Chinese New Year Dishes

Gong Hay Fat Choy! Here are some Chinese New Year dishes that I've cooked for my family over the years. It is good luck to prepare an even number of dishes, such as 8 which means prosperity in Chinese.

Here is a compilation of festive dishes to help you celebrate this Lunar New Year of the Dragon. May we all be blessed with good health and prosperity for 2012! (Mouse over picture to view recipe).

Candied Pork Ribs

I simply love this dish because the cane sugar and the vinegar gives it a sweet and sour taste with a rich caramelized brown syrupy aroma. It is a colorful dish for any occasion.
Ingredients:
5 strips of baby pork ribs, cut into bite sized (between the bones)
1 egg yolk
All-purpose flour for coating
salt and pepper
1 piece of brown candy (cane sugar imported from China)
¼ cup brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Oil for deep frying
Method:
1. Pat ribs dry, season with salt and pepper and egg yolk. Set aside. Add enough flour in a bowl to coat the meat.
2. In a deep pan, heat enough oil for deep fry. Turn heat on high. Using a long chopsticks or tong, pick a piece of meat and coat with flour, shake off access flour and gently put into pan. Fry till golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Note: Do not add too much meat to cook at one time and discard used oil.

3. Remove oil from pan, reheat pan on low heat. Break the cane sugar and let it melt in the pan, stirring to prevent burning. Warm the vinegar slighty and add to the sugar mixture slowly, stirring to prevent sugar from crystalizing. Adjust to your taste, add a little more cane sugar or vinegar to balance the sweet and sour taste. Next toss in the ribs and give it a quick stir to mix well with the sauce. Serve hot with rice.
Note: A friend suggest that I submit this dish to "Aspiring Bakers #15-Auspicious Dishes for CNY, hosted by Wen's Delight.
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Water Chestnuts Jelly/Ma Ti Gao

Water chestnuts is a brown knobby vegetable that resembles a small bulb. Don't be mistaken by its name--as it is not a nut but an aquatic vegetable that grows in wet muddy marshes. You can buy it fresh or canned in most Chinese supermarkets. It has a crunchy texture with a delicate and nutty flavor. This dessert is another treat to prepare for the Chinese New Year.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water chestnut flour
1/4 cup dried chrysanthemum flower
2 1/2 cups water
10-12 wolfberries or goji berries (pre-soaked some water to soften)
10 water chestnuts, peeled and chopped finely
Method:
1. In a medium saucepan, heat water, chrysanthemum flowers and sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolves and lower heat and cook for another 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and filter away the chrysanthemum.
2. Return liquid to saucepan and add wolfberries, water chestnuts and cook and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in water chestnut flour slowly and whisk briskly to dissolve. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl or jelly mould to cool and chill overnight in the refrigerator. Unmould and serve or cut into thick slices and pan-fried with a little oil.
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Crispy Roast Duck

Whenever I have a craving for duck, I would drive to Chinatown and bring home a roast duck. They are the ones that you see hanging in the shop window. I love to eat it while it is still warm as the skin is crispy and the meat is succulent and delicious. It is great serve over rice or noodles. For years, I am intimidated by the thought of roasting a duck as someone told me that it takes hours of skillful preparation and roasting. Well, I figured it is worth giving it a try. You can buy frozen duck in the freezer compartment in most supermarket, or pre-order a fresh one in some Chinese supermarket.

 

frozen duck

 

gently score skin surface

after an hour of roasting

poke skin all over

follow steps to roasting and final glaze

Ingredients:
1 whole duck (4-5 lbs)
Glaze:
½ cup honey
¼ cup orange juce
2 tsp. plum sauce
1 tsp. orange flavored water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash duck and remove giblets and fat, remove and quills by pulling it out with a tweezer. Pat dry with paper towel. Use a knife and gently score the surface of the skin by slicing through the skin and fat (this process remove excess fat when cooking). Rub inside and outside with salt and truss with cooking twine.
2. Place breast side-up in a baking rack and roast for an hour. Pull out, poke skin all over and roast further for another hour breast-side down.
3. Repeat Step 2 and turn duck each time reversing positions (breast-side up or down) for the next hour of roasting.
4. Mix the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Season to taste. (This recipe makes a substantial amount, but you can vary the quantities according to your needs)
3. At the final 3rd hour, increase heat to 400°F. Turn duck breast-side up brush duck with glaze and roast further for another 10 minutes until duck has a nice mahogany color and golden. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the duck until the temperature is 165°F. Remove and cool duck completely before carving. 5. Drain pan drippings and strain into remaining glaze. Reheat and thicken slightly with some cornstarch and serve with duck on the side.
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Sesame Balls/Jin Dui

