Make these recipes this Chinese New Year and you’re guaranteed to please your guests—and bring yourself good luck in the new year!
Long Life Noodles with Chicken, Porcini & Shiitake
“Chinese New Year’s dishes get their status because either their name or contents or look confer the virtues of long life, good health, happiness and prosperity. For instance, our special New Year’s dumplings have a little disc of Uni on top of them. This decoration feels like a golden coin and thus the name gold coin dumplings. In the case of long life noodles it’s considered extremely propitious to dine on long thin noodles (particularly the variety known as ee-min) because their name confers a long healthy happy life.” -Chef Joe Ng of Red Farm in New York City Ingredients:
1 disc e-fu (long life) noodles6 ounces boneless chicken breast cut into ½-inch pieces½ egg white2 tsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry¼ tsp salt1 Tbsp cornstarch2 tsp vegetable oil6 dried shiitake mushrooms (re-hydrated and coarsely shredded, reserve the soaking water)1½ oz dried porcini mushrooms slices (re-hydrated, reserve the soaking water)few Tbsp of vegetable oil for stir frying⅓ cup minced onion1½ tsp minced garlic½ tsp minced ginger
For the sauce base:
1 cup strained mushroom soaking liquid (use the porcini shiitake water to make up the difference)1 1/2 Tbsp all-purpose soy sauce (such as Kikkoman)1 Tbsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry1 Tbsp oyster sauce1 1/2 tsp sugar3/4 tsp salt⅛ tsp finely ground white pepper⅔ cup chicken stock (or use more mushroom soaking liquid)2 Tbsp unsalted butter (to enrich the sauce)¼ cup scallion, finely chopped2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro (optional)½ tsp sesame oil (optional)
Directions:
Prosperity Toss Salad
“Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng, or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei is a Cantonese-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (sometimes salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means ‘raw fish,’ but since fish is commonly associated with abundance, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. And the process of tossing the fish and salad together is a unification of the family for the holiday.” -Chef Dale Talde of Goosefeather at Tarrytown House Estate on The Hudson Ingredients:
8 oz hamachi or tuna, raw, sliced thin2 Pomelo or citrus1 cucumber, shaved thin1 cup Wood Ear mushrooms, soaked in vinegar and sugar1 cup radish, shaved thin 1 Asian pear, shaved thin10 Goji berries, soaked
For the dressing:
1/2 cup Chinese mustard1/4 cup honey1/4 cup soy 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar1 Tbsp Salt 1 tbsp sesame oil1/4 cup olive oil
Directions:
Lobster Fried Rice
“Chinese families often feature cherry blossoms, tangerines, kumquats, Chinese candies and cookies, nuts and flowers in their home to honor the holiday. Red and gold are festive colors for the Chinese New Year, so in addition to decorating with them, encourage your guests to dress in the theme and wear these colors. One of the most important aspects of the Chinese New Year celebration is the red envelopes! Oftentimes adults give money in these envelopes to the younger generation. Filling them with chocolate coins is also a common practice which you can take part in and pass out to your guests.” -Chef Kathy Fang of Fang Restaurant in San Francisco, Ca Ingredients:
4 lobster tails (grilled, roasted or poached)6 cups cooked white rice (left over night is best)4 whole eggs, whisked1/2 cup freshly shucked corn or frozen corn2 whole Roma tomatoes diced1/2 cup chopped green onions and cilantro (half and half)2 tsp minced ginger2 Tbsp minced garlic1 Tbsp black pepper4 Tbsp soy sauce2 Tbsp butterhalf a lemon juice, juicedsalt to season at the end1 Tbsp peanut oil or canola oil
Directions: PS, don’t feel like cooking, just eating? Beloved NYC restaurant Mimi Cheng’s Dumplings has teamed up with NYC’s leading food distributor, Baldor Specialty Foods, to preserve the Chinese tradition of sharing dumplings with family at the dawn of the New Year. The two at-home meal kits they have created are below and can be delivered right to your door: Mimi Cheng’s Pork and Chive DIY Dumpling Kit Mimi Cheng’s Chicken and Zucchini DIY Dumpling Kit
