Kung hei fat choy!
Happy New Year!
By
the Chinese
Calendar....
Chinese year 4705 begins on February 18, 2007 and is the first day of the Chinese new year. 2007 is the Year of the Pig (DingHai)
Each year, the Chinese New Year date is determined by the second New Moon after the winter solstice.
Although some of these Chinese dishes may not be traditional foods served at the Chinese New Year feast, I can guarantee that you will enjoy cooking and eating each dish. Cooking in the Chinese style of stir frying and using unknown ingredients that are required in Chinese cookery can be an exciting culinary adventure for the novice and even the experienced cook
Crispy Chicken Rolls
Hot Mustard Sauce
Shredded Pork with Sweet Bean Sauce
Long Noodles*
Lychees with Sweet Ginger Sauce
Almond Cookies
Crispy Chicken Rolls
| 2 chicken breast halves | boneless and skinless and cut into thin strips |
|
Marinade 1 teaspoon |
rice wine (or dry sherry) |
| 4 slices | fresh ginger root (about the size of a quarter coin) |
| 5 or 6 scallions | green and white portion thinly sliced into 1-inch pieces |
| 2 teaspoons | soy sauce |
| 1 teaspoon | sugar |
| 1 | egg white only |
| 10 | egg roll skins |
| 1 | egg yolk |
| vegetable oil for deep frying |
Combine marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add chicken strips, mix well. Let stand 1 hour or refrigerate if longer time is required. Remove and discard ginger slices.
Place egg roll skins on a flat surface with a corner at the top, bottom, left and right. Place 1 tablespoon marinated chicken near the bottom corner. Fold the corner over the chicken and roll toward the top corner, stopping a third of the way from the top corner. Dab the left and right corners with egg yolk and fold over - press to seal. Dab the top corner with egg yolk and fold down over and press to seal - egg roll should resemble a small envelope. Repeat with remaining egg roll wrappers and marinated chicken.
Heat 6 cups of vegetable oil in a wok to 350 degrees F. Carefully lower 2 or 3 egg rolls at a time and fry until golden brown on both sides - approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Remove egg rolls from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Yield: approximately 10 egg rolls.
Hot Mustard Sauce
| 5 Tablespoons | hot mustard powder |
| 5 Tablespoons | water |
| 1 teaspoon | rice vinegar or white vinegar |
| 2 teaspoons | sesame oil |
Combine mustard powder and water in a small bowl, mixing well to dissolve any lumps. Let stand 1 minute. Add vinegar and sesame oil and mix well. Yield: 1/3 cup. Note: A purchased sweet and sour sauce can be used as an alternative if this is too hot for some tastes.
Shredded Pork with Sweet Bean Sauce
| ¾ pound | boneless pork loin |
| Marinade: | |
| 4½ teaspoons | soy sauce |
| 1 teaspoon | rice wine or dry sherry |
| 2 tablespoons | water |
| 2 teaspoons | cornstarch |
| Sweet Bean Sauce: | |
| 4½ teaspoons | sweet bean sauce |
| 1½ teaspoons | rice wine or dry sherry |
| 1 tablespoon | soy sauce |
| 2 teaspoons | sugar |
| 2 cups | shredded green onions (thin julienne strips) |
| 3 tablespoons | vegetable oil |
Use a
cleaver to slice pork into long thin julienne style strips. Combine
marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add pork shreds, mix well. Let stand 30
minutes, or longer, refrigerated. Combine ingredients for Sweet Bean
Sauce in another bowl; set aside. Arrange green onion shreds on a
serving platter.
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Stir fry pork strips in oil for about 2 to 3 minutes until pork shreds are no longer pink. Remove pork from oil with a slotted spoon and set aside. There should be at least 2 tablespoons oil left in the wok - add additional tablespoon if needed. Add Sweet Bean Sauce mixture to oil remaining in wok. Stir fry until sauce thickens slightly. Add cooked pork strips, mixing well. Place pork and Sweet Bean Sauce on top of green onions. Serve immediately with steamed rice. Yield: 4 servings
Chinese Long Noodles
This is easy....just stop by your favorite local Chinese restaurant and purchase a quart of any long noodle dish.....eating long noodles at Chinese New Year indicates long life!
Lychees with Sweet Ginger Sauce
| 1 (20 oz.) can | lychees in syrup |
| 1 tablespoon | coarsely chopped peeled gingerroot |
| 2 tablespoons | light brown sugar |
| sprigs of fresh mint, for garnish |
1. Drain the lychees, reserving the syrup. You should have about 1 cup of syrup. Set aside. Place the lychees in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the gingerroot, sugar, 1/4 cup water, and the lychee syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for 15 minutes. Strain and discard the gingerroot.
3. Let the liquid cool to room temperature and add it to the drained lychee nuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Serve the lychees in small dessert bowls with the ginger sauce. Decorate with a sprig of fresh mint. Yield: 4 servings
| 1 cup | Crisco shortening |
| 1 cup | sugar (Splenda blend can be used) |
| 1 | egg, beaten |
| ½ cup | ground blanched almonds |
| 1 teaspoon | almond extract |
| 2½ cups | all purpose flour |
| 1½ teaspoons | baking powder |
| ½ teaspoon | salt |
| 36 | blanched almond halves |
| 1 | egg yolk |
| 1 tablespoon | water |
Grease
baking sheets; set aside. Mix lard or shortening and sugar in a large
bowl until smooth. Add egg, ground almonds and almond extract; mix well.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, gradually adding to egg
mixture and mixing well. Dough will be stiff.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shape dough into 36 small balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press an almond half on each ball and flatten with the palm of your hand to a 2-inch cookie. Mix egg yolk and water in a small cup to make a glaze. Brush each cookie with glaze and bake about 20 minutes until golden. Yield: 36 cookies Recipe Source: Rose Cheng & Michele Morris Chinese Cookery
Copyright © 2006 Ann Hall Every, CCP
