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CHINESE NEW YEAR REUNION DINNER RECIPES

No matter where you Chinese New Year Celebrations are held this year, you can be sure that food will play the biggest part in bringing the family together. Most of us have the luxury of simply showing up with eager appetites, while some of us will be hard at work preparing the feast to kick off CNY celebrations at home. For those who will be busy in the kitchen, we hope these four recipes will help bring out your inner chef and earn you compliments for your effort. With that said, and in the spirit of ‘practice makes perfect’, let’s get cooking!

1. Eight Treasure Duck

This is a hugely popular dish that is traditionally served during the reunion dinner. The ‘Eight Treasures’ refer to the eight different ingredients used to make the stuffing for the duck. It takes patience to prepare this dish over a duration of several hours, but it is definitely worth the wait.

 INGREDIENTS

QUANTITY

Duck

2-3 kg

Seasalt

As needed

Five-spice powder

2 teaspoons

Soy sauce

3 tablespoons

FILLING

 

Glutinous rice, soaked overnight

1½ cups

Chestnut

1 cup

Chinese mushroom, soaked

8 pieces

Lotus seed, soaked

½ cup

Gingko

½ cup

Salted Egg Yolk

4 nos

Dried Shrimps

3 tablespoons

Red Dates

6-8 nos

Chinese Sausages (optional)

2 nos

Oyster sauce

3-4 tablespoons

Soy sauce

3-4 tablespoons

Chinese “Hua Tiao” wine

As needed

White pepper

As needed

Cornstarch

2 teaspoons

“Fatt Choy”

1 small handful

Bamboo shoots

200 g

Method:

1. In a big bowl, marinate the duck with seasalt, five-spice powder, and soy sauce. Let sit for at least 4 hours or overnight.

2. For the filling:

a. Using a hot pan, heat up some oil and saute the dried shrimps, Chinese sausages, and mushrooms. Remove from heat.

b. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese Wine, and white pepper.

3. Heat up a big wok of oil and deep fry the duck until golden brown.

4. Stuff the filling into the cavity of the duck and secure with wooden stick.

5. Place the duck on the sliced bamboo shoots and steam at medium heat for at least 2½ hours.

6. Move the duck to a serving plate and strain the remaining sauce into a saucepan.

7. Thicken the sauce with some cornstarch solution and add in the fatt choy as well.

8. Drizzle the sauce over the duck and serve with the bamboo shoots.

2. Lap Mei Fan (Waxed Meat Rice)

The “waxed” meat in this dish refers to the process of curing, salting, and smoking meats which is traditionally done in the cold dry winter air of mainland China. The cured meats are embossed with a wax-like finish and are filled with strong flavours to compliment the rice and vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

QUANTITY

Jasmine white rice

2 cups

Waxed sausage “Lap Cheong”

2 nos

Waxed liver sausage “Yuen cheong”

2 nos

Waxed Duck Thigh “Lap Ngap”

1 piece

Oyster sauce

1 tbsp

Soy sauce

2 tbsp

Chinese Rice Wine

2 tbsp

Oil

As needed

Method:
1. Heat up a pot of water and blanch the Chinese sausages, liver sausages, and duck thigh for a few minutes.
2. Once heated, chop them into small pieces. Heat up some oil in a pan and sauté each ingredient separately until fragrant.
3. Wash the rice and place it in a claypot with water. Let it boil for about 10-15 minutes. Arrange the pre-sauteed meat pieces on the rice. Let it simmer until the rice is fully cooked through.
4. While the claypot is still hot, drizzle over the Chinese rice wine and close the lid of the claypot.
5. In a separate pot, heat up the soy sauce and oyster sauce along with leftover rice wine and some water.
6. Drizzle this sauce mixture over the hot rice before serving.

3. Steamed Herbal Chicken

This reunion dinner favourite features Chinese Herbs that are also used in traditional herbal soup. The succulently tender and flavourful meat gives off an irresistible herbal aroma that delivers its taste long before you take a bite.

INGREDIENTS

QUANTITY

Free range chicken

1 whole chicken

Angelica Root “Dang Gui”

5g

Red dates

5 nos

Codonopsis Root “Dang Shen”

2 pcs

Solomon’s Seal Rhizome “Yu Zhu”

6-8 pieces

Wolfberries “Gou Gei Qi”

2 tbsp

Cordyceps flower

5g

American ginseng

5g

Shaoxing wine

1 tbsp

Salt

As needed

Sesame oil

2 teaspoons

Parchment paper

1 piece

Method:
1. Steam all the herbs in 200ml of water for about 5 minutes.
2. Season the chicken with Chinese wine, salt, and sesame oil.
3. Stuff half of the herbs in the chicken and place the rest around the chicken.
4. Steam the chicken over high heat for about 1½ hour.
5. Serve warm. It’s that simple!

4. Stir Fried Sze Chuan Prawns

Savour the sweet and spicy flavours of Szechuan cooking at its best. Simple to prepare but extravagant in taste, we’re sure you’ll be making this dish over and over after this CNY!

INGREDIENTS

QUANTITY

Medium prawn, deveined

500g

Oil

For frying

Scallions

2 stalks

Ginger

3 slices

Szechuan peppercorn, lightly pounded

2 teaspoons

Shaoxing wine

2 tablespoons

Dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon

Light soy sauce

2 tablespoons

White pepper

As needed

Method:
1. Heat up the oil in a wok over high heat. Gently fry the prawns for about 10-15 seconds. Strain and leave aside.
2. While keeping the prawns gently heated, stir fry the ginger, scallions, and peppercorn.
3. Add in the prawns, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and pepper.
4. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the prawns are coated in sauce.
5. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and give a quick stir before serving.

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