Eat your way to prosperity with Chinese New Year menu
For many of us, the Year of the Ox couldn't come at a better time.
According to tradition, the ox, the second sign of the Chinese zodiac, stands for prosperity, and we all need some of that right now.
To boost your chances at prosperity this year, eat dumplings, says Ying Stoller, a Gurnee resident who grew up in Harbin in China's northern Heilongjiang Province.
"On the Chinese New Year (Monday, Jan. 26 this year) we make dumplings on New Year's Eve. We boil some coins and put one or two of those in the dumplings. If you get the coin, it will bring fortune."
Stoller, author of "Ying's Chinese Cookbook, Authentic but Simple," explains that traditions and cuisines vary widely across the country.
"China is a huge country. It has a lot of different types of cooking. But generally speaking, there are four main regional cooking styles: North, South, East and West," she says.
"The Northern cooking includes a lot of stews, steaming besides stir fry, and deep frying. It has a lot of influence from Russia, Mongolia, Japan and Korea. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, squash and sauerkraut are also among the common vegetables used in the cooking."
Stoller, for example, combines sauerkraut and ground pork for her New Year dumplings.
Rice doesn't grow in the cold Northern climes, so wheat, potatoes and soy show up more often on menus. "In the South, at every main meal they have rice, but in the North we have steamed bread or steamed buns, noodles, pancakes and meat pies instead."
Sweet potatoes bathed in sugar and deep-fried show up on her holiday table.
"The golden thread of candied potatoes represents good fortune and prosperity," she says, adding that the dish is quite popular with her three teenagers.
She also serves a chicken-broth-based soup with pork meatballs and whole fish cooked in a red hot sauce.
"The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes chicken and fish. Eight dishes are very popular since 'eight' in Chinese sounds like 'prosperity,'" she says.
Getting back to the dumplings; earlier this decade Stoller was back in China visiting family for the holiday and got the coin in her dumpling.
"It doesn't always work," she admits. "I'm still waiting for my fortune."
May you have better luck.
Find Ying's products in stores and online
We can't have Ying Stoller in the kitchen helping us prepare a Chinese feast, but we can have her sauces.
Last year, Stoller launched a line sauces and marinades full of authentic Chinese flavors.
Her Sweet and Sour Sauce has become a favorite in my house. The subtle heat doesn't stop Jerome, 9, from pouring it over noodles, rice and vegetables.
More recently, stoller released a tempura batter mix that she promises cooks lighter and crispier than others on the market.
You can find Ying's products at a handful of local gourmet stores or order online at yingskitchen.com. At the site you can also purchase Chinese teapots and cooking equipement, browse recipes and find out how you can take a cooking class with her.
Fish in Red Hot Oil
1/2 pound thin-sliced sea bass
1/2 tablespoon cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Oil
1/4 teaspoon ground hot pepper (spicy)
2-3 slices ginger, julienne
1 green onion, cut to half, width-wise, then into 2-inch lengths
Cut fish into thin slices.
Combine cooking wine, salt, corn starch and water in a container; add fish and marinate 10-15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or pan, add ground hot pepper, stir and cook for 2 minutes or until spicy flavor comes out. Set aside and let cool.
Heat 2 cups water to boiling in a wok. Add fish slices into the hot water and cook for 2 minutes or until done. Remove fish slices to a serving plate to cool.
Pour red hot oil sauce over cooled fish.
Serves two.
"Ying's Chinese Cookbook, Authentic but Simple" by Ying Stoller
Candied Sweet Potatoes
2 medium sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon decorative sugar
2-3 cup oil
Cut the potatoes into wedges.
Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan. Deep-fry the sweet potatoes until golden brown. Remove and dry on a paper towel. Reserve about 1/2 tablespoon oil in the wok or the saucepan.
Reduce heat to low. Add the sugar, and keep stirring until the sugar melts and turns golden brown or begins to boil, and then add the potatoes. Quickly stir to coat the potatoes evenly while removing the wok from the stove, and immediately sprinkle decorative sugar over the potatoes. Use colored crystals or decorative candy if desired.
To serve immediately, quickly dip the potatoes in cold water. It will cool them to a consumable temperature and crisp the candy coating.
Serves two to three.
"Ying's Chinese Cookbook, Authentic but Simple" by Ying Stoller
Sauerkraut Dumplings
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 slices ginger, chopped
1/4 cup sauerkraut, chopped fine
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 pack dumpling wraps
Mustard sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese hot mustard (optional)
2 teaspoons hot water
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot red pepper oil (optional)
Put ground pork in a mixing bowl. Add water, salt, pepper, soy sauce, sugar and chopped ginger. Mix in one direction for 1 minute or until no water is seen and mixture becomes fluffy.
Wring excess water from chopped sauerkraut with hands and then add to the pork mixture. Add oils and mix well again.
To make the dumplings, place 1 teaspoon filling in the center of the round wrap, fold it over to make a half-moon shape, and brush water along the edge. Press edges together with your fingers to close.
Heat 4 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Drop in dumplings and return to boil. Add another 1/4-cup cold water. When the water boils again, remove from heat, dip out dumplings with a slotted spoon and place on a serving plate in a single layer.
Makes 20 to 30 dumplings.
For the mustard sauce: In small bowl, mix hot mustard with hot water; let set for 5 minutes to develop full flavor. Add soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil and stir until well combined.
Cook's note: For a hot pepper dipping sauce use hot red pepper oil instead of mustard. For a soy dipping sauce, omit hot mustard.
You can freeze uncooked dumplings for later use. Freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and store them in freezer bags. When you are ready to cook them, drop frozen dumplings into boiling water and cook them as instructed above.
"Ying's Chinese Cookbook, Authentic but Simple" by Ying Stoller
Meatballs with Spinach and Noodle Soup
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon cooking wine
2 tablespoons chopped green onions, divided
1 slice ginger, chopped
1 egg white
2 cans (14 ounces) chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup spinach
1 bunch (1.3-ounces) bean thread noodle
Dash white pepper
Put ground pork in a large bowl; add 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, wine, 1 tablespoon of the green onions, ginger and egg white into the meat. Mix well. Use a spoon or hands to form into small meatballs.
Heat chicken broth over medium heat. When it boils, drop in the meatballs, add soy sauce and cook until it boils again. Then add spinach, bean thread noodles and 1/4 teaspoon salt. When it boils the third time, turn down the heat, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are tender and transparent. Stir in the remaining green onions and a dash of white pepper.
Serves three to four.
"Ying's Chinese Cookbook, Authentic but Simple" by Ying Stoller