Jiaozi - Chinese Dumplings
Yu Sang (Chinese New Year Salad)
New Year's Cake (Neen Gow)



> From: "Robert Loomis" >
> I am hoping for some recipes for food to prepare for a Chinese New Year
> celebration. Thanks

Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (all
months begin with a new moon). In 2005 (year 4703 on the Chinese calendar)
Chinese New Year started on February 9th. The Chinese New Year Season lasts for
an entire month There is an interesting legend surrounding the origin of Chinese
New Year. In ancient times, people were tormented by a beast called a Nian. The
Nian had a very large mouth, which it used to swallow many people with a single
bite. Finally, an old man found a way to trick the beast into disappearing.
People celebrate this event at Chinese New Year. In fact, Nian means "year" in
modern Chinese, and people often say Guo Nian, meaning "celebrate New Year,"
while the literal translation is "survive the Nian." The custom of setting off
fire-crackers and decorating the home with red paper also has its origins in the
myth of the man-eating beast. The loud noises and bright colors are designed to
make sure Nian is too scared to ever return. The Lantern Festival marks the end
of the New Year season. In reality, New Years festivities probably evolved from a
desire to celebrate the end of winter and the fertility and rebirth that comes
with Spring. Today, New Years is about family reunions and wishing everyone good
fortune in the coming year.

Jiaozi - Chinese Dumplings

These Chinese dumplings are especially popular during the Chinese New Year
season.

Jiaozi dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
up to 1 1/4 cups ice cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
1 cup ground pork or beef
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste
3 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 green onion, finely minced
1 1/2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
4 tablespoons shredded bamboo shoots
2 slices fresh ginger, finely minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

Stir the salt into the flour. Slowly stir in the cold water, adding as much as is
necessary to form a smooth dough. Don't add more water than is ncessary. Knead
the dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30
minutes. While the dough is resting, prepare the filling ingredients. Add the soy
sauce, salt, rice wine and white pepper to the meat, stirring in only one
direction. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring in the same direction, and mix
well. To make the dumpling dough: knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
Divide the dough into 60 pieces. Roll each piece out into a circle about 3-inches
in diameter. Place a small portion (about 1 level tablespoon) of the filling into
the middle of each wrapper. Wet the edges of the dumpling with water. Fold the
dough over the filling into a half moon shape and pinch the edges to seal.
Continue with the remainder of the dumplings. To cook, bring a large pot of water
to a boil. Add half the dumplings, giving them a gentle stir so they don't stick
together. Bring the water to a boil, and add 1/2 cup of cold water. Cover and
repeat. When the dumplings come to a boil for a third time, they are ready. Drain
and remove. If desired, they can be pan-fried at this point.



Yu Sang (Chinese New Year Salad)

Also known as Lo Hei, this dish is traditionally served on the seventh day
of Chinese New Year, which the Chinese celebrate as "everyone's birthday."

1/2 lb tuna, sashimi-grade OR striped bass fillet, fresh, about 6x2x1/2 inch
piece
2 cups daikon (chinese white radish), peeled, finely shredded
2 cups carrot, peeled, finely shredded
6 ea ginger, young, fresh, thin quarter-sized, slices, finely shredded
1/3 cup ginger, preserved, pickled, finely shredded, sweet
1/4 cup scallions, pickled, finely shredded
6 ea kaffir lime, fresh leaves, finely shredded
3 lrg. Red Thai chiles, seeded, finely shredded
1/2 ea green onions, bunch, finely shredded
1/2 ea cilantro, bunch, leaves only
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
1 ea lime or lemon, cut in half, seeded
Crisp fried shrimp chips or fried rice stick noodles, for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

---Marinade---
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 Tbsp asian sesame oil
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. five-spice powder
lemon juice

The quality and freshness of the fish is crucial for the success of the dish.
Purchase the fish from a Japanese fish shop that specializes in sashimi, or a
reliable fishmonger. To facilitate the very fine shredding of the radish and
carrot, use a mandolin or the fine shredding disc of a food processor. Chill fish
until firm. Cut into paper-thin, 2-inch-long slices against the grain; set aside.
In separate bowls, cover radishes and carrots with cold water; set aside until
ready to assemble salad. Then rinse and squeeze out excess water. To assemble:
Toss fish slices with marinade ingredients. Place fish in center of a platter.
Arrange daikon and carrot shreds around fish. Scatter fresh and pickled ginger,
the pickled scallions, lime leaves, chiles, green onions and cilantro over fish.
Sprinkle with peanuts and sesame seeds.