"Jin Dui" are deep-fried balls stuffed with a sweet paste and coated with sesame seeds. It is sweet with a chewy texture. You can make it with or without the filling--it is equally enjoyable. Because of its round shape and golden color, it resembles gold coins signifying a symbol of wealth and good fortune. I'll be sure to have it this Chinese New Year in hope to increase my fortune.
Ingredients:
3 cups glutinous rice flour
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup white raw sesame seeds
1 cup lotus seed paste or red bean
oil for deep frying
Method:
1. In a bowl, add sugar, water and stir until dissolved. Add in the flour and mix until mixture forms a ball. Dust hands with some flour and knead into a smooth dough. Roll out the dough on a flour board into a long roll and cut into 2-inches pieces. Pour sesame seeds into wide bowl and set aside another bowl of water.
2. Flatten each piece into a round and place a spoonful of fillings (red bean or lotus seed paste) into the center and gather and pinch the edges to seal completely. Roll the filled dough into smooth ball; dip lightly in water quickly and coat with the sesame seeds. Do the same with the rest of the dough.
3. Heat enough oil in a deep pan; reduce heat to medium high and fry a few dough balls until it expands and golden in color, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve warm.
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Cornish Game Hen with Cumberland Sauce

Cornish Game Hen, or Poussin is a very young chicken. The meat is tender and juicy and takes less time to cook. This dish will be festive for any occasion!
Ingredients: (4 servings)
2 Cornish Game hens, cut into halves
2 large orange
¾ cup Port
4 Tbsps. red currant jelly
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 tsp. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 baking tray

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Slice enough peel from one orange with a vegetable peeler. Slice the other orange into half and slice into thin slices. Squeeze juice from remaining oranges to measure ½ cup, set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine Port, jelly and orange juice and peel. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until jelly melts. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in mustard and vinegar. Set aside to cool.
3. Wash and pat hen dry and insert slices of orange under the skin of each halves of hen. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Arrange on baking tray and roast for about 15-20 minutes.
4. Brush the hen pieces with half of the sauce and continue to roast until the hen are cooked through and the skin is golden brown for another 20-30 minutes Note: Juice should run clear when pierced with a small knife and/or test with a cooking thermometer)
5. Remove and cover to keep warm. When cool enough to handle, cut into quarters and transfer pieces to individual warmed plates. Scrape drippings from pan and add into remaining sauce. Gently reheat sauce and spoon over hen pieces. Serve with fresh orange slices and other complimentary side dishes for the occasion.

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Curry Prawns

This is a delicious curry in which the prawns is flavored with spices and curry leaf, a specialty in Malaysian local curries. I serve this with nasi kunyit.
Ingredients:
400gms prawns, deveined, washed and drained
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
2 tsp. garlic, minced
¾ cups coconut milk
2 sprigs curry leaves (murraya koenigii)
oil for cooking
Spices: mix to form a smooth paste
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. chilli powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. galangar powder
2 tsp. tomato paste
1½ Tbsp. coriander powder
½ tsp. fennel powder
2 Tbsp. water
Method:
1. In a frying pan, heat 2 tablepsoons of oil and fry onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. Stir in the spices and fry on low heat until oil exudes and separates from the paste (add a little more oil if necessary), for about 5-10 minutes.
2. Add the prawns and stir fry for another 5 minutes, then add coconut milk, curry leaves. Simmer to cook prawns and season to taste. Serve hot with rice.
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Turmeric Rice/Nasi Kunyit

