Chinese New Year is a holiday when people from all cultures can share in a festival of new beginnings, celebrating with friends and family, and delicious traditional foods, where good fortune comes with every delicious bite.
Chinese New Year 2009 - the Year of the Ox - begins on Jan. 26 and traditionally includes feasts, parades, fireworks, and the romance of Chinese Valentine's Day.
A Chinese New Year party is traditionally decked out in red, the color of good luck, and is a time of fun, festive celebrations.
Traditional foods to bring good luck include jai, which has ingredients to bring a year of good fortune, dumplings for wealth, lettuce for prosperity, noodles for longevity, and seaweed for good luck.
Lo Han Jai
A vegetarian stew, lo han jai is sometimes served on the first day of the Chinese New Year for a year of good fortune. In this version, hard-to-find Asian ingredients are substituted with commonly found items.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water and squeezed dry
- 1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots
- 8 water chestnuts, cut into quarters
- 1 whole carrot, peeled and cut into julienne strips
- 2 cups Napa cabbage, torn into small pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 8 snow peas, strings removed and cut into thin slivers
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed well with 2 teaspoons cold water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Heat wok until hot and then add vegetable oil. Stir-fry mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, carrot, and cabbage, cooking for 3-4 minutes over high heat. Add broth; cover and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Add tofu, bean sprouts, snow peas and soy sauce. Cover and simmer for two minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture to form a light gravy, adjusting if necessary. Drizzle with sesame oil.
Chinese Dumplings
Chinese dumplings are served at the new year for wealth and financial success. Chinese dumplings are fun to make and look charming on a plate, since they look like little pouches or purses. If you're new to making Chinese dumplings, check out "Making Dumplings With Jen", which gives step-by-step instructions and photographs of how to make these traditional Chinese dumplings. You can fill Chinese dumplings with whatever fillings you like. Here's a recipe for Chinese Dumplings with pork and cabbage.
Dough
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2-3/4 cup boiling water
Filling
- 8 ounces Napa cabbage
- 3 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
- 1/3 cup bamboo shoots, minced
- 1/3 cup Chinese black mushrooms, rehydrated, cleaned, squeezed, minced
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 1tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup ginger root, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Dash white pepper
Dipping Sauce
- 3 parts soy sauce
- 2 parts vinegar
- 1 part sesame oil
- Green onions, ginger, garlic, chili paste and sugar are all optional additions
Cut cabbage into thin strips. Mix with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Squeeze out excess moisture. In a large bowl, mix cabbage, pork, green onions, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, wine, soy sauce, ginger, cornstarch, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and white pepper.
In a bowl, mix flour and boiling water until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices. Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.
Heat a wok until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the wok to coat the sidesPlace 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. Serve with dipping sauces. Yields about 48 potstickers.
Lettuce for Prosperity
People in some parts of China eat foods wrapped in lettuce during the Chinese New Year because it's said that lettuce brings prosperity. The word for lettuce is similar to the word for "rising fortune."
A traditional lettuce recipe for Chinese New Year is a lettuce leaf filled with pork, water chestnuts and oyster sauce. A recipe for traditional Chinese Lettuce Wraps can be found at Healthy Chinese Recipes.
Seaweed for Good Luck
Serving seaweed at Chinese New Year will ensure good luck in the coming year, or at the very least, a delicious crispy appetizer at your Chinese New Year party. Crispy Seaweed is easy to mix up and cook right before party time.
Wash and drain 8 ounces of bok choy or spring greens. Chop 1/4 cup toasted almonds. In a wok, heat enough corn oil to deep fry seaweed. Toss in seaweed and deep fry for about 45-60 seconds, until seaweed begins to turn dark green. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Place seaweed in a serving dish. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Toss and garnish with chopped toasted almonds.
More Chinese New Year recipes:
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