4 recipes to celebrate Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is just around the corner, so we’ve put together some tasty dishes to inspire your celebrations.
Image: Del Monte
With Chinese New Year just around the corner on the 12th February, we’ve collated a few super tasty dishes inspired by the celebrations.
The cuisine is very popular with 6.5M hashtagged posts on Instagram!
Maple pork crispy Chinese wonton
Image: Maple from Canada
The perfect starter or appetiser, these Chinese-inspired samosas make for a great canape at home – no deep-fryer required!
- Makes 28 portions
Ingredients
- 2225 lean ground pork
- 6 white mushrooms, chopped
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp maple sugar
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 28 wonton wrappers
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Extra soy sauce for the dip
- Pure maple syrup for the dip
Method
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and oil.
3. In a bowl, combine pork, mushrooms, green onion, maple sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil to make the stuffing. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. On a work surface, spread up to six squares of dough at a time.
5. Spoon about 10ml (2 teaspoons) of stuffing into the centre of each square.
6. Brush around the squares with a little water to close the triangle or half moon. Press the dough around the stuffing to remove any air bubbles. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
7. Place them on a baking sheet, brush with a little vegetable oil and bake for 25 minutes, flipping if necessary.
8. Whilst they are baking, mix equal amounts of soy sauce and maple syrup to make the dipping sauce.
Hoi Sin chicken wings
Image: Wing Yip
This super easy recipe can be easily prepared in advance, keeping covered in the fridge until they’re ready to cook.
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 24 chicken wings, mid and prime joints
- 120g hoi sin sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp shaosing wine (Chinese wine)
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp white sesame seeds
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with foil.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the hoi sin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and shaosing wine. Once mixed, add the wings and thoroughly coat them all in the sauce.
3. Lay the wings on the baking tray on a single layer and cook for 20-25 minutes turning them once halfway through the cooking time. They should be nicely browned all over and cooked so that the juices run clear.
4. Remove the wings from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle over the spring onion and sesame seeds and then serve.
Stir fried chilli turkey
Image: Del Monte
Turkey isn’t just for Christmas! For a healthy and nutritious weeknight meal, opt for this rainbow-coloured stir fried chilli turkey.
- Serves 2
Ingredients
- 3 large turkey breasts, skinless and diced
- 1 courgette sliced into half moons
- 1/2 a pepper, cut into strips
- 3 large spring onions, sliced lengthways
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
For the sauce:
- Sesame oil
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 a pepper, cut into strips
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp demerara sugar
- 1 tsp balsamic glaze
Method
1. Heat your wok with a glug of sesame oil until the pan is hot, then add the slices of turkey and fry until it’s cooked through. Chuck in the tomato paste, courgette and pepper then stir fry for another couple of minutes. Set this aside while you make the sauce.
2. Pop the garlic, pepper, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and balsamic glaze into the blender. Add 4 or so tablespoons of water and blend until it becomes smooth – if you think you need more water, just add it a little bit at a time as you blend.
3. Pour the sauce into the wok with the turkey and heat through for another couple of minutes until it’s all piping hot.
4. Add the soy sauce, stir and serve with the spring onions on the side to garnish.
Bang bang garlic noodles
Image: Wing Yip
This protein-packed prawn noodle dish is guaranteed to be a hit for a large family.
- Serves 8-10
Ingredients
- 800g thin Chinese noodles
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 large red chilli, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp crispy chilli oil
- 500g raw king prawns, defrosted if frozen
- 100g beanspouts
- 6 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
Method
1. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions or until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop them cooking.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high heat and fry the onion, garlic and fresh chilli for 1-2 minutes. Add the chilli oil and the prawns and stir fry for a further 1-2 minutes, turning the prawns. Once the prawns have started to turn pink, add the beansprouts and cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the noodles and the soy sauce then continue to stir-fry until everything is hot and the prawns are cooked through.
4. To serve, sprinkle over the sesame seeds and coriander.