This is another specialty dish to serve on festive and auspicious occasions, such as weddings and on baby's full moon. Nasi Kunyit is glutinous rice dish that transcends from two ethnic cultures in Malaysia: Peranakan or Straits-born Chinese, and Malay. The former prepare this dish to celebrate a baby's one month anniversary since birth, while the latter serve it during the fasting month of Ramadan and weddings. The key ingredient to this simple and festive dish is turmeric, which gives it a rich golden yellow color. It is often accompanied with other dishes that is rich in gravy, such as curries or stews.
Ingredients:
1¼ cups glutinous rice, washed and soaked overnight
2 tsp. turmeric powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 piece dried tamarind
1 cup water
1 pandan (screwpine) leaves
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp. salt
Method:
1. Rinse and drain rice into a bowl, and set aside. In a frying pan over medium heat, pan fry cloves, cinnamon stick for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Remove and set aside.
2. Add the pan-roasted spices to the rice, along with turmeric powder and tamarind to a bowl. Mix well to mix and let sit for overnight or at least half a day.
3. Set a steamer with water to boil. Remove and drain only the rice to a deep pan. Add the coconut milk, water and screwpine leaf to it and steam for 1-2 hours or until rice is cooked and fluffy. Serve warm with your favorite curries.
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Savory Rice Dumplings/Nyonya Bak Chang

Rice Dumpling festival or Dragon Boat festival falls on the 5th day of the 5th month on the Chinese lunar calendar. During the Chu dynasty (楚), there was a Chinese patriotic poet by the name of Qu Yuan who served as a minister for the emperor and was well loved by the villagers. However, some court officials were jealous of his popularity and his abilities, they influenced and convinced the emperor to dismiss and exiled him. Feeling desolated and disheartened, of the injustice and corruption he committed suicide by drowning himself in the Mi River. When the villagers found out about his death, they rowed their boats out to the river to look for his body. When they failed to find his body, they started making a racket of noises by beating their drums in hope to scare the fishes and sea creatures away from eating Qu Yuan's body. Yet, some villagers made rice dumplings to throw into the water believing that the fishes and sea creatures will be distracted and feast on the rice dumplings instead of his body. Thus, the Duan Wu festival, or Dragon Boat festival is to commemorates the life and death of this historic figure, Qu Yuan.
Rice Dumplings (Bak Chang in Hokkien) is a four-triangular faces (tetrahedron) of sticky glutinous rice stuffed with savory fillings, wrapped with bamboo leaves and then cook in boiling water. There are many variations to this dumpling. The traditional one has stuffing of pork, beans, salted egg yolks, and chestnuts. I am making the Peranakan, or Nyonya version, that has a salty and sweet savory filling. The bluish color is extracted from the Butterfly Pea flower (Bunga Telang). If this is not available, substitute with blue food coloring instead.

(Cantonese version dumpling)

Ingredients:
500 gms. glutinous rice, washed and soaked overnight
2 Tbsps. cooking oil
1 Tbsp. Bunga Telang juice, or few drops of blue food coloring)
1 packet dried bamboo leaves, presoaked in boiling water until soft
hemp strings, presoaked
3 pandan leaves, cut into 2 inchs lengths
Spices:
2 Tbsp. peppercorns
3 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
10 gms. cekur (zedoary) ginger root (substitute with 2 tsp. Sar ginger powder)
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
Filling:
400 gms. chicken, cut into small cubes
100 gms. candied winter melon, chopped finely (optional)
200 gms. roasted peanuts, grinded finely
150 gms. dried shrimps, presoaked and chopped finely
5-6 dried mushrooms, presoaked and chopped finely
5 medium-sized shallots, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Rinse glutinous rice until water runs clear, picked out stones and dirt in the rice. Remove about 200 gms of rice into a bowl and add blue coloring, one tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well to incorporate coloring into rice. To the remaining of the rice, add one tablespoon of oil, salt and mix well.
2. Ground all the spices ingredients finely.  In a deep pan or wok, heat oil and fry garlic and shallots until soft. Add in mushrooms and dried shrimps and fry until fragrant. Then add the chicken meat and seasonings and stir until cooked. Season to taste with salt and/or sugar. Add in the candied melons, if using and fry for another minute. Remove from heat and let cool. When completely cool, add in the peanuts.
3. Wipe the bamboo leaves dry and drained. Arrange all the ingredients on the table. How to make a string cradle: Cut strings of 3 feet lengths. Put them together and tie a knot with a loop at the end of the strings or tie it over a chair. The loose ends will be use for tying the wrapped dumplings.
4. How to wrap a dumpling: Overlap 2 slices of leaves with the sharp edges in the middle and fold into a cone from about ¾ of the leaf, making sure there is no hole at the bottom of the cone. Fill cone with 1 heaped spoon of blue colored rice, 1 tablespoon of white rice, followed by 2 tablespoons of filling and another tablespoon of the white rice. Press the ingredients with a spoon to compact it. Place a piece of pandan leaf on the side. Using the right fingers, fold the loose ends of the bamboo leaves over the rice to cover completely. Wrap dumpling into a pyramid shape before securing with strings, making sure the rice is consealed and compact. Repeat this method with the remaining ingredients until you have dumplings tied into a bunch on the string cradle.
4. Bring a big pot of water to a boil, making sure the water is enough to cover the dumplings. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Put in the tied dumplings and cook over high heat for 1-1½ hours, until the rice is completely cooked or until the rice shapes has dissappeared and form into a smooth triangle shaped dumpling. Remove, drain and serve warm.
 (Click arrow to view video)

