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Authentic foods for the Chinese New Year


Mooshu Chicken
  • 2 tablespoons sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 pound shredded chicken
  • 3 slices ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 pound spinach leaves
  • 3 scallions
  • 2 eggs
  • Salt
  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 6 to 8 mooshu wrappers

    Heat wok until hot. Add half of oil. Add eggs and scramble. Remove eggs when cooked. Pour other half of oil into wok. Stir in mushrooms and chicken which has been mixed with ginger, cornstarch, wine and hoisin sauce. Cook until chicken is done.

    Add spinach and stir for 30 seconds. Return eggs to wok and stir. Discard ginger. Add salt to taste and garnish with scallions. Unwrap mooshu wrappers and place in damp towel. Microwave on high for 20 seconds or steam briefly.

    Place condiment bowls of hoisin sauce on the table. Dab hoisin sauce on mooshu wrapper, then add chicken mixture. Roll up and eat. Serves 3 to 4.

    Chicken With Snow Peas and Cashews
  • 3/4 pound sliced chicken breast
  • 3 slices ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1/4 pound snow peas
  • 2 scallions
  • 2 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 8 ounces black mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup water chestnuts
  • 1/4 cup roasted cashews

    Mix chicken with ginger, salt, cornstarch, soy sauce, rice wine and oyster sauce. Snip ends of snow peas and remove strings. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute. Plunge into cold water. Drain. Smash scallions with side of cleaver and cut into 1-inch sections. Heat wok to very hot. While wok heats, drain mushrooms and water chestnuts. Add oil to wok. Add chicken and stir until almost cooked. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts, stir until heated. Discard ginger. Add snow peas and scallions and stir briefly. Transfer to serving platter and garnish with cashews. Serve with cooked rice. Serves 2 to 3.

    Curried Turkey and Peppers
  • 4 cups cooked turkey meat
  • 2 green or red sweet peppers
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 slices ginger
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 teaspoon hot bean paste
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • Soy sauce, to taste

    Cut turkey into bite-sized pieces. Discard pepper seeds and cut into small squares. Chop onion. Smash garlic and remove skin. Mince garlic and ginger. Heat wok and add oil. Fry garlic, ginger and hot bean paste. Add onion and stir. Add peppers and stir. Add turkey and stir until heated through while at the same time adding curry powder. Season with soy sauce. Serve hot. Serves 4 to 6.

    Five-Fragrant Baby Carrots
  • 1 pound baby carrots
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 or 2 star anise
  • 2 scallions, do not chop

    Place all ingredients in saucepan. bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 8 minutes. Add a little water if necessary and stir occasionally. Serve hot or at room temperature.

    This dish goes well with the curried turkey and peppers. Serves 4 to 5.

    Snow Peas, Baby Corn and Water Chestnuts
  • 1/4 pound snow peas
  • 1 16 ounces can baby corn
  • 1 small can, sliced water chestnuts
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine

    Nip ends of snow peas and remove strings. Wash wok, then heat until very hot. Drain baby corn and chestnuts. Add oil to wok. Add vegetables separately in order listed, stirring briefly each time. Sprinkle in bouillon and pepper. Splash in wine. Stir once more. Serves 4.

    Chicken Breasts with Almonds
  • 1 slice ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine
  • 2 boneless chicken breasts, halved
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons roasted almonds

    Squeeze juice from ginger using garlic press. Mix with salt, cornstarch and wine. Rub mixture over chicken and set aside. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Brown chicken pieces on both sides. Add oyster sauce, ketchup and water. Cover and simmer, turning chicken occasionally until chicken is cooked and only a thin layer of liquid remains. Transfer onto serving platter and garnish with almonds. Serves 4

    Pan-fried Fish Fillet
  • 1 pound fish fillet
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 slice ginger
  • 1 scallion
  • 1 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil

    Rub salt over fish and let stand. Shake fish pieces in flour in a bag, one at a time. Shake off excess flour. Heat oil in skillet and brown both sides of fillet over medium heat. Transfer onto serving platter and serve with prepared sauce.

    To make sauce, mince garlic and ginger, dice scallion. Combine sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water and sesame oil. Serves 3 to 4.

    Broccoli and Carrots with Oyster Dressing
  • 2 carrots
  • 1/2 pound broccoli florets
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • Salt to taste

    Peel and slice carrots. Sprinkle with a little bit of water. Cover and microwave on high for 1 minute. Arrange around serving platter. Cut the broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with a little bit of water, cover and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Plunge into cold water to cool. Drain and place on center of platter containing carrots. Mix remaining ingredients listed and pour over the carrots and broccoli before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serve with fish fillets.

    Noodles With Shrimp and Pork
  • 1/2 pound shrimp
  • 1/4 pound sliced pork
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 pound snow peas
  • 1 pound Chinese noodles
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 scallions
  • 6 canned black mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 1/4 pound bean sprouts

    Place 3 quarts of water in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add noodles to boiling water and boil until al dente, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. Mix with sesame oil.

    Shell and de-vein shrimp. Slice pork. Mix shrimp and pork with salt, pepper, cornstarch, rice wine and soy sauce. Heat wok until very hot. Slice mushrooms. Add oil to heated wok. Add shrimp and pork and stir until color changes. Add mushrooms and snow peas, stir briefly. Add noodles and stir until heated. Add bean sprouts and stir for 2 minutes. Don't over cook. Transfer to platter and Garnish with scallions. Serve with soy sauce, chili oil and rice vinegar as condiments. Serves 2 to 3.

    Fortune Cookies
  • 1 2/3 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup unbeaten egg whites
  • Salt
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

    Beat egg whites with sugar until well blended. Mix with butter, flour and vanilla. Drop by teaspoons, well apart, on greased cookie sheet and bake in 375 degree oven until edges curl, about 5 minutes.

    Remove from oven an place messages on cookies, fold cookie over in half once and then mold over a wooden spoon handle. This is hot fast work, If your cookies harden before you have a chance to fold them, return them briefly to the oven to soften. If the folding process is too hot for you to manage quickly with bare hands, wear white cotton gloves. Yields 60 cookies.

    You will need to have your messages and fortunes ready before you begin baking the cookies.

    Moo Goo Gai Pan
  • 1 whole chicken breast, skinned and boned
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dry sherry
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 can 8 1/2 ounces bamboo shoots, drained
  • 1 package, frozen pea pods, partially thawed
  • 1 tablespoon diced pimiento
  • 1/4 cup diced green pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup chicken broth

    Slice chicken into thinnest possible slices. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce, sherry and white pepper. Add chicken and blend to coat the slices well. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; add chicken. Cook, stirring to separate slices, until meat loses its pink color.

    Remove meat and keep warm. To the oil in skillet, add the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, pea pods, pimiento, green pepper and garlic. Stir-fry about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Blend remaining cornstarch and soy sauce and stir into skillet mixture. When thickened, add chicken and heat thoroughly. Serve over chow mein noodles or hot cooked rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

    Published 01/17/01, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
    Copyright © 2001 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

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