Happy Chinese New Year!
Monday, February 16, 2015 at 4:00AM 
By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork
I haven't made a Chinese New Year dinner for friends after the nine-course extravaganza I attempted when I was 25 or so, living in New York City. I don't know what inspired that madness. I just remember the exhaustion.
If you've followed my posts, you may remember that our family doesn't celebrate Chinese New Year, with all its lovely traditions, embraced by many Chinese-American families. While my heritage is Japanese, I would have tried to nurture the custom, if it had significance for Steve. But his family didn't observe Chinese New Year either, possibly because my mother-in-law was a third-generation Chinese-American and China was a long time in her family’s past.
This year, February 19 kicks off Chinese New Year, which is a celebration that lasts 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival. During that time, to at least acknowledge the New Year, we might go out to a Chinese restaurant or we might cook a few dishes at home informally, using some easy Special Fork recipes. We don't adhere to prescribed New Year food customs – just some easy Chinese dishes like this Hot and Sour Soup, to commemorate the occasion.
Hot and Sour Soup
3 to 4 medium dried shiitake mushrooms
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) lower sodium chicken broth
½ cup shredded canned bamboo shoots
½ cup julienned ham, pork or chicken
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground white pepper (or black pepper)
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
Sliced green onions for garnish (optional)
Put mushrooms in a small bowl; pour 1 cup hot water over mushrooms to cover. When mushrooms have rehydrated, about 30 minutes, squeeze water from mushrooms and slice thinly, discarding stems; reserve mushroom water.
In medium pot, combine chicken broth and mushroom water; bring to a boil and add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and ham; lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked. Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper and sesame oil. Using a fork or chopsticks, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and pour mixture into simmering broth, stirring until thickened, about 1 minute. Add eggs and gently stir with a fork or chopsticks to form shreds. Sprinkle with green onion slices before serving, if desired.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
If you’re considering a Chinese New Year celebration, remember when planning your menu, to vary the meats – chicken, pork, beef, fish and so on. And be sure to include a few make-ahead dishes so you’re not trying to cook several dishes on stovetop at once.
Some delicious Chinese recipes from the Special Fork recipe database:
- Finger-licking Hoisin Honey Baby Back Ribs roasts unattended in the oven, which gives you more time to focus on any dishes that require last-minute cooking.
- Zesty Garlic-Chile Eggplant Sticks is a recipe from Linda Anusasananan’s The Hakka Cookbook; this dish can be served hot or at room temperature.
- Velvet Chicken and Cashews, a recipe by Katie Barreira, uses the technique of velveting, a blanching process that ensures moist and succulent morsels of chicken.
- Steamed Fish with Ginger and Green Onions is one of the easiest dishes to prep and cook; however, it does require a steamer. While we use a fish filet, a whole fish would be more authentic.
Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese) -- wishing you great happiness and prosperity!
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Reader Comments (2)
Hi Sandy and Dave,
As an addition to your Steamed Fish with Ginger and Green Onions recipe you can add an additional "perk" after removing your cooked fish from the steamer.
Cut up some Chinese Parsley (Coriander/Cilantro) and spread generously over the cooked fish.
Heat up some Sesame Oil in a pan or pot.
Drizzle the hot Sesame Oil over the cooked fish/fresh Chinese Parsley. The oil will sizzle and wilt the Chinese Parsley.
Dig in!
It's great on a white bland fish like Mullet, Halibut, or in Hawaii: Kumu, Weke, Uhu, and the like.
For your Hot and Sour Soup, try adding the dried salted "Chinese Bacon". You won't need to add any Shoyu (Soy Sauce) or Oyster Sauce.