Recipe: New Year's Favorites
Cold Mixed Ten Vegetables
1/2 cup of mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup of soy bean sprouts
1/2 cup of julienned cucumber
1/2 cup of julienned Chinese radish
1/2 cup of julienned carrots
1/2 cup of julienned celery
1/2 cup of wood fungus, shredded and soaked
1/2 cup of dry lily flower, soaked
1/2 cup of shiitake mushroom, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup of pressed tofu, cut into thin strips
1/4 teasp of salt
2 tblsps of vinegar
2 tblsps of soy sauce
1 tblsp of sugar
1 tblsp of sesame oil
Boil water and blanch bean sprouts, tofu, mushroom, lily flower and wood fungus, in that order. Set aside, let cool. In a big bowl mix salt with carrot, radish, cucumber and celery, let stand for 15 minutes then drain excessive salty water from vegetables. Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. In a large bowl mix well all vegetables and sauce. Refrigerate one hour or more before serving. Serve cold. Make 8 1/2 cup servings.
"Fa Tsai" Soup (Good Fortune Soup)
1 Cornish game hen, cleaned and defrosted
6 fresh Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 ounce of Fa-tsai (very thin eatable fungus),
washed
1/4 cup salt preserved bamboo shoots (optional),
washed
1/4 teasp of salt
2 slices of ginger
8 cups of water
Fa-tsai can be found in the dried goods section in a Chinese grocery store. In a large stew pot, put all ingredients together and bring the soup to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for another 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot. Make 10 one cup servings.
"Nien Nien You Yu" 年年有餘 (Steamed Whole Fish)
1 whole stripped bass, about 2 lbs., cleaned
4 slices of ginger
4 stems of scallion
2 table spoons of cooking wine
1/4 teasp of salt
Thinly julienne 2 slices of ginger and 2 stems of scallion, set aside. Boil water in a steamer. Set fish on a plate, sprinkle with salt, layer on 2 ginger slices and 2 stem of scallions. Steam fish for 15 minutes. Before serving, discard steamed ginger and scallion, layer on fresh julienned ones. Serve warm. Make 8 1/4 cup servings.
"Jing Wan Tsz" (Deep Fried Vegetable Balls)
1 cup of carrots and peas
3/4 cup of chopped onion
1 cup of diced potato
1 cup of flour
3/4 cup of water
1 egg
1/2 tea sp of sugar
1/4 tea sp of salt
2 cups of cooking oil
Mix flour with water, add vegetables, stir in one egg, add sugar and salt, mix well. Heat oil in a deep frying pan or a wok, test oil with a dry spoon, when bubbles form around spoon, reduce to medium heat, scoop one spoonful of vegetable flour mixture at a time, carefully drop it into hot oil. When balls turn golden brown color, scoop them out onto a plate layered with a towel to soak up excess oil. Make 8 1/2 cup servings. Serve warm.
Stir Fried Sticky Rice with Four Treasures
2 cups of sweet rice, uncooked
1/2 cup dry shiitake mushroom, soaked and cut
into thin strips
1/2 cup of dry chestnut, soaked overnight and
cut into halves
1/4 cup of soaked dried shrimp
1/4 cup of fried shallot bits
2 tblsps of cooking oil
4 tblsps of soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Brown shallots in oil or use pre fried shallot bits. Cook two cups of rice and 1/2 cup of chestnuts with two cups of water in a rice cooker. When rice is ready, stir fry mushrooms, shrimps and shallots. Add soy sauce, and 1/4 cup of water used to soak dry mushrooms. Stir in rice and chestnut halves. Mix well till all rice grains are coated with brown color. Serve warm. Make 8 one cup servings.
Sweet Porridge with Eight Treasures
1/4 cup dried red dates
1/4 cup Peanuts
1/4 cup mung beans (green beans)
1/4 cup Azuki beans (red beans)
1/4 cup lotus seeds
1/4 cup dried "longan" (Dragon Eye Fruit)
1/4 cup barley
1/2 cup sweet rice
1 cup brown sugar
10 cup water
Soak lotus seeds, peanuts and Azuki beans in 4 cups of water overnight. Rinse all ingredients. Discard soaking water. Put all ingredients except sugar in a big pot, bring to boil and then simmer in low heat for at least two hours till all ingredients are soft to chew. Add sugar last. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. Serve warm. Make 12 one cup servings.