Traditional Chinese New Year Feast Recipes

Hosting a traditional Chinese New Year feast is a great way to bestow good luck and prosperity upon family and friends. This 15-day celebration embraces a variety of traditions that focus on offering thanks and goodwill to all mankind and living creatures and honoring ancestors.

The traditional Chinese New Year feast encompasses pork, chicken, fish and duck dishes, steamed dumplings, boiled dumplings, rice balls, long noodles, cabbage salad, and New Year's cake.

Today, I'd like to share the Chinese New Year feast I have shared with friends and family the past few years. Since commencing with this tradition my family has been blessed with abundant good health and good luck. I hope the feast provides the same results to your family.

PROSPERITY SOUP
Serves 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Marinate Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 to 12 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless Pork loin, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound small Shrimp (25 to 30 pieces), peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Tamari Sauce (can substitute with soy sauce)
1/4 cup Rice Wine
1/4 cup Green Onion, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh Ginger Root, grated
24 Wonton wrappers
6 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cup Green Onion, thinly sliced for garnish

Directions:

1. In a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, combine pork, shrimp, brown sugar, Tamari, rice wine, green onion, and ginger root. Gently massage ingredients together until pork and shrimp are covered in sauce. Let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Transfer meat filling to a medium size bowl. Fill a small bowl with lukewarm water. Place 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each wonton wrapper. Using your index finger, dip into water bowl and lightly moisten edges of each wonton. Fold the top left corner across the bottom right corner to create a triangle shape and firmly press to seal. Gently fold the tips of each corner onto the wonton wrapper and lightly moisten with water.

3. In a large stockpot, bring chicken stock to a boil. Carefully drop wontons into stock and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with green onion slices.

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
Serves 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Salad Ingredients:
1 cup Cashew pieces
2 (3-ounce) packages Chicken-flavored Ramen Noodles (reserve seasoning for sauce)
2 (6-ounce) Chicken Breasts, cooked and finely diced
1 head Napa Cabbage, washed, dried, and thinly sliced
2 medium Carrots, finely diced
6 ounces frozen Peas

Sauce Ingredients:
2 packets Ramen Noodle seasoning
1/3 cup granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Sesame Oil
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break Ramen noodles and place on baking sheet, along with cashew pieces. Toast in oven for 5 to 6 minutes, until noodles and nuts are light golden brown. Set aside and let cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cabbage, carrots, and peas and gently toss to incorporate ingredients.

3. In a small bowl, add sauce ingredients and whisk together. Add to chicken and vegetable mixture. Add ramen noodles and cashews. Lightly toss to incorporate ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes prior to serving.

4. Transfer to serving platter and serve immediately.

"HAPPY LONG LIFE" NOODLES
Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
8 ounces thin Spaghetti
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
3 or 4 fresh Garlic cloves, minced
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced into 2-inch lengths
1/2 English Cucumber, thinly sliced
1 Thai Chile, roasted and loosely ground
2 Tablespoons Arrowroot (can substitute with cornstarch)
2 cups Beef Broth
1/2 teaspoon Asian Five Spice powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
1/4 bunch fresh Cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons spicy Sesame Oil

Directions:

1. In 3-quart pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and cook spaghetti for 10 to 12 minutes, or until al dente. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

2. In 12-inch skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic, green onions, cucumber and chile powder and sauté until aromatic; about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low.

3. Add arrowroot to beef stock and stir until dissolved. Slowly add broth to skillet and gently stir. Add Five Spice and black pepper and stir. Cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

4. Add spaghetti to vegetable sauce mixture and gently toss. Transfer to serving bowl, drizzle with sesame oil and garnish with cilantro.

"LOVING FAMILY" BEEF FLANK STEAK
Serves 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

This dish contains several ingredients and takes a bit of work, but is worth the effort. The flavors are further enhanced when the flank steak is served over the "Happy Long Life" noodles.

Flank steak tends to have connective tissue woven into the meat which can make it difficult to cut into cubes. For ease in cutting, partially freeze the steak for 20 to 30 minutes before preparing. Also, preparing the ingredients ahead of time will expedite the cooking process.

Ingredients:
2 pounds Beef Flank Steak
1/2 cup Arrowroot (can substitute with cornstarch)
12 (1/2-inch) slices dried Orange Peel
12 dried Thai chile peppers
1 medium white or yellow Onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 (8-ounce) can sliced Water Chestnuts
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Rice Wine
1/3 cup Tamari Sauce (can substitute with Soy Sauce)
1/4 cup Oyster Sauce
1/2 cup granulated Sugar
2 cups Peanut Oil
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

Directions:

1. Slice flank steak into 1"x1" cubes. Pour arrowroot into one-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add meat and gently toss until meat is lightly coated. Shake off excess powder. Set aside.

2. Finley chop orange peel and Thai chiles. Place into small dish and set aside. Use caution when handling seeds and wash hands immediately after chopping.

3. Coarsely chop onion and mince garlic and place into medium bowl. Drain water from water chestnuts and add to onions. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, rice wine, Tamari, oyster sauce, and sugar. Place a glass or metal bowl underneath a metal mesh colander in the sink.

5. Turn wok setting to high and heat for 2 minutes. Carefully add oil and heat until oil reaches a smoking point. Using tongs add beef to oil and fry to 2 to 3 minutes, or until beef edges are crispy. Pour meat and oil into colander.

6. Return wok to high heat and sauté garlic, onions and water chestnuts until aromatic; about 2 to 3 minutes. Add orange peel and chile peppers. Gently stir to incorporate ingredients.

7. Add sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil until sauce thickens. Add beef and sesame oil. Lightly toss ingredients together. Reduce heat to medium and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to meat platter and serve immediately.

HOMEMADE CHINESE FORTUNE COOKIES

Chinese New Year would not be complete without homemade fortune cookies. If you've never make fortune cookies, you will appreciate 9 Tips on How to Make Fortune Cookies by Rhonda Parkinson at About.com.

While fortune cookies aren't actually a Chinese New Year tradition, they have become the expected ending to the celebratory meal within the U.S. Fortune cookies are an American invention created in San Francisco in 1909. Learn more about its origins and grab a homemade fortune cookie recipe at TheNibble.com.