Just before serving, squeeze the lime or lemon juice over all. It is customary
for everyone to join in and toss the salad. Using chopsticks, each diner digs
from the bottom of the salad and lifts the ingredients to mix together. When the
salad is fully tossed, taste for seasoning. Adjust with more sesame oil, lime
juice, salt and/or some of the juices from the pickled vegetables. Garnish with
shrimp chips or fried rice stick noodles.

Serves 4 to 6.

NOTE: Bottled pickled ginger and pickled scallions may be found in Chinese
markets. Kaffir lime leaves may be found in Thai grocery stores. If kaffir
leaves are not available, omit or substitute domestic lime leaves.




New Year's Cake (Neen Gow)

Neen Gow, New Year's Cake, is the most important cake eaten on New Year's -
the main ingredient, glutinous rice flour, is a symbol of cohesiveness. The
egg-dipped, pan-fried slices have a mellow sweetness and are slightly chewy
from glutinous rice flour. The traditional technique is to scrap the slab
brown candy, peen tong, for this cake. The Brown candy is a kind of sugar
that is sold by the slab in 1-pound packages and is also available loose in
bins in some Chinese markets. The slabs are about 5 inches long, 1 1/4
inches wide, and a scant 1/2 inch thick. The scraping of the sugar is
extremely labor-intensive, so some cooks dissolve the slabs of sugar in
water, which is less authentic but much easier to prepare. Be sure to use
glutinous rice flour here, not regular rice flour!
During the first ten days of the New Year's celebration a few slices of the
New Year's cake are fried every morning for breakfast or when friends or
family stop by. The cake will keep nicely in the refrigerator for ten days
if wrapped in plastic wrap.

3 Chinese dried red dates
5 slabs brown candy (peen tong), about 11 ounces
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
7 cups glutinous rice flour
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
1 large egg
vegetable oil, for pan-frying


In a small bowl, soak the red dates in 1/4 cup cold water for 30 minutes, or
until softened. When softened, remove and discard the pits. Cut each brown candy
slab into 8 pieces. Place sugar in a heatproof bowl, pour 2 cups boiling water
over the sugar, and set aside until dissolved and completely cooled. Grease a
heatproof 8-inch round, 3- to 4-inch-deep, straight-sided bowl, such as souffle
dish, with 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. In a large bowl, place rice flour. Make a
well and stir in cold sugar water. Knead dough in the bowl, adding an additional
1/3 cup cold water until dough is smooth, slightly moist, and shiny, 5 to 10
minutes. Place the dough in the prepared dish and pat until it fills the dish
evenly. Cut the red dates into halves and place cut-side down in a ring around
the outside of the dough, leaving a few to decorate the center.

Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds. Coat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, using
your fingers and lightly pressing down on the dates and sesame seeds. Bring water
to a boil over high heat in a covered steamer large enough to fit the dish
without touching the sides of the steamer. Carefully place the dish into the
steamer, cover, and steam 35 to 40 minutes on high heat. Check the water level
and replenish, if necessary, with boiling water. The cake is done when it begins
to pull away from the sides of the pan. Carefully remove the dish from the
steamer and pour off any excess liquid on the surface. Place on a rack to cool.
Loosely cover and set at room temperature in a cool room until the next day, when
it will be ready to eat.

Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen sides. Place a cake rack over
the bowl and invert to unmold. Flip the cake right-side up onto the cutting
board. Wrap the cake in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.

When ready to eat, cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter crosswise, not
into wedges, but into two 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into scant
1/4-inch-thick slices. This is the typical way of slicing a cake Chinese style.
Beat an egg in a small bowl, until frothy. Dip the slices in egg.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or skillet, over medium heat until hot but not
smoking. Add just enough vegetable oil to barely coat the wok, add the egg-dipped
slices in batches and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Serve
immediately. Makes one 8-inch cake, about 72 slices.



--
Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia D Hill at .
Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting.
Please allow several days for your submission to appear.
Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/