Chinese New Year brings many traditional and festive culinary fares to the table. For the celebrators, it is time to renew energy around their homes, life, family, and friends. Like any other culture, food is a unifying factor during the Chinese New Year. According to Master Chef Liang Xiao Qing, the Jade emperor sends the Kitchen God to visit each home shortly before Chinese New Year and ascertain whether any good or bad deeds have been committed. People pray to the gods and the emperor during Chinese New Year and offer them food. "Foods like fish, dim sums, noodles, spring rolls, fruits and a few others have a special significance attached to them when it comes to festive fare. Every dish served during the Chinese New Year has a special meaning."
Chef Liang shares three easy-to-do yet unique recipes to add flavours to the festivities.
Pepper Chicken Chongqing Style
Delicious pepper chicken, Image Source: Shanghai Club, ITC Grand Central
Ingredients
- 2.5kg chicken thigh boneless
- 10gm dry chilli
- 20 gm Sichuan peppercorn
- 30 gm chilli flakes
- 50 gm garlic
- 50 gm ginger
- 50 gm dark soy sauce
- 100 ml Shaoxing cooking wine
- 10 ml sesame oil
- 10 gm salt
- 10 gm white pepper
- 300gm cornflour
- 200 gm spring onion
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 100 gm eggs
Method
- Dice the chicken into 4" cubes, marinate with salt, pepper, cornflour and beaten egg, and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a wok and fry the marinated chicken pieces until cooked. Remove and keep aside.
- Remove excess oil from the wok, add the dry chilli, chopped ginger, garlic, and Sichuan pepper and stir fry until cooked.
- Add the fried chicken pieces to the wok, blend in the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and seasonings, and give them a thorough stir.
- Finish with spring onions and sesame oil.
Serve hot!
Mixed Vegetable in Three Flavour Sauce
Ingredients
- 400 gm Pok Choy
- 400 gm Chinese cabbage
- 400 gm zucchini
- 400 gm broccoli
- 300 gm button mushroom
- 300 gm baby corn
- 300 gm carrot
- 50 ml tamarind juice
- 50 ml sweet chilli sauce
- 50 gm spicy chilli paste
- 50 gm chilli paste
- 10 gm salt
- 50 gm coriander
- 20 ml lemon juice
- 50 gm ginger (chopped)
- 50 gm garlic (chopped)
- 30 gm cornflour dissolved
- 100 ml vegetable oil
Method
- Wash and dice all the vegetables, blanch them and keep them aside.
- In a wok, heat oil add the chopped ginger and garlic and fry; add the sweet and spicy chilli paste
- Add the blanched vegetables to the wok along with the tamarind juice.
- Thicken with cornflour and finish with lemon juice and chopped coriander.
Mapo Tofu
Ingredients
- 400 gm silken tofu
- 300 gm button mushroom
- 300 gm red onion
- 50 gm black bean
- 50 gm chilli bean paste
- 10 gm salt
- 10 gm white pepper powder
- 100 gm spring onion
- 100ml vegetable oil
- 50gm garlic
- 20 ml mushroom soy sauce
- 100 gm cornflour slurry
Method
- Dice the silken tofu into a 2inch cube
- Chop the spring onion and button mushroom and keep them aside
- Chop the onion, garlic black bean and set aside
- In a wok, heat oil, add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, black bean and chilli bean paste and fry
- Add in the diced tofu and the rest of the ingredients
- Thicken with the cornflour slurry.
Serve hot with steamed rice.