The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Indispensable ingredients
Celebrate the Chinese New Year with easy recipes
Celebrations of Chinese New Year, which began on Feb. 16, continue for two weeks, so let’s look at Chinese cuisine.
Chinese New Year occurs on a different date each year, because it is based on the lunar calendar. Food is part of the celebration.
I learned the custom in northern China is to eat dumplings, at midnight; the dumpling’s shape resembles a Chinese sycee, a form of ingot currency used in Imperial China and represents prosperity for the New Year. In eastern and southern China, niangao, a glutinous New Year cake, is made. Over the course of a few days, pieces are shared with friends and relatives. The reunion dinner is a celebration, often the most important gathering of the family the entire year. Long noodles are frequently served, symbolizing longevity.
I have attended my good friend Cristina Chang-Bryant’s Chinese New Year party for the past several years. Sadly, Cristina passed away in June. However, the tradition lives on in her honor.
This past Sunday, her husband, Tom, invited friends and family to celebrate. I know she was watching us and probably had a few laughs watching Tom facilitate the gathering.
Cristina was a chef and took charge. Tom, on the other hand, had friends and family help pull it off. Cristina, I know you are happy that your tradition lives on and so do many of your recipes.
In thinking about what Chinese-inspired dish to prepare for the gathering, I looked at the Kikkoman website http://bit.ly/2BShiL0. Kikkoman is known for its line of soy sauces, an indispensable ingredient in Japanese and Chinese cuisines. Today, a pantry is incomplete without a bottle of soy or teriyaki sauce. These “liquid spices” are found in kitchens around the globe.
Not only did I find mouthwatering recipes, but I learned about this iconic and well-known brand. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. The businesses’ roots date to 1603. Talk about longevity.
Chinese new year longevity noodles
To pick up on the longevity theme, check out the recipe for Chinese new year longevity noodles. Recipe provided to Kikkoman by Melissa Parris, The Eyes of a Boy )
10 ounces Chinese noodles
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh ginger,
grated/shredded
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon Kikkoman sesame oil 2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms,
stems removed, and caps sliced 3 cups fresh Napa cabbage, sliced
thinly
2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce 1 tablespoon Kikkoman rice vinegar ½ cup fresh green onion, chopped First, prepare the Chinese noodle according to the package instructions. This should take no more than about 3 to 4 minutes, as they cook quickly. Once they’re done, rinse with cold water and return to pot. Then, drizzle with sesame oil and toss to coat. This is to prevent the noodles from sticking. Tip: Add a few drops of oil to the noodle water to keep them from sticking together.
In a frying pan or wok over high heat, add together chopped garlic, shredded ginger, red pepper flakes and peanut oil. Heat for approximately 30 seconds, about 1 minute until it’s sizzling a bit, and you can smell the aromas. Add into the frying pan your sliced mushrooms and cabbage. Tip: After rinsing, the mushrooms should be soaked in warm water for approximately five minutes. Then remove from water, remove stems and slice caps thinly to prepare for cooking. Stir all of the ingredients together in the frying pan until the veggies are slightly tender.
Remove the veggies from the pan, and pour into the pot of cooked Chinese noodles. Mix together slowly and well, making extra sure not to break the noodles. Return the mixture to the frying pan. Over medium heat, add in 2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, and the green onions. Turning frequently, ensure the dish is completely coated in the soy sauce mixture. Remove from frying pan, and serve promptly. Makes 4 servings.
In continuing my search for recipes, I found a cookbook, “Soy Sauce Cooking.” Coincidentally, the recipes are from the Kikkoman Recipe Contest, held in 1981. Although it is a cookbook using soy sauce, I didn’t expect to see soy sauce as an ingredient in the four dessert recipes included; Japanese tea ice cream, ShogaShoyu chiffon cake, topsy-turvy pineapple cake and 5-spice pumpkin cake For the latter visit: http://bit.ly/2GfiHsX
Green beans with garlic and vodka
I tried this recipe for green beans with garlic and vodka from the book and found it to be a simple, yet flavorful dish. You might want to adjust the amount of pepper flakes to your liking. I added a few splashes of sesame oil when I served it.
2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon vodka
1 teaspoon sugar
Oil for deep frying
1 ½ pounds green beans, trimmed
and cut into halves if long 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vodka and sugar. Stir to mix and set aside. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the green beans in several batches for about 20 seconds each batch. Remove beans from the work and place beans on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. When all of the beans are fried, drain off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the wok. Turn the heat to high and stir-fry the garlic and red pepper for 10-15 seconds. Return beans to the wok and stir-fry to coat with the garlic. Add the soy-vodka-sugar mixture and stir-fry for a few seconds until beans are well-coated. Transfer beans to a serving dish, pour any of the remaining sauce over the beans and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Ham glaze
Here’s an easy recipe for a ham glaze. Easter is early this year.
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
2⁄3cup Kikkoman soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
Whisk all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently for 5-6 minutes. Take saucepan off heat and allow to cool and thicken. When your ham has a ½ hour left in the oven, brush glaze over entire ham and put back in oven for last ½ hour of heating time. Covers 1 spiral ham.
Culinary calendar
⏩ Consiglio’s cooking demonstration and dinner: Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m., Consiglio’s Restaurant, 165 Wooster St., New Haven, 203-865-4489 (reservations required), $65 (beverages, tax and gratuity not included). Learn to make oysters Rockefeller, baby spinach with bacon, orange pine nut vinaigrette, homemade lobster ravioli with plum tomato cream sauce, white chocolate creme brulee.
⏩ Wines and More of Milford:
Fratelli’s 6-course Italian wine dinner, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m., Fratelli’s Italian Restaurant, 248 New Haven Ave., Milford. 203-8761600. $75 includes tax and gratuity. http://bit.ly/2nth0k7
⏩ Wild game and beer dinner:
Feb. 27, 7 p.m., The Hops Company, 77 Sodom Lane, Derby. 203734-1616, $75 plus tax and ticketing fee. For menu and ticket visit http://bit.ly/2Cp6rDW
⏩ “Chefs of Our Kitchen” series begins with a culinary take on “This Is Us”: March 7, 6 p.m., Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven. 203-2852617. $85. Tickets at bit.ly/2j24HH9.
Do you have cooking questions? Email Stephen Fries at gw-stephen.fries@gwcc.commnet.edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven, 06510.
Include your full name, address and phone number. For more, go to stephenfries.com.