Category — Chinese New Year

Please welcome guest blogger Kimberly, my youngest sister and fellow restaurant baby, who shares with our mother’s lo han jai recipe. ~Madeline

Happy Chinese New Year! Traditionally, the first meal of the new year is vegetarian to counteract the excessive feasting from the night before and to cleanse the body. Growing up, my mom would prepare lo han jai on new year’s eve, and each member of the family will have it for breakfast the following day. While there are so many rich and succulent foods served during the new year, this dish–subtle in its flavors, but bursting with textures–is one of my favorites. If you are not too familiar with Chinese foods, some ingredients here may appear foreign, but they should be available at your nearest Chinese grocery store.

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Please welcome guest blogger Kimberly, my youngest sister and fellow restaurant baby, who shares with us her ideas on home decorating for the Chinese New Year. ~Madeline

Last weekend I had a blast hosting a Chinese new year dinner party for my friends. It was my way of welcoming the new year. 2011 is the year of the rabbit, which just so happens to be my zodiac. For my fellow year-of-the-rabbit friends, this is not necessarily good news. I have been warned by my grandma that when it is the year of your sign, it is supposed to be a personally challenging year.

I don’t consider myself superstitious, but there is nonetheless good reason for me to proceed into the year with caution, and to anticipate challenges.

If 2011 is going to be a tough year, then it is all the more important that I keep my friends close. During difficult and testing moments, I have heavily relied on my friends’ unfailing love and support. So, whatever 2011 brings me–good or bad–I am confident that I will be okay because I will not be going into it alone. This new year I wanted to express my gratitude to my friends with the simple gesture of inviting them into my home, feeding them a good meal, and sending them off satisfied and in good spirits.

Hosting a dinner party is not just about prepping food, but prepping your home–making sure that it is clean, warm and inviting. So, in this post, I wanted to share a few things I did with the house before my guests arrived. I hope this inspires you to think about what you can do to your home to better facilitate positive energy for the new year.

1. All winter and Christmas decorations must go. I had taken down the Christmas tree a month ago, but I had been procrastinating on the wreath and the mistletoe.  Who isn’t a sucker for Christmas decorations? But if they are still out by the Chinese New Year, you are on your final deadline.

2. Clean the house. Mop, sweep, vacuum, dust, organize, or  do as much as your schedule permits because come the week of new year day (February 3rd) you should not be doing any cleaning; the rationale being that you do not want to sweep or wash away the good luck that the new year brings. I want to stress that cleaning and de-cluttering your home ought to be on the top of the to-do list, ahead of acquiring any new decor, furniture or stuff. A clean house is inviting and refreshing in itself. So, if that’s all you have time for, then that’s already good enough.

3. Put out the snack and candy trays. Chinese new year is a time for visiting and hosting friends and families. It is customary to be ready for visitors with a tray of goodies–usually nuts, preserved fruits and candy. The tray is supposed to be circular or octagonal to symbolize harmony. I kept it simple, and took out a candy dish that I already have, and filled it up with a childhood favorite, Chinese candy, white rabbit candy–appropriate since it is the year of the rabbit.  This candy is commonly sold at Chinese grocery stores.

4. Put out fresh flowers. This, I take from my mother. She makes a point to put out fresh flowers in shades of pink and red for the new year.

Your Boston shaker can double as a flower vase.

5. Use teapots as your centerpiece. I am going to say that centerpieces are a more of a White people thing. Chinese people simply put food and drink at the center of the table to be shared. I have acquired an assortment of teapots as gifts from friends. And I think that when placed at the center of the table, teapots make for simple, good-looking and functional centerpieces.

6. Tangerines are lucky. There are a number of foods deemed “lucky”, and good to eat for the Chinese New Year. How do you decide on which to eat and serve? I just listen to my taste buds.

7. Get other people involved with helping. There are certain tasks much better done with an extra person or group. I cannot take full credit for throwing together last weekend’s party. The cooking and cleaning I did with my sister Sonia. And over one hundred dumplings were folded all thanks to my friends who came over the night before to help me fold dumplings over glasses of wine.

8. A final note on the color red, and taking liberties with traditions. My only word of advice is not to stick with the rules. Do what works best for you. Being Chinese American, I have led my life picking and choosing what traditions to follow, and what to leave behind. While red and gold are the colors customarily associated with the Chinese New Year, I did not care to drape my house in a sea of red and gold. Instead, I took a more flexible interpretation: so long as the colors are bright, they are festive.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a blessed year of the rabbit. May you always find time for the important people in your life.

Coconut Milk & Red Bean (Azuki) New Year Cake (Nian Gao)

Using the same process from the red date nian gao, I can make other varieties of nian gao.  For one bag of glutinous rice flour I would add about 2 cups of add in, and at most 2-3 ingredients to nian gao.  Keep it simple.  Keep it clean.  I would test all these variations in my own kitchen, but I can only eat so many nian gao.  Until next year!

Here are some suggested, untested variations:

• roasted and puree pumpkin + vanilla,
• cooked and mashed/puree persimmon+ star anise,
• toasted pine nut + grated ginger (or ginger juice) + finely shredded coconut
• shredded coconut +coconut milk
• rose water + pistachio or pine nut or almond

Keep in mind that if you add something with moisture reduce the water in the recipe.  If you add liquid, then replace the water with it.

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My father once preached, “You will never get the chance to eat this again unless you do it yourself.”  Though true during the 70s-80s in the Midwest,   his maxim no longer holds in 2010 New York City –at least in regards to 年糕 (nian gao).  Every Chinatown bakery and grocery store carries nian gao for Lunar New Year.

Why DIY then?

A typical bakery at best carries three flavors, but the possibilities of nian gaos are endless.  A homemade one with a creative twist makes a thoughtful gift, and the know-how ensures that you can enjoy nian gao even after the new year.  I present a fairly common variation – red dates ( jujube) “hong joe.”

Variations: You can add figs, dates (non-Chinese), persimmons, shredded coconut, ginger juice, pine nuts, or cooked apricot seeds.  Sweet potato is also commonly worked into the dough.  In the same vein, you can add pumpkin or other varieties of sweet squashes.  If you are using a wet ingredient like squash reduce the sugar water  to 1 cup  since the extra add in would provide moisture.

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“Ma-Tai Gao” Water Chestnut Cake

My best friend Lee Ann gets weak in the knees for the jelly texture water chestnut cake.  Though 马蹄糕 ma-tai gao is available year round at dim sum, Lee Ann looks forward to Chinese New Year, the one time in the year when her aunt would make it.  I was surprised by the stark difference between the restaurant and homemade version of this treat.  Though this cake is available in Chinese bakeries during the New Year, the extra effort in making one is well worth it – especially when it’s for a friend.  Wishing you and yours a happy new year!

For the recipe from cheateat

Water chestnut flour can vary between brands – use Pan Tang water chestnut flour.  The cake is simple and forgiving, but labor intensive.  Get fresh water chestnut if available.  Fresh water chestnuts are sweet and crunchy and leave your mouth feeling dry – think a cross being a grape and and apple.  Get a few extra to snack on.

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