CChristmas is nice, but my kids think Chinese New Year is the best holiday ever. I may be biased, but, unusually, I tend to agree with them. As my eldest son said: “New clothes, money, wine and Food – what’s not to love? There’s an added bonus that cash is more than acceptable at all – in fact, it’s essential, so there’s no need to shop for plain socks and smelly candles. Chinese New Year is full of rituals, and just like Christmas, every family has its own rituals, but they are all variations on a theme. Symbolism looms large in Chinese culture, and in the New Year it revolves around messages of prosperity, luck and family. The symbolism naturally extends to food as well. The word for “fish” in Chinese, Mandarin and Cantonese is very similar to the word for “surplus”, so having fish means abundance, having more than one needs, while dumplings represent wealth due to their shape. I hope you enjoy these abundant wealth wishing recipes. Kong Hei Fat Choy!
Steamed sea bass with spring onions and ginger (pictured above)
This is one of the most popular dishes in Our restaurant is in Somerset House, central London. The ingredient list and method are simple, but timing is everything. Timing and freshness.
Preparatory school 15 minutes
He cooks 15 minutes
serves 4
For light stock
5-6 coriander sprigs
1 green onion
1-2 slices fresh ginger
1 pinch each of salt and ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar For fish
1 whole sea bass (at least 400 grams), cleaned, rinsed, and dried
2-3 green onionstrimmed and cut into thin slices
60 grams of fresh gingerPeeled and cut into thin slices
Sea salt and white pepper
1 dash of Shaoxing wine
30 grams of coriander leaves
1 small scoop (about 60 ml) hot neutral vegetable oilto finish
Steamed jasmine riceFor service
For the sauce
50 ml of light soy sauce
60 ml light stock – See above and method
First, make inventory. Place all ingredients in a small pan, add about 80 ml of water and bring to a boil over low heat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant, then keep warm.
Take the fish out of the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before cooking, and make an incision near the dorsal fin, which will help it cook evenly. Stuff a small handful of sliced scallions and ginger into the belly, then season with sea salt, ground white pepper, and a splash of Shaoxing wine.
Place the fish in a steamer, cover and cook until cooked – as a rough guide, it will take about six minutes per 600g of fish; This is done when you can easily pierce the thickest part of the fish with a chopstick. Meanwhile, mix the light soy sauce with the hot aromatic broth.
Carefully remove the fish to a plate and remove and discard the ginger and green onions from the belly. Garnish generously with scallions, remaining ginger and some cilantro.
Season the fish with a light soybean broth mixture, then pour a ladle of hot vegetable oil over the green onions and ginger layer, until the green onions wilt. Serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.
Chicken and Chinese mushroom ingredients
Gather your friends and family and reenact The dumpling wrapping scene from Crazy Rich Asians. Depending on the size of your wrappers and how generously you fill your pot stickers, this amount of filling should easily suffice for 40-50 sticker sheets. Hand-ground chicken thighs are much better than ready-made ground chicken, so if you have the time, I highly recommend it. Consider it a form of anger management.
Preparatory school 15 minutes
He cooks 45 minutes
makes 40-50
500 grams of boneless, skinless chicken thighsOr minced chicken
25 grams of fresh peeled gingerChopped or very finely chopped
25ml of light soy sauce
20 grams of potato starch
20ml of shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
15ml sesame oil
200 grams of moist Chinese mushrooms (from about 30 grams dried), drained, wrung dry, and coarsely chopped
50 grams of green onionsTrimmed and finely chopped
Store-bought pot sticker coversfrom Chinese food stores and some larger supermarkets (if you want to make your own, work with a ratio of 53% water to all-purpose flour)
Neutral oilFor frying
Chili vinaigretteOr chili oil for serving
Cut the chicken into cubes, then using the back of a knife, pound the meat until it’s broken down into coarse ground meat (or use the backs of two knives, one in each hand, and pretend you’re playing the drums).
Place the ground chicken in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then add the ginger, light soy sauce, potato starch, Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt and white pepper. Mix the ingredients on medium speed for about a minute, until all the ingredients are well combined, then add the sesame oil and mix on high speed for four to six minutes, until the mixture becomes sticky and sticky. Add the chopped mushrooms and green onions, then mix the ingredients at medium to low speed until they are evenly combined with the meat mixture. Scrape the filling onto a plate.
There are many ways to wrap a crockpot, but the most important thing is to seal the filling inside the wrap so that the juices stay inside while cooking. Place about a teaspoon of the filling mixture in the center of the wrapper, dampen the edges of the wrapper with water, then fold and seal (you’ll need less filling than you think, not least because overstuffed pot labels are more difficult to close). Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
Put a little oil in a large, hot frying pan that you have a lid on, then arrange the pot sticks inside in a single layer, making sure they are not touching; If necessary, cook the dumplings in batches. Leave to fry gently over medium-low heat until the bottoms begin to take on some color, then loosen the crockery pieces with a spatula and pour over enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the crockery pieces. Immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid, then, over medium-low heat, cook for another four to five minutes. Uncover and cook until any remaining liquid has evaporated and the bottoms of the cookware are browned and crispy.
Plate (or not: there’s something particularly satisfying about eating them straight from the fryer, just like eating ice cream from the tub) and serve with a spicy vinaigrette or your favorite chili oil for dipping.
Amy Poon is the founder of the Chinese heritage food brand Bon London