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Stewed Pork with Preserved Beancurd/Hakka Char Yok

Char Yok is a traditional Hakka cuisine that my mother would prepared during the Chinese New Year. I often joked with her that this dish is the major highlight as it brings happy and familiar faces of her extended family members: the Tai's, Cheong's and the Goh's. They would often praise her about it and my mother takes great pride in her cooking.
Hakka Char Yok is belly pork marinated with spices and fried till crispy and then gently braised with preserved red bean curd (nam yu red sauce), wood ears, and pickled mustard. I like to use the pickled mustard from Ipoh-Malaysia, which has a distinctive flavor and is less salty. This post is a tribute to my late mother, who has influenced my cooking with her penchant to perfection--Bon Appétit!
Ingredients:
1 lb. side belly pork (skin removed)
1 oz dried wood ears (soaked in water)
400 gms pickled mustard (ham choy)
1 Tbsp. Chinese wine or brandy
1 piece star anise
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cornflour
2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1¾ cups warm water
6 pieces nam yu
2 shallots, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small piece ginger, minced
Cooking oil
½ cup flour (coating)
Method:
1. Washed and cut pork in 2" pieces, dried with paper towels. In a bowl, mix well the following: Chinese five-spice powder; 2 pieces of nam yu; flour; cornflour; wine; and egg. Add in the pork and marinate meat overnight.

2. Washed and soak pickled mustard to remove any impurities and until water runs clear. Squeezed out excess water and cut into 2" pieces. Remove woody parts from wood ears and cut in 2" pieces. Set aside.

3. Heat enough oil in a deep saucepan on high heat. When oil is hot, coat each piece of meat with flour and shake off excess flour. Gently add to the hot oil to cook. Do not put in too much meat at one time as the meat will not cook properly. Do the same with the rest of the meat. Deep fried meat until golden brown. Drain meat on paper towels.
4. In another pot, add about one tablespoon oil, toss in the wood ears and pickled mustard and stir fry for about 5-10 minutes until the vegetables has absorbed most of the oil. Remove and set aside.

5. In the same pot, add in two tablespoon oil, fry the shallots, garlic, ginger, star anise till fragrant. Add in the rest of the nam yu and rest of the water. Using the back of the ladle, mashed the nam yu till it dissolved. Add in the wood ears, pickled mustard, and rest of the water. Stir in to mix well and let mixture comes to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes, until vegetables are soft and tender. Season to taste or add slightly more warm water if you like more gravy).
6. Add in the fried meat, mix and simmer on low for another 30 minutes till the meat has absorbed some of the gravy. Serve hot with rice.
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Chinese Fish Salad/Yee Sang

 

"Yee Sang" (鱼生; pinyin: yúshēng) in Cantonese means raw fish and this salad is another auspicious dish to present on the 7th day of Chinese New Year. It is an assortment of shredded vegetables, raw fish (sashimi), tossed with a sweet and tangy dressing served on a big platter. Generally, the tradition is to stand around the dish to mix, blend, and gently lifting the ingredients up from the bottom using a pair of chopstick. "Lo hei" (撈起 or 捞起), literary means prosperity and an increased in abundance. Normally, I would prepare and season the raw fish (sashimi) myself, but this time I ordered the sashimi from our regular Japanese restaurant instead.
Note: If you decide to prepare the sashimi at home, be sure to buy it from a reputable market as it has to be very fresh and of good quality. You cannot go wrong if you purchase it from either Berkeley Bowl in the East Bay, or from a Japanese grocery market. I packed the fish in ice pack to keep it fresh. Wash the fish well and pat dry. Season and rub fish with salt and some brandy. Wrapped in plastic and keep refrigerated for later. Before serving, rinse well with boiled drinking water.
Ingredients: (4-6)
20 or more pieces of fresh salmon or tuna (sliced thinly, and chill it refrigerator)
Dressing:
2 Tbsp. plum sauce
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 tsp. honey
2 tsp. sesame seed paste
¼ cup lemon juice
sesame seed oil
Garnishing:
1 radish, peeled and shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly
1 small papaya, peeled and shredded
½ pomelo, cut and remove the rind around the segments
½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped finely
2 tsp. roasted sesame seeds
cilantro, chopped
3 slices ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red chilli, sliced thinly
½ cup thin rice sticks noodles or vermicelli, break in half
cooking oil

