Create a Chinese New Year Family Feast

Create a Chinese New Year Family Feast

Chinese New Year is upon us! As the nation gets ready to celebrate the year of the rooster, Chinese families all over the world are gathering to see in the turn of the year and usher in  and we thought it was only right that we have our own little celebration right here in the UK. With the Chinese New Year a time for family, good fortune and of course, feasting, we’re here to share our top recipes for creating the perfect Chinese family feast with our top dishes, perfect for ushering in health, happiness, wealth and longevity into your home.

Chilli Pork Spare Ribs

A fragrant favourite, these juicy ribs are perfect both as a starter or a side dish. Ingredients 1kg pork spare ribs (separated into individual ribs) 600ml groundnut oil For the braising sauce 850ml chicken stock 75ml Shaohsing rice wine or dry Sherry 3 tbsp hoisin sauce 2 tbsp cornflour blended with 3 tbsp water 2 tbsp chilli bean sauce 2 tbsp light soy sauce 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped) 2 spring onions (finely chopped) 2 tbsp whole yellow bean sauce (optional) 1 tbsp granulated sugar 1½ tbsp dark soy sauce Method Heat the oil in a large wok like the Tower Essentials 28cm Angled Wok and deep-fry the spare ribs until they are browned and crisp. Do this in several batches, placing each batch onto kitchen paper to drain any excess oil. Add all of the sauce ingredients into a large pan and bring to the boil. Add the fried ribs, cover and simmer for around an hour or until the meat is tender. Drain off the sauce and remove any remaining fat. Pre-heat the oven to 180C and place the spare ribs onto a rack in a roasting tin (the Tower Non-Stick Roaster and Rack would be perfect) and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until they are brown, basting with the braising sauce every 5 mins. Using a cleaver or a sharp, heavy knife, chop the spare ribs into 6cm-long pieces. Turn them onto a warm serving platter and serve immediately.  

Steamed Pork Dumplings

Dumplings are traditionally eaten around this time in China and these delicious steamed versions are an authentic way to celebrate. Ingredients Small bunch chives 250g pork mince 100g raw prawn, finely chopped 110g water chestnuts 1 - 2 tbsp soy sauce Thumb sized piece of ginger (peeled and finely grated) 18 wonton wrapper (available in oriental supermarkets) Method Combine half of the chives and the rest of the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Spread one heaped tablespoon of the filling onto each wonton wrapper and use the back of the spoon to spread out a little. Bring the wrapper up and around the filling until you have a small dumpling with an open top. Using a steamer like the Tower 3 Tier Steamer, steam the dumplings for 10 minutes until the wrappers become translucent. Sprinkle with the remaining chives and serve.

Duck Pancakes

A Chinese takeaway favourite, these delicious shredded duck pancakes are the perfect dish to share with the family. Ingredients

• 1 oven-ready duck
• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice
• 2 star anise

1 orange, peel cut off in strips, then orange halved

• 75ml Shaohsing rice wine or dry Sherry
• 100ml chicken stock
• 30 Chinese pancakes
• 6 spring onions

Method Start by pre-heating the oven to 140C. Gently loosen the skin on the duck by wriggling first your fingers, then your hand between it and the flesh until it pulls away – being careful not to tear the skin. Trim off any excess fat from cavity and skin around the neck then rub the skin all over with the five-spice and a good sprinkling of salt. Place the duck into a roasting tin like the Tower Non-Stick Roaster and push the star anise, orange peel and orange halves inside the cavity. Spoon the vinegar, rice wine and stock into the cavity. Cover with foil and cook for 2 hrs. Turn oven up to 240C. Remove the foil then carefully pour off any juices and return duck to the oven for 30-40 mins or until the skin is browned and crisp. Once browned, allow the duck to rest for 10 mins. Remove the breasts and shred both the meat and skin. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil until ready to use Gently heat the pancakes and serve with sticks of spring onion and hoisin sauce.  

Stir Fried Vegetable Noodles

Delicious, healthy and ready in just 10 minutes. These stir-fried noodles are perfect for vegetarian guests. Remember, never cut your noodles as they represent longevity and a long life! Ingredients 150g pack medium egg noodle 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2½ cm piece fresh ginger (finely chopped) 2 garlic clove (finely chopped) 1 large carrot (cut into matchsticks) 1 yellow pepper (deseeded and thinly sliced) 100g mangetout 2 spring onion (finely chopped) 85g beansprout (optional) 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp white wine vinegar Method Begin by cooking the noodles according to packet instructions Heat the oil in a wok Tower Essentials 28cm Angled Wok , then stir-fry the ginger, garlic, carrot, pepper and mangetout over a high heat for 2-3 mins. Drain the noodles and add to the pan with the onions and beansprouts, then stir-fry for 2 mins. Mix together the soy sauce and vinegar, stir into the pan, then cook for 1-2 mins. Transfer to a large bowl to serve. So, those are our favourite Chinese dishes to get you well on your way to creating your own Chinese family feast.  If you give any of these a go or have any ideas of your own, we'd love to hear them on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We wish everyone celebrating a very Happy Chinese New Year!