A Week Ahead:
Write Fortunes for the Fortune Cookies
Three Days Ahead:
Cook Pork for Sweet and Sour Soup
Prepare Ginger Ice Cream and Freeze
Two Days Ahead:
Bake Fortune Cookies
Bake the Chicken for the Mandarin Almond Chicken Salad
Prepare the Tea Eggs
Day Before:
Bake Almond Cookies
Prepare Jiaozi to the Point of Frying
Assemble the Chicken Salad
Tea Party Day:
Fry the Jiaozi
Prepare the Soup
Make the Crunchy Noodle Salad
The Chinese not only discovered tea but also they were the first to make ice cream. Serve this ginger ice cream (or any other flavor you like) to go along with the almond and fortune cookies for the Chinese New Year Tea.
For the ginger syrup:
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 - 3 packed tablespoons grated fresh ginger
Milk mixture:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons finely minced ginger in syrup (available at Asian markets), drained before mincing
Custard mixture:
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions:
To make the syrup, heat the water and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the fresh ginger and stir; bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the syrup uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
In another pan combine the milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the minced preserved ginger. Stir over medium heat until the milk comes to a scalding temperature, just short of a simmer, then remove the pan from the heat. Scrape the fresh ginger syrup into the milk mixture, and stir well to blend. Cover and steep 20 minutes to infuse the milk.
In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until the mixture is pale yellow, thick, and falls in ribbons from the beater.
Put the heavy cream in a medium-size bowl. Nest the cream bowl in a larger one lined with ice cubes and place in a large, fine mesh strainer alongside.
When the steeping time is up, bring the milk mixture to scalding again, stirring. Slowly add 1/4 of the scalded milk to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the eggs, then pour the egg mixture back into the remaining milk, continuing to whisk. Cook over moderate heat, whisking slowly but steadily until the mixture reaches the custard stage, thick enough to coat and cling to the back of a spoon, 180 degrees on an instant-reading thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil lest the eggs scramble.
Immediately pour the custard through the strainer and into the bowl of cream set over ice. Scrape the pot clean, then slowly stir the liquid trapped in the strainer in order to coax it through the mesh. Press firmly and repeatedly on the ginger to extract all the liquid, then finally scrape the bottom of the strainer to claim every last drop for the cream. Discard the ginger solids. Allow the cream mixture to cool completely, stirring occasionally.
Once cool, the mixture may be sealed airtight and refrigerated for 1 - 2 days before freezing.
Freezing the cream:
Just before freezing, adjust the mixture with 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, stirring and tasting after every several drops just until the ginger flavor is perceptibly heightened by the lemon.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the freezing process is completed, pack the ice cream into a clean plastic container, poking deep into the mixture, then pressing it with a spoon or spatula to eliminate any air bubbles. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream to prevent the formation of ice crystals, then return the mixture to the freezer for at least 2 hours to firm up and ripen.
Yields about 1 1/2 pints
Fortune Cookies weren’t invented in China. In fact, they originally come from California. Asian workers building the railroads developed these cookies as a sweet ending to a meal. For your Chinese New Year Tea, make your own fortunes to add to the cookies.
Almonds are used for sweet rather than savory dishes in China.
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg, lighten beaten
25 whole blanched almonds
Preheat the oven to 350ยบ. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and slowly add to the butter, stirring until smooth. Add the chopped almonds and extract and stir until smooth.
Drop tablespoons of the mixture onto the baking sheet, spacing about 1¼-inches apart. Dip your thumb into some flour and make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Brush each cookie with the beaten egg and place an almond in the center of each indentation. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly and transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Another little bite, much lighter after the fried dumplings.
Anita at Prairie Dreams tagged me for this You Make My Day Award! Thanks, Anita, you make my day too. Now I'd like to pass it on to Katherine at Yellow Rose Arbor and Rose-Michelle at A Cup of Tea with Friends.
If you eat only one food for Chinese New Year, make it jiaozi (gee-owl'-zee). It will bring you luck all year long. For the tea, this is another item you might want to buy from your favorite Chinese restaurant. I wanted to include the recipe though for the adventurous.
Filling:
6 cups Chinese (Napa) cabbage, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground pork
2 cups garlic chives, finely chopped
2 ½ tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
50 round wheat dumpling wrappers
Red rice vinegar
To make the filling, put the cabbage and salt in a bowl and toss lightly to combine. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Squeeze all the water from the cabbage and put the cabbage in a large bowl. Add the pork, garlic chives, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, ginger and cornstarch. Stir until combined and drain off any excess liquid.
Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Spread a little water along the edge of the wrapper and fold the wrapper over to make a half moon shape. Use your thumb and index finger to form small pleats along the sealed edge. With the other hand, press the 2 opposite edges together to seal. Place the dumplings on a baking sheet that has been lightly dusted with cornstarch. Do not allow the dumplings to sit for too long or they will go soggy.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add half the dumplings, stirring immediately to prevent them from sticking together, and return to a boil. For the traditional method of cooking dumplings, add 1 cup cold water and continue cooking over high heat until the water boils. Add another 3 cups cold water and cook until the water boils again. Alternatively, cook the dumplings in the boiling water for 8-9 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and drain the dumplings. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
The dumplings can also be fried. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan, add a single layer of dumplings and cook for 2 minutes, shaking the pan to make sure they don’t stick. Add 1/3 cup water, cover and steam for 2 minutes, then uncover and cook until the water has evaporated. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
Serve with red rice vinegar.
10 regular eggs or 20 quail eggs
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine
1 star anise
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cinnamon stick
3 slices ginger, smashed
3 tablespoons Chinese black tea leaves
Place the eggs in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let the eggs simmer for 10 minutes. Refresh the eggs in cold water. Drain the eggs and lightly tap and roll the shells on a hard surface to crack them. Do not remove the shells.
Put the tea cooking mixture ingredients in a heavy bottomed bowl or saucepan with 4 cups water and heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Add the cooked eggs and simmer for another 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit in the tea mixture until cool enough to handle. Remove the shells and serve the eggs warm or cold, cut into wedges, with some of the cooking mixture on top.
Of all the many delicious Chinese soups, this is my favorite. This soup is not difficult to make but you can buy it from your favorite Chinese restaurant for this tea if you can't find the ingredients.
4 mushrooms
4 ounces lean cooked pork, thinly shredded
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces firm bean curd, drained
½ cup canned bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 teaspoons white pepper
Chopped scallion
Combine the pork, a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch. Thinly shred the bean curd and bamboo shoots to the same size as the pork.
Bring the stock to a boil. Add the pork and stir to separate the meat; then add the mushrooms, bean curd and bamboo. Return to a boil and add the salt, red pepper flakes, rice wine, soy sauce and vinegar. Slowly pour in the egg, whisking to form thin threads and cook for 1 minute. Combine the remaining cornstarch with enough water to make a paste, add to the soup and simmer until thick. Put the pepper in a bowl, pour in the soup and stir. Garnish with scallion.
This beautiful salad is an Ina Garten recipe. She's my favorite Food Network chef. This recipe can be served at room temperature or cold.
This menu relies on both purchased items and homemade. Don’t panic if you see something unfamiliar. Recipes start tomorrow!
Cold Noodle Salad