Method:
1. Season the papaya and radish with a little salt and put in separate bowl, set aside for about 5 minutes. Squeezed out most of the juices and put aside. Colored half of the radish and papaya in red.
2. Heat enough oil on high in a small saucepan, when it's hot turn to medium heat, then add in a small amount of rice sticks to oil to puff up the noodles. Use a sieve or slotted spoon to remove it quickly when the rice sticks has puff up and white in color. Drained well on paper towels. Remove and discard used oil.
3. Heat the same saucepan with 2 tsp. oil and brown slightly the ginger and garlic. Remove and set aside. In a bowl mix the hoisin sauce, plum sauce, honey, sesame seed paste to a smooth paste.
4. In a another clean saucepan simmer ingredients for the dressing on medium heat, stirring to remove lumps. Add 2 drops of seseame seed oil, lemon juice and season to taste. Add a little more honey or lemon juice if needed. The taste should be sweet and tangy.
5. To assemble: In a large platter, arrange the ingredients, garnishing, and put the raw fish in the center of the platter.

6. Mix in the dressing, ginger and garlic oil, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Using a chopstick mix and blend in the ingredients. Serve immediately.

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Peanut Puffs/Gok Jai

Chinese New Year is never the same without these flaky peanut puffs or "Gok Jai" in Cantonese. It contain a sweet filling of peanuts, coconut, and sesame seeds. The ingredient, peanuts signifies long life. This is a traditonal recipe from my friend, Jeanita. Depending on the size of your cutter, you can make approximately 12 dozen cookies. Traditionally this cookie is deep fried in hot oil and for those of you who are health concious, you can bake them in the oven. Simply brush the cookies with a thin layer of egg wash and bake at 375°F temperature unitl it turns light golden brown. It can also be deep fried in hot oil if preferred.

Ingredients:

1½ lbs all-purpose flour

6 ozs. butter

4 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup cold ice waer

Oil for frying (optional)

Filling:

2 cups roasted peanuts, skinned and chopped finely

2 cups roasted sesame seeds

1½ cups sugar

½ tsp. salt

Method:

1. Roast peanuts on medium heat till golden brown, remove and grind to fine chunks. In the same pan, roast the sesame seeds till lightly brown. Add peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar, and salt together. Set aside

2. For pastry: Using the food processor, pulse magarine and butter till it resemble like fine breadcrumbs. Add beaten egg, water and pulse into a pliable dough. Covered and let dough rest for 15 minutes.

3. Make the puffs: Roll out the dough into thin sheet in a paste roller and cut into rounds. Put the pastry rounds in your palm and add 1/2 tsp. of filling into the center of the pastry and wrap up filling. Here's the fun part to make the decorative rope edging--it is a repetitive method of pinching and folding. Pinch a small corner of the dough up with your thumb and index finger. Slide thumb under the pinched edge and fold top edge pinched area while making a new pinch slightly above the first edge.

4. In a deep pot, heat enough oil for deep-frying. Turn heat to medium heat, and add a few at a time and fry till golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. When cool, store in containers.
Tips: You can substitute 2 cans (salted peanuts/honey toasted) if you dont have time to fry the peanuts. Mix them together and grind them to smaller pieces.
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Steamed Pomfret

