When you think about New Year’s celebrations, you have to admit that Westerners really don’t go whole hog. But folks in the Chinese community really know how to welcome a new beginning. And that’s just what the Chinese and others will do on Sunday: They’ll turn the page on their lunar calendar and welcome the Year of the Pig, year 4705.
Lion dances, firecrackers and visiting friends are part of the fun, but there’s a serious side to the 15-day-long celebration: It’s the time when people pay off debts and wish good fortune to friends and family. For those really steeped in tradition, they’ll also smear honey on the lips of the kitchen god for favorable reports in heaven.
Of course, in the spirit of the moment, everyone feasts. And if you were born in the Year of the Pig — 1959, 1971, 1983 or 1995 — you will not only be sincere, courageous, passionate about life, generous and trustworthy, you’ll also love to eat.
As Jessie Yan, owner of Spices restaurant in Washington, notes, people born in the Year of the Pig love food and appreciate good cooking.
While you wait for the lion dance to kick off and the firecrackers to snap, plan your New Year’s menu with the following pork-based dishes, so appropriate to this year’s festivities, and wish your friends and family Kung Hei Fat Choy! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Celebrate. Make Money. Happy New Year.
(Recipes courtesy of Sprice’s owner Jessie Yan and executive chef Johnny Yip. Each serves four to six people.)
Tian Jin Dumplings
Dumplings are a traditional New Year dish, particularly in Northern China. Almost every family has its own favorite recipe, and often, particularly in vegetarian dumplings, the cook slips a bright, new coin into a dumpling. Lucky recipient!
Dumplings
1 3/4 lbs. bok choy
3 oz. shiitake mushrooms
1 lb. minced pork
2 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
40 dumpling wrappers
Dipping Sauce
4 tbsp. red vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. shredded fresh ginger
Rinse and steam the bok choy and mushrooms for 1 minute. Rinse with cold water, and squeeze out excess water. Chop both coarsely, and put them into a large bowl. Add the minced pork, ginger, salt, sesame oil and pepper, and mix well. Spoon about 1 teaspoon filling into the center of a wrapper, fold the wrapper over the filling, and pinch the edges tightly shut. Repeat until all the ingredients are used up.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the dumplings, a few at a time, and cook until they float to the surface, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside to drain. Cook remaining dumplings, and serve hot with the dipping sauce.
Simmered Pork Ribs with Lotus Root, Bamboo Shoot
Lotus roots symbolize the long ties that bind family members together.
2 lbs. spare ribs
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cube fermented taro curd
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 oz. lotus root, chopped
5 oz. bamboo shoots, chopped
1 tbsp. Chinese wine
2 tbsp. oyster sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
10 grams rock sugar
5 to 6 pieces star anise
1/2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat, and parboil the spareribs for about 2 to 3 minutes Drain and set aside. In the same pot, heat the oil over medium heat, and stir-fry the fermented taro cube and garlic until fragrant. Add the lotus root and bamboo shoots, and mix well. Add the wine. Add the seasonings, 3 cups water and the spareribs, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the meat is tender and cooked and the sauce is thickened.
Stir-Fried Shanghai Rice Cake with Shredded Pork
Glutinous rice cakes are popular New Year’s treats, either served sweet as dessert or savory, as in this pork dish. Look for the oval cakes in cellophane-wrapped packages at Asian markets. They will need to be made tender with soaking first.
1 lb. Shanghai glutinous rice cakes
2 pieces dried black mushrooms
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 lb. shredded pork
3/4 lb. Napa cabbage, shredded
3 oz. bamboo shoots, shredded
1 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp. salt
1/4 tbsp. sugar
2 cups chicken broth
Soak the rice cakes in water until soft. Soak the mushrooms in water until soft, thendrain and shred them. Heat the oil in a large wok over medium-high heat, and stir-fry the pork. Add the mushroom, cabbage and bamboo shoots. Stir in the seasoning, chicken broth and rice cakes. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the sauce is thick.
