Chinese New Year recipes for a cozy evening
Celebrating Chinese New Year at home doesn’t have to mean missing out on the festive flavors of the season. It can actually be a way to avoid the hustle and bustle of city traffic while enjoying an intimate feast with your loved ones.
For this occasion, Lifestyle asked distinguished chef Hernan Christian de Jesus to give us three easy-to-make yet delicious recipes for a cozy celebration at home.
Just two months ago, De Jesus participated in a culinary exchange event called “Gastronomy knows no borders. Friendships are forged in the kitchen” in Guangzhou, China, aimed at showcasing the unique charm of the culinary cultures of both countries through the demonstration and exchange of cooking skills between Chinese and Filipino chefs. De Jesus is also a cofounder of Kawa Pilipinas Foundation.
De Jesus’ menu features a well-rounded trio: a delightful appetizer to kick things off, a flavorful main course, and dessert. Whether it’s just you and your partner or the entire family, these dishes promise to make your celebration both stress-free and memorable.
Fried Wonton Molo Soup
Wonton:
- 1 pack wonton wrapper
- 300 g ground pork
- 100 g shrimp (peeled and chopped, save shrimp heads)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 10 g garlic (minced)
- 50 g onion (minced)
- 15 g spring onion (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼ tsp chicken powder
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
Prepare all ingredients. In a bowl, mix all ingredients, and cover. Put in the refrigerator and store for 2-4 hours. Prepare the wonton wrappers. Gently separate the wrappers and get at least a spoonful of the pork mixture in the wonton wrapper, then lightly put water on the sides of the wonton before sealing, and set aside. Save and slice the wonton wrapper into desired size.
Molo soup stock:
- 2 liters water
- 500 g pork bones
- 250 g chicken breast
- Few pieces of the shrimp head
- 75 g onion (sliced)
- ¼ c onion leeks (chopped)
- 1 Tbsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
Clean and prepare the raw ingredients. Put at least 2 liters of water in a pot, add all of the ingredients, and bring to a boil for 30 minutes at medium heat. Remove the chicken breast from the pot to cool down, but let the rest boil for another 15 minutes. Shred the chicken breast thinly and set aside. Strain the rest of the boiling mixture then save the stock and set aside.
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 25 g garlic (minced)
- 100 g onion (chopped)
- 1.5 liters soup stock from 1 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 pc chicken cube, and ½ tsp ground white pepper
- Stuffed wonton (prepared)
- Shredded chicken (prepared)
- 2 c wonton wrapper (chopped)
- 50 g spring onion (chopped)
Prepare a casserole and put on medium heat. Add oil and sauté onion, garlic, and shredded chicken. Add soup stock, fish sauce, chicken cube, and pepper. Bring to boil in 10 minutes. Carefully add wonton stuffed with meat and cook for 10 minutes. Then add sliced wonton wrappers. Cook for another 5 minutes. Put chopped spring onions before serving.
Steamed Pompano with Lemongrass, Ginger, Leeks, and Wansoy
- 1 pc (400-500 g) pompano
- 50 g ginger (julienned)
- 50 g lemongrass (bundled)
- 50 g onion leeks (julienned)
- 20 g wansoy
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Sauce:
- 1/4 c light soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp Knorr seasoning
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 c water
- 20 g ginger (julienned)
- 1/4 tsp white ground pepper
Clean and prepare pompano. Put a pinch of salt, ground pepper, and lemongrass (white bottom part) in its belly, and then set aside. Prepare steamer and put fish on a plate inside the steamer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes on medium heat.
Put all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pot. Bring to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes on low heat or until sauce is reduced in half, then set aside.
Prepare the steamed fish by draining excess water around the platter. Pour sauce (right amount) on top of the fish, followed by the julienned ginger and spring onion. Set vegetable oil on high heat (almost smoking point) and carefully cover the vegetables toppings with hot oil. Finally, add sesame oil and wansoy leaves.
‘Turon Tikoy’ with ‘Panutsa’ Sauce
- 8 pcs tikoy (plain, finger size)
- 8 pcs lumpia wrapper (small)
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- Sauce:
- 1/4 c panutsa (raw sugar)
- 1/4 c water
- Pinch of salt
Topping:
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds (toasted)
Wrap each cut tikoy with spring roll wrapper. Make sure to seal all sides. Set aside for frying. Prepare a small pan for frying. Set oil on medium heat and then fry each wrapped tikoy until golden brown. Put fried tikoy on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Prepare a small sauce pot. Put panutsa and water, and then cook on medium to low heat until it thickens. Add pinch of salt.
Set a small pan on low heat. Toss the sesame seeds until lightly brown.
Prepare a dessert plate. Arrange fried tikoy turon (form a square-shaped stock pile), and put toasted sesame seeds on top. Put sauce in a small container (like a shot glass). This can be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
