Chinese New Year Food

It is New Year time and you would be looking for some special cuisines for the dinner. Here are some scrumptious Chinese New Year food recipes for you to try out during the celebrations time. The symbolic Chinese food in festivals makes the tradition and culture of the people.

Chinese New Year recipes are not only famous in China but, is loved worldwide. People from different corners of the globe like to prepare the Chinese new year food items.

What you need is few of the ingredients and little bit of interest in cooking to receive applauds from your guests on the Chinese New Years Eve gathering.

Recipes for Chinese New Year

• Steamed mussels

Ingredients

500g/1 lb 2oz fresh mussels

For the sauce

2 tsp garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh root ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp chili bean sauce

1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

1 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tsp dark soy sauce

2 fresh red chilies, seeded and chopped

3 tbsp spring onions, finely shredded

3 tbsp groundnut or peanut oil

Fresh coriander sprigs, to garnish

Preparations

• Scrub the mussels clean. Discard any mussels that don’t close when tapped gently.
• Set up a steamer or put a rack into a wok or deep pan and fill it with 5cm/2in of water. Bring the water to the boil over a high heat.
• Place the mussels on a plate, then place the plate into the steamer or onto the rack.
• Turn the heat to low so the water is barely simmering and cover the wok or pan tightly.
• Steam gently for 5 minutes or until the mussels begin to open.
• Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients, except the oil, in a heatproof bowl.
• Heat a wok or large frying-pan over high heat. When hot, add the oil. Heat the oil until it’s very hot and slightly smoking, then pour the hot oil over the sauce ingredients.
• Remove the mussels from the steamer. Discard any mussels that haven’t opened.
• Stir the sauce then pour over the mussels.
• Garnish with fresh coriander sprigs and serve at once.

• Chili crab with egg noodles

Ingredients

For the chili sauce

250ml/9fl oz water

5 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp corn flour

For the crab

4 tbsp groundnut oil

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp grated fresh root ginger

3 red chilies, de-seeded, finely sliced

1 lb1½oz cooked crab (claws removed and cracked, legs removed, remaining shell chopped into quarters)

150ml/5fl oz water

1 tbsp lime juice

2 spring onions, sliced lengthways

1 large handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

For the egg noodles

300g/11oz fine egg noodles or dried yellow shi wheat flour noodles, cooked according to packet instructions

Dash sesame oil

½ tsp dried chili flakes

1 tbsp light soy sauce

Preparations

• For the chili sauce, place all of the sauce ingredients together into a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
• For the crab, heat the oil in a wok until smoking and add the garlic, ginger and chilies and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the crab pieces to the wok and stir-fry for a further 1-2 minutes, then stir in the chili sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the water and lime juice and stir well.
• For the noodles, rinse the cooked noodles with sesame oil to prevent sticking. Add the cooked noodles and chili flakes to the hot wok and season with the soy sauce. Toss to mix, then stir in half the spring onions and coriander.
• To serve, pile the noodles and chili crab onto a serving plate and garnish with the remaining spring onion slices and chopped coriander. Serve immediately.

Hope you enjoyed the preparations of Chinese New Year food items and take pleasure of having it with all your near and dear ones.