Year of the Dragon!

Chinese New Year began Saturday, February 10 with the Spring Festival, and ends with the Lantern Festival on Saturday, February 24. This will be the year of the dragon. I recently cooked a Chinese feast to celebrate our own New Year and now seems as good a time as any to post about it!

As a child growing up, we had Chinese food weekly and one dish that was almost always on the table was American Chicken Chow Mein. I have not had it since I was a kid so I decided to try and make it myself. The result was delicious and it brought me back to my childhood, right down to the crispy wonton noodles.

I sliced one large chicken breast into thin pieces and marinated in a teaspoon of soy sauce, one half teaspoon sesame oil, and one teaspoon cornstarch. I covered and set aside while I prepped the rest of the ingredients.

I heated a tablespoon of neutral oil in a wok until screaming hot and then seared the chicken until cooked, several minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

I removed the chicken to a plate and added one thinly sliced medium onion and two minced garlic cloves, stir frying for 30 seconds.

Finally, I added three sliced celery stalks, 2/3 cup bamboo shoots, two chopped baby bok choy, stir frying for another 30 seconds, before adding back the chicken, ten ounces chicken stock, one cup bean sprouts, one half teaspoon sugar, plus salt and pepper to taste. I slowly added a slurry (two tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with two tablespoons water) to thicken the sauce.

I topped with crispy chow mein noodles and I was right back to my childhood.

Also on the menu was another of my favorites (and still is), Mongolian Beef. You can read more about this recipe in last year's Christmas post.

The one dish I have probably ordered more than any other is Singapore Noodles. I just cannot resist. The proteins, vegetables, rice noodles, and curry are the perfect combination. I based my recipe on Andrew Zimmern's Singapore Noodles recipe and it did not disappoint. I opted to use shrimp as my primary protein, but the addition of sliced lap cheong (Chinese sausage) added a hint of sweetness. I used a combination of Madras (hotter) and yellow Thai (milder) curry powders. The house smelled good for days!

And for the grand finale, an incredibly flavorful Hot Pot! I love making hot pots because the flavor possibilities are endless and everyone gets to build their own bowls while socializing around the pot of simmering broth. I love when everyone gets involved in the kitchen!

For the broth, I sautéed a thinly sliced yellow onion in two teaspoons canola oil until soft and translucent, around four minutes.

I added eight cups beef stock, one quarter cup red curry paste, two tablespoons soy sauce, one tablespoon ponzu, one tablespoon brown sugar, one tablespoon garlic powder, and one teaspoon grated ginger. I brought to a boil, lowered the heat, covered, and allowed to simmer for 20 minutes. Finally, I added the juice of a lime.

I had many options for everyone to build their bowls however they liked. Non-meat options included baby corn, mushrooms, and tofu. Proteins included fresh shrimp and pork meatballs (one pound ground pork, one tablespoon each minced garlic and ginger, one tablespoon soy sauce, one chopped scallion, salt and pepper).

Everyone skewered their choices and cooked in the simmering broth, before adding them to a bowl filled with cooked rice noodles along with cilantro and lime. I also had numerous dipping sauce options including kewpie mayo, Sriracha, sambal oelek, and soy sauce.

Once the bowls were built, we ladled the hot broth over the noodles and it was time to enjoy.

Here's wishing you a prosperous (and delicious) Year of the Dragon!