TASTE THE BEST: Happy New Year! A billion Chinese can't be wrong

By Laura Gwinn / lgwinn@crossville-chronicle.com

Thursday, Feb. 7, marks the Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the rat. According to www.infoplease.com, the Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4706 begins on Feb. 7, 2008.

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, William Shakespeare, and Mozart were all born in the year of the rat.

According to www.foodnetwork.com, each family has its own food traditions for the new year, and most feasts include a whole fish. Because the sound "yue," or fish, is represented by the written character meaning "more than enough," the fish symbolizes togetherness and abundance. The fish is never fully eaten, signifying that the family will always have more than enough. To guarantee continuous good fortune, it’s important not to break the fish during or after cooking.

Many dishes for the new year include whole or unbroken ingredients. Chickens are presented with head and feet, and leafy greens, noodles and other ingredients are not chopped. In fact, using knives, cleavers or any sharp object during the holiday season is considered unlucky because it may cut off or divide good luck.

On the last night of the New Year festivities, many families serve Fire Pot, a fondue-style meal where participants dip assorted meats, seafood, mushrooms, and noodles in a rich broth bubbling in a large pot on the table. Each simmering ingredient carries a special meaning. Long noodles represent long life. "Hao," or oysters, sounds like the word for "an auspicious occasion or event" and symbolize receptivity to good fortune. Lettuce, or "sang choi," symbolizes prosperity because its name sounds like the word meaning "to bring about wealth and riches."

Dumplings, which represent wealth, are always a treat. People often get together before the new year to prepare dumplings — which becomes a party in itself — so no one has to work over the holidays.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year in style with these recipes!

Dumplings

Steamed Pork Wonton Dumplings

1 pound ground pork

1 (5-ounce) can water chestnuts, strained and finely chopped

1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. jarred minced ginger

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 egg, beaten

1 pack oriental sesame dressing mix

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 (16-ounce) pack wonton wrappers

Savoy or Napa cabbage

Bamboo steamer

In a large bowl mix pork, water chestnuts, scallions, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, egg, sesame dressing mix, and oyster sauce. Fill center of each wonton wrapper with 1 tsp. of meat filling. Gather wrapper up and twist to secure sides. Brush the edges of the wontons with water to help seal. Arrange cabbage leaves on the bottom of a bamboo steamer. Place dumplings about 1-inch apart and steam until the filling is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

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Fish

Steamed Whole Fish

1 whole (2 to 3 pound) fish, such as sea bass, red snapper or rock cod, cleaned and gutted, with head and tail intact

Marinade:

1 tsp. salt

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. peeled and slivered ginger

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

2 scallions, white and green parts, cut into slices on diagonal

2 chunks ginger

3 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. sugar

Garnish: sliced scallions, black and white toasted sesame seeds

Rinse fish under cold running water, pat dry, and place on a lightly oiled, heatproof platter that will fit in your steamer or a large roasting pan. Cut 3 deep diagonal gashes along each side of the fish, to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat. Sprinkle inside cavity and outside of the fish with salt, squeeze lemon juice over fish, drizzle with sesame oil, then stuff slivered ginger and chopped garlic into gashes. Scatter scallions over fish, and marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes. Fill the steamer or roasting pan with water to within an inch of steamer rack, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and add ginger chunks to water. Place platter with fish on steaming rack, cover, and steam over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of fish (plan on 10 minutes for each 1inch of thickness at its widest point). About 5 minutes before fish is done, heat peanut oil and sesame oil in a small saucepan until hot, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar. Test fish for doneness by poking with a fork or chopsticks. The fish meat should flake easily at its thickest part. Remove from the steamer, pour the hot oil mixture over the fish, and serve immediately.

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Fish

Whole Sizzling Fish

2 cups hot water

1 whole cleaned striped bass, about 1 1/2 pounds

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp. julienned ginger

3 green onions, white and green parts, sliced in large pieces

1 cup peanut oil

Lemon or lime wedges, for garnish

Place 2 cups hot water in a steamer. Place fish in steamer and top with ginger and green onions. Steam, covered, for 8 to 9 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring the oil to a gentle boil. Remove the fish from the steamer with a flexible nonstick spatula. Place fish on a deep platter or one with an edge. Pour hot oil over fish for a sizzling presentation. Garnish with fresh lemon or lime wedges. Serve immediately.

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Noodles

Pops' Singapore Noodles

1 lb. thin rice noodles, soaked in cold water for 2 hours, and drained

1 lb. baby shrimps, without shells, deveined, rinsed and drained

1 skinless chicken breast, 1/4-inch strips

1/4 cup white wine

2 tbsp. thin soy sauce

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

Canola oil, to cook

1 tbsp. minced ginger

1/2 cup scallions batons, 1-inch lengths

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 pound bean sprout, picked

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 onion, julienned

2 eggs, lightly scrambled

2 tbsp. Madras curry powder

Salt and white pepper to taste

Marinate shrimp and sliced chicken together in soy sauce, wine, cornstarch and white pepper for 20 minutes. In a hot wok coated well with oil, stir fry ginger, scallions and garlic. Add marinated shrimp and chicken to oil and stir fry quickly for 30 seconds to one minute. Remove shrimp and chicken and set aside. Use same oil to stir fry bean sprouts, peppers and onions. Season and cook for 1 minute and set aside. Wipe out wok and coat well with oil. When oil is smoking hot, add 2 beaten eggs and rotate the pan so as to quickly spread the eggs into a pancake shape. While the egg is still partially fluid, add rice noodles to the wok. Stir and fold noodles and the eggs should be broken up into small pieces and dispersed uniformly. Continue to stir to avoid noodles from sticking to the pan. Add curry powder and check for seasoning. When noodles are steaming hot, add back shrimp, chicken and vegetables to the noodles and continue to mix and stir until everything is steaming hot.

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Lettuce

Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2 cups, 4 handfuls, fresh shiitake mushrooms

1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders

2 tbsp. light colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil

Coarse salt and coarse black pepper

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional

1 orange, zested

1/2 red bell pepper, diced small

1 small tin, 6 to 8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 scallions, chopped

3 tbsp. hoisin, Chinese barbecue sauce, available on Asian foods aisle of market

1/2 large head iceberg lettuce, core removed, head quartered

Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish

Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean, Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken into small pieces. Preheat a large skillet or wok to high. Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture. Add hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish. To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over.

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Lettuce

Five-Spice Turkey & Lettuce Wraps

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup instant brown rice

2 tsp. sesame oil

1 pound 93 percent lean ground turkey

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 large red bell pepper, finely diced

1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce

1 tsp. five-spice powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves separated

1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as cilantro, basil, mint and/or chives

1 large carrot, shredded

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice; reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey and ginger; cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until the turkey is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice, bell pepper, water chestnuts, broth, hoisin sauce, five-spice powder and salt; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. To serve, spoon portions of the turkey mixture into lettuce leaves, top with herbs and carrot and roll into wraps. Hoisin sauce is a spicy, sweet sauce made from soybeans, chiles, garlic and spices. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a year.

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