By Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
One of the things I love about the UK is that we're starting to embrace different cultural celebrations. With the bleak weather we've been having, I reckon we could all do with a bit of a party and in my eyes Chinese New Year, which falls on Sunday 10 February this year, is the perfect excuse to get your loved ones together and cook up a feast.
The beauty of Chinese cooking for me is that it's super quick and can be incredibly easy to achieve from scratch. I love trying different interpretations of it at home, but when it comes to special occasions, I think it's only right to call in the big guns.
So, these gorgeous recipes come to you courtesy of the brilliant Kylie Kwong. Kylie is Australian-born Chinese, and what I love is that she combines those influences to create fantastic dishes. I'm going to hand over to Kylie and let her fill you in on what a traditional Chinese New Year should involve, so get planning, and enjoy it!
Kylie says: 'Traditionally, the New Year's Eve dinner is sumptuous. The tremendous amount of food symbolises abundance and wealth for the household. A whole fish is usually served, which represents togetherness and plenty, as well as a chicken, which must be presented with head, tail and feet to symbolise completeness.
'Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life. It's also vital to have flowers, in recognition of the fact that without them there would be no fruit.
'The menu I've prepared here does not strictly adhere to the traditional Chinese New Year; it is more a reflection of my Australian-Chinese upbringing and what I love eating the most.'
MUSSELS WITH SALTED BLACK BEANS AND RED PEPPER
Serves 8-10 as a starter
- 1kg (2kg 4oz) live mussels, all tightly closed
- ½ a red pepper , deseeded
- 60ml (2¼fl oz) peanut oil (from Ocado)
- 7 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 5cm (2in) lengths
- 1.5cm (¾in) piece of ginger, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3 large red chillies, halved lengthways and deseeded
- 1 small white onion, cut into small wedges
- 25g (1oz) salted black beans (from Asian supermarkets), rinsed well
- 60ml (2¼fl oz) Shaoxing wine (from Ocado) or dry sherry
- 80ml (2½fl oz) chicken stock or water l 2tbsp low-salt light soy sauce
- 2tsp brown sugar
- ½tsp sesame oil
- 2 red bird's eye chillies, sliced
- 2tsp malt vinegar
Scrub, debeard, rinse and drain the mussels. Put in a wok with 375ml (12½fl oz) cold water over a high heat; cover a nd steam. As the mussels begin to open, immediately remove them, using tongs, and place in a bowl. Discard any that don't open. Drain the wok, discarding the water and wipe clean with kitchen paper. Cut the red pepper into 1.5cm (¾in) wide strips, then into squares. Heat the peanut oil in the wok until the surface shimmers slightly. Stir-fry the pepper, spring onions, ginger, garlic, large chillies, onion and black beans for about 4 minutes or until fragrant. Add the mussels to the wok and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Pour the wine or sherry around the sides of the wok in a circular motion, then stir in the stock or water, light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and sliced bird's eye chillies. Stir-fry for 3 minutes to create a rich sauce. Stir in the vinegar and serve immediately.
STIR-FRIED NOODLES WITH GARLIC, CHIVES AND CHILLI
Stir-fried noodles
Serves 8-10 as a starter
- 3tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small red onion, cut in half and then into thick wedges
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3-4cm (1¼-1½in) piece of ginger, finely sliced
- 620g (1lb 5½oz) fresh Hokkien (egg) noodles
- 2tbsp shaoxing wine (from Ocado) or dry sherry
- 1tbsp white sugar
- 2tbsp low-salt light soy sauce
- 1tbsp malt vinegar
- ½tsp sesame oil
- 1 bunch of garlic chives or regular chives, cut into thirds
- 50g (1¾oz) bean sprouts
- 6 spring onions, julienned
- 2 large red chillies, deseeded (optional) and finely sliced on the diagonal
Heat the vegetable oil in a hot wok until the surface shimmers slightly. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the onion is lightly browned. Toss in the noodles and stir-fry for 2 minutes then add the wine or sherry, sugar, soy, vinegar and sesame oil and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic chives, bean sprouts, spring onion, and half the chilli and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds or until piping hot. Arrange on a platter, season to taste with a little soy, top with the chilli and serve immediately.
SPICY SALT DUCK
Serves 10 as a starter
- 1tbsp Sichuan peppercorns (from supermarkets)
- 3tbsp sea salt, plus 3tsp to coat the duck
- 4 duck breasts (about 200g/7oz each), skin on, trimmed of excess fat
- 2tbsp flour
- 1tsp chilli powder
- ½tsp ground cumin
- ½tsp ground fennel seeds
- ½tsp ground ginger
- Around 700m l (1¼pts) vegetable oil
- 1 large red chilli, finely sliced diagonally
- 3-4 spring onions, julienned
- 2 lemons, halved
First, make a Sichuan seasoning: dry-roast the Sichuan peppercorns with the 3tbsp sea salt in a heavy-based pan. When the pepper starts to pop, removed from the heat, cool and grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.
Arrange the duck breasts, skin-side up, on a heatproof plate that fits inside a steamer basket. Place inside the steamer and position over a deep saucepan or wok of boiling water and steam, covered, for 12 minutes or until the duck is half cooked.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, chilli powder, ground cumin, fennel seeds and ginger with ½tsp of the sichuan seasoning and the 3tsp extra sea salt. Remove the plate from the steamer, transfer the duck breasts to a wire rack and set aside fo r 25 minutes. Toss the duck in the spicy flour mixture to coat well, shaking off any excess. In a wok, heat the oil until it shimmers slightly. Deep-fry the duck for about 2-3 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly browned. Drain well on kitchen paper. Cut the duck on the diagonal into thin slices and arrange on a serving platter with a small bowl of sichuan seasoning. Garnish with the sliced chilli and spring onions, then serve with the lemon for squeezing over.
SIMPLE SATURDAY NIGHT SUPPER: Pumpkin and chestnut salad
Serves 4-6
- 1 large pumpkin or butternut squash, halved lengthways and cut into wedges, reserving the seeds
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 1 x 200g pack vacuum-packed chestnuts
- Juice of 2 clementines
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 70g (2½oz) watercress
- 70g (2½oz) rocket
Preheat oven to 190°C/gas 5. Place pumpkin on a baking tray and toss with oil, spices and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 40 mins or until tender and starting to crisp; cool slightly. Remove any stringy bits from pumpkin seeds and dry-fry with chestnuts for 2 mins, or until golden. Put juice in a jar and add 3 times as much extra virgin olive oil; season. Put jar lid on and shake. Tear the pumpkin into bite-sized chunks. Toss with salad leaves and dressing; top with p umpkin seeds and chestnuts to serve.
EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING: Gluten-free carrot, date and orange muffins
Makes 12
- l 350g (12oz) gluten-free flour
- 2tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 1tsp ground cinnamon
- Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
- A pinch of salt
- 2tbsp maple syrup
- 8tbsp sunflower oil
- 5 large free-range eggs, beaten
- 200g (7oz) medjool dates, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, grated
- 50g (1¾oz) hazelnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tray with cases. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, orange zest and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, ma ple syrup, sunflower oil and eggs then mix into the dry ingredients. Fold in the dates, carrot and chopped hazelnuts. Divide between the cases and bake for 20-30 minutes or until risen and golden.
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