Chinese chicken dish
Monday 23 January will mark the beginning of Chinese New Year which is one of China’s biggest and most traditional occasions.
Each year is symbolised by a different animal and this time round, it’s the dragon. Chinese legend says that this represents power and wealth, and that people born in the Year of the Dragon will have a luck and natural charisma.
Celebrations take place all over the world and in the country itself, last for 15 days. Traditional ways of marking the event are by having festivals, fireworks, markets, and a ‘reunion meal’ on New Year’s Eve with friends and family.
To celebrate the event as well then, we’ve come up with some classic Chinese recipes for you rustle up at home.
Salt and chilli chicken wings (2 people)
Ingredients
4 chicken wings
Vegetable or corn oil (for frying)
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 red chilli
1 gloves of garlic
1 onion
How to make
Pre-heat a pan with oil in or a deep-fat fryer.
Mix flour, salt and pepper in a bowel and then put the chicken wings in it, making sure both sides are well covered.
Transfer them to your pan/deep-fat fryer and cook for 6-10 minutes (the longer you cook the chicken for the crispier it will turn out).
Remove the wings and place on some kitchen roll to remove excess oil. Leave to stand until the next step is complete.
In a separate pan, fry the onion, chilli and garlic in oil.
Once softened, add the wings and make sure they’re covered on both sides.
The wings can then be served or baked in the oven for a further 5 minutes. Sprinkle a little more salt over them before eating.
Spring rolls (2 people)
Ingredients
8 Spring roll wrappers
Chicken fillets (optional)
Bean sprouts
½ red chilli (optional)
1 carrot
4 spring onions
Mushrooms
Small clove of garlic
Ginger (optional)
Soy sauce
Chinese five spice
Groundnut oil (for frying)
Oyster sauce (optional)
How to make
Dice the chicken and/or vegetables finely and fry until cooked.
Season with salt, pepper and a small amount ginger before adding a few splashes of soy and Oyster Mix together.
Get two spring role wrappers, putting one on top of the other (this will stop them splitting), and add as much filling as you like.
Roll up the spring roll and brush the edges with beaten eggs to help seal them together.
Continue to do the above until filling has run out.
Heat enough groundnut oil in a frying pan and then add the spring rolls. Fry for 2-3 minutes, turning the rolls over every so often so that they turn golden brown on both sides.
Remove the rolls from the oil and place on kitchen roll to drain.
Noodle broth (2 people)
Ingredients
Chicken, beef or seafood i.e. prawns (optional)
Chicken, beef or fish stock
Soy sauce
Sesame oil (for frying)
2 packets of ‘straight to wok’ noodles (egg or plain)
Mushrooms
4 spring onions or 1 small onion)
Cabbage and/or spinach
1 Carrot
½ red chilli (use a full one if you want it hot)
How to make
Dice the meat and vegetables into small, thin pieces /remove shell from fish and fry in a wok.
Make up the stock and pour it into wok. Add seasoning and a few splashes of soy sauce.
Cook gently for a further five minutes and then serve.
Tip: You could easily turn this into a Chow Mein dish by simply using a Chinese sauce such as black bean, instead of stock. Chinese sauces are available in all supermarkets.
Tagged in food Chinese New Year Recipes