Chinese New Year Menu: The Year of the Snake

Chinese New Year, the most celebrated of Chinese holidays, marks the start of the lunar calendar. Falling on February 10th this year, people worldwide will say farewell to the Year of the Dragon and welcome the Year of the Snake.

Traditional celebrations include a family reunion dinner which often includes dishes that symbolize good luck, prosperity, happiness and good health.

Farina Kingsley, author of three Asian cookbooks and a recently launched cookbook app (see details below) has shared a few of her authentic Chinese recipes to help you celebrate the New Year. Her menu includes:

• Steamed Pork and Cabbage Dumplings (symbolize prosperity & good fortune)
• Ginger-Soy Steamed Fish (eating fish brings good luck)
• Vegetable Chow Mein (noodle dishes represent longevity)

Farina, who is half Chinese, also shares a few of the traditions her family has always followed for their celebratory feast:

• Gift "hong boa" - red envelopes with cash for good luck.
• Fill your home with traditional snacks like tangerines and sugar coated dried fruit to symbolize gold and good fortune.
• Leave a bit of uneaten food on your plate to symbolize a surplus for the year to come.

Steamed Pork and Cabbage Dumplings

• 1 package thin round dumpling wrappers
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 3 cups minced Napa cabbage
• 8 shiitake mushrooms, dried, reconstituted, stemmed and minced
• 3 green onions, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Ginger-Soy Dipping Dauce

• 1 teaspoon minced green onions
• 1 teaspoon minced red chilis
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons black or rice vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon warm water

For the filling, place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set the cabbage aside for 20 minutes to let the salt leach excess water from the cabbage.

To make the dipping sauce, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, water, sugar and green onions in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.

In a large bowl, combine the pork, mushrooms, green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and white pepper and mix well. Use your hands to squeeze all the water out of the cabbage. Discard the excess water, add cabbage to pork filling and mix until well combined.

To make the dumplings, place the dumpling wrapper on your palm, brush water around the edge and fill the center with a heaping tablespoon of filling. Fold the wrapper in half to form a half moon. Use your thumb and index finger of one hand to fold 4 to 5 pleats across the back side of the dumpling, pressing the edges together to seal the dumpling. Gently curve the dumpling so that it sits up when placed on a flat surface. Place the finished dumplings on a baking sheet lightly dusted with cornstarch and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. (To serve at a later date, freeze the dumplings in a single layer until they are hard and then transfer to a sealable plastic bag. Steam the dumplings directly from the freezer for 10 minutes.)

To cook the dumplings, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the hot pan. Place 8 to 10 dumplings in the pan and brown the bottoms until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water to the pan, cover with a lid and steam until all the water evaporates, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the cooked dumplings to a warmed platter and cover with foil. Cook the remaining dumplings and serve warm with the ginger-soy dipping sauce.

Makes 30 dumplings

Ginger-Soy Steamed Fish

• 1 1/2 lbs or 4 (6 oz) sea bass or halibut filets
• 1/4 cup green onions, white parts only, finely sliced on the bias
• 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 5 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely sliced into slivers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Place a steaming rack in a wok or a deep pan and fill the pan with 2 inches of water. The water should be below the steaming rack. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.

To make the sauce, combine the ginger, garlic, 3 tablespoons of the canola oil, light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch and white pepper in a small bowl.

Place the fish filets on a plate suitable for steaming and large enough to hold the filets in a single layer. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish filets.

Place the plate of fish on the steaming rack, cover tightly and steam the fish over high heat for 7 to 10 minutes per inch thickness of fish. Carefully remove the plate from the steamer and transfer the filets to a warmed platter and spoon the sauce over the fish.

To serve, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan until near smoking. Place the green onions and cilantro on top of the fish filets and carefully drizzle the hot oil over the fish. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Vegetable Chow Mein

• 1/2 lb egg noodles, fresh, standard size or 3 oz dried
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

• 3 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1 zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, fresh
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Boil the noodles for 2 minutes, drain and rinse well with cold water. Place the noodles in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil.

In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, dark and light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, toasted sesame oil and water and set aside.

Heat a large non-stick pan until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and saute the onion and red bell pepper until just tender, 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and mushrooms and continue to stir-fry until golden brown, 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

Reheat the same pan until very hot. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and saute the ginger and garlic for several seconds. Add the noodles and stir-fry until the noodles are heated through, 5 minutes. Return the vegetables to the pan with the noodles, add the sauce and continue to toss the noodles until they are well combined and heated through. Transfer to a warmed platter and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

About Farina Kingsley

Farina Wong Kingsley is a San Francisco native formally trained in the art of Asian cuisine. She's authored 3 popular cookbooks for Williams-Sonoma and shares her expertise (and additional recipes) on her blog, Farina's Asian Pantry.

Farina is dedicated to teaching people how to cook healthy, fresh Asian cuisine and she's developed a line of kits that provide all the ingredients you need to get started. The line includes a Chinese Pantry Kit, Japanese/Korean Pantry Kit and Southeast Asian Pantry Kit.

In addition, she's developed an iPad / iPhone add that includes recipes and "how to" videos, an ingredient glossary and step-by-step instructions.

You'll find it in the iTunes store - here's the link.

--- Recipes and photos contributed by Farina Kingsley

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