 
Steamed fish is a must have dish for Chinese New Year celebration. The Chinese name for fish is "Yu", sounds like the word for abundance and riches. It is believe that eating fish on this auspicious day will bring good luck to the family. I love pomfret for its delicate and smooth texture.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized white pomfret
2 Tbsp. thin soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. white pepper
salt to taste
3 slices of ginger, sliced thinly
spring onions and cilantro for decoration
Method:
1. Clean the fish without removing the fins and tail.
2. Stuff some ginger and spring onions into the fish stomach. Place on a dish.
3. Pour water into a steamer and bring water to a fast boil. Put the fish in to steam until the fish is cooked--when its eyes popped out--it is ready!
4. In a small saucepan, heat some oil over medium heat, stir in the soy sauce. Pour this over the fish. Garnish with spring onions and cilantro. Serve hot with rice.
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Fried Mixed Vegetables/Loh Hon Chye

                                                          
Chinese New Year is not the same without this dish. My mother prepared a big pot of this dish every Chinese New Year without fail. It is a vegetarian dish that is eaten on the first day of the Chinese New Year. Every household has a different version and name for it, but is commonly known as "Loh Hon Chye" in Cantonese.

Ingredients:

1 long napa cabbage (cut in 1-inch length)

10 dried shitake mushrooms (soaked in water, sliced in quarters)

4 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms (soaked in water and sliced thinly)

4-5 pieces dried cloud ear mushrooms (soaked in water and sliced thinly)

1 bunch Enoki mushrooms

1 can baby corn (drained and cut in 1-inch length)

1 small lotus root (scrub clean and sliced in quarters)

4 dried soybean sticks (soaked in water and cut in 1-inch length)

3 pieces preserved red bean curd (mixed in a little water)

2 slices of ginger, sliced thinly

2 tsp. cornstarch, mixed with a little water

5 Tbsp. oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method: 

1.Prepare the vegetables. Set aside.

2.Heat some oil in a pan and fry cabbage for about 2 minutes till it is slightly reduce in size. Remove to a plate.

3.Return pan to the stove, add some oil and fry the ginger till golden brown. Add the dried mushrooms, wood ears, cloud ears and fry till fragrant. Add in the lotus root, cabbage and the preserved red bean. Add 1/4 cup of warm water and allow vegetables to simmer for 10 minutes.

4.When vegetables are tender, add the corn and cook for another 5 minutes. Thicken gravy with cornstarch and season to taste. Serve warm.

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Steamed Spiced Duck

A dear friend of mine shared this recipe with me. It's perfect for an appetizer or a "cold platter" in Chinese.

Ingredients:

1 duck (3-4 lbs)

3 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. Szechuan peppercorns

2 star anise

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 slices ginger root, sliced thinly

2 stalks spring onion, sliced thinly

2 pieces of Chinese bacon

1½ cups Chinese cooking wine

Steamer (can be purchased in Chinese grocery store)

1 cheese cloth bag(big enough for duck)

Plum sauce

Method:
1. Clean duck, remove giblets and neck. Poke holes in duck meat. Wipe dry and leave aside. In a clean pan without oil, fry salt, peppercorns, star anise, ginger root and spring onions till fragrant. Grind or pound mixture finely.
2. Rub this spiced mixture inside and outside of duck thoroughly. Place duck in a pan and cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove plastic wrap from duck, rinse duck in cold water to remove seasoning spices. Drip dry, place duck in the cheescloth and secure tightly.
4. Place duck a deep dish, add half of the cooking wine to duck. Put water in the bottom layer of steamer and bring to boil, then place duck in the top tray, cover and steam for an hour.
5. Remove the duck, pour any juice to a bowl for later use. Replace the duck to the dish and add remaining wine, with bacon slices on the top of duck. Return duck to the steamer. Check to see if water is needed in the bottom tray. If water is low, add warm water. Steam duck for another hour.
6. Remove bacon and cheesecloth from duck when cool, and refrigerate duck an hour or two before serving. To serve, debone duck and slice meat thinly and serve with plum sauce. Separate excess oil from juice, heat slightly and serve over duck if desired. For added color, serve with pickled seaweeds.
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Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork or "goo lou yok" in Cantonese dialect is a classic dish served in many Chinese restaurants. It is crispy fried pork glazed with a sweet and tangy sauce and bell peppers or pineapple. I find the sauce in the restaurant abit too sweet and too much coloring to my taste--here's my version.
Ingredients:
¾ lbs. pork tenderloin or shoulder pork, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
1½ tsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
Oil for deep frying
Sauce:
¼ cup light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. plum sauce
2 Tbsp. Thai Sweet Chilli sauce, optional
1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in some water
Batter:
½ cup flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 egg white, lightly beaten
½ cup warm water, as needed
Garnishing:
1 carrot, sliced thinly
1 medium sized onion, sliced thinly
1 of each red and green pepper, sliced
Method:
1. Marinate meat in soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, ketchup, plum sauce, vinegar ingredients together, and season to taste. For a spicy sauce, add the chilli sauce if desired. Set aside.
3. For the batter, mix flour and constarch. Add in the egg white and enough warm water to form a thick batter that is not too dry or too moist. (The batter should not be runny, and should slide off the back of the spoon)
4. Heat enough oil for deep frying. Dip the marinated pork in the batter. Deep fry in small batches until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
5. In a pan over medium heat, add enough oil and stir fry the onions, carrots, and bell peppers. Add the sauce and bring to fast boil and thicken with the cornstarch mixture, stirring and adjust seasonings, adding more salt, sugar and/or vinegar if desired.
6. Ladle hot sauce over pork and serve with rice.
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Beef Rendang/Dry Beef Curry

A traditional dish of beef simmered in a rich spicy coconut milk. This is a special dish to prepare during the festive and/or weddings in Malaysia. It is generally served with ketupat (compressed rice cubes), roti jala or plain rice. The authentic rendang recipe calls for kerisik, which is pan-fried or toasted fresh grated coconut. It is then grind to form a fine powdery paste. My family loves this dish and I used to make batches of it and freeze them. Whenever my kids come to visit, they have something yummy to bring home. Years ago, I used to prepare the curry spices from scratch using the mortar and pestle and it is very time consuming and tiring for my shoulders. Nowadays, I substitute it with ready-made pastes and spice ingredients that I can get in the local markets. I've tested a few of these ready-made paste and by far, the best one is Brahim rendang paste, and the Mae Ploy red curry paste.

Ingredients:
4-5 lbs topside or round chuck beef, cut in large pieces (larger than bite-sized)
1 can coconut cream (dilute with some of the coconut milk)
½ can coconut milk
Fry Ingredients (C):
1 stalk crushed lemon grass
4 kaffir lime leaves
3 star anise
2 cloves
1 small piece cinnamon stick
3 pieces dried tamarind
1 tumeric leaf, finely sliced (optional if not available)

4 Tbsp. oil

Kerisik: (optional)
¼ cup grated coconut for kerisik
Spices (A): (Blend to fine paste)
1 package Brahim rendang paste (if not available, substitute with 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, or curry powder)
5 shallots, sliced

1-2 large onions, sliced
10 dried chilies, soaked and seeds removed

2 cloves garlic

½-inch ginger
4 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced
4 kaffer lime leaves, sliced
4-5 slices of galangal

5 candlenuts (can substitute for a handful of walnuts)

Marinade (B):
2 Tbps curry powder

1 Tbp dark soya sauce

1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Method:
1. Season meat well with marinade ingredients (B) and set aside.
2. To make the kerisik, if using: fry the grated coconut in a non-stick frying pan (without oil) on low heat. Keep stirring until it is evenly browned and golden in color. It takes about 8-10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle grind until it resembles a fine paste. I use a mortar and pestle to do this task. Tip: Adding kerisik to the rendang helps thickens the gravy and give it a nice aroma.

4. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat, fry lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, blended spices (A), until fragrant and oil from the chilli starts to bubble on the surface. Continue stirring to prevent mixture from sticking.
5. Add in half of the coconut milk and stir the mixture for another 5 minutes, then add in the meat, dried tamarind, star anise, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Stir and mix until the mixture coats the meat evenly.
6. Add half of the coconut milk/cream, making sure the liquid is just enough to cover the meat. Cover and simmer on low until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Continue to simmer for 2 hours until the meat is tender and gravy has thickened
Tip: You don't add too much liquid as the meat will shrink during cooking, adjust when the mixture is getting too dry.
7. Add in the kerisik at the last hour of cooking time and stir in to mix with the gravy. The gravy should be thick and fragrant after the final stewing. Skim off some of the oil if you prefer.
8. Season to taste and serve hot with rice, roti or nasi kunyit.
Cook's tip:
You can make the kerisik ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator. I suggest you make extra and have enough for your next rendang. You can store it in an airtight container for up to about a month.
I find it economical to use coconut cream and add water to dilute and use accordingly. If using coconut milk do not dilute.
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