that one edge is pointing to you, place about 1 tablespoon filling in the centre of the wrapper and spread to make a log. Fold the lower part up to cover filling, fold again, fold in the two sides, and continue folding to make a log, seal with the flour paste.

Deep-fry spring rolls, until golden brown, and serve with plum sauce.

Makes 25 spring rolls or 50 small spring rolls.

Tamarind Plum Dipping Sauce

½ cup Chinese plum sauce

1 tbs white vinegar

1 tbs tamarind sauce

1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro or chadon beni

garlic, minced

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp hot pepper, seeded and chopped

Combine all the ingredients and refrigerate until ready for use.

Makes about 2/3 cup

Veggie Lo Mien

Sauce

½ cup water or chicken broth

¼ cup oyster sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs cornstarch

3 tbs vegetable oil

½ tbs finely chopped garlic

½ tbs finely chopped ginger

4 cups assorted vegetables cut into strips or shredded

8 ozs noodles, boiled and drained

Cook noodles in a medium pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water; set aside.

Whisk sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic and ginger stirring, for 30 seconds.

Add vegetables and cook until vegetables are wilted, about 2 minutes.

Add sauce mixture and reserved noodles stir fry until everything is coated and sauce thickens slightly, 1–2 minutes more.

Serves 4

Steamed Fish with Ginger Chili Oil

2, 2-lb snapper or salmon fish, cleaned and rinsed

2 tbs soy sauce

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs chili garlic sauce

2 inches ginger, peeled and julienned

2 tsp minced garlic

1 bunch chives, cut into 2-inch lengths and julienned

Make slits in fish and rub with soy sauce.

Place in steamer and steam for 9 minutes until opaque and flaky.

Heat oil in small pan, when hot stir in chili garlic sauce, ginger and garlic.

Cook for about one minute.

Remove fish from steamer to serving plate, pour spicy oil over fillets and garnish with chives.

Serves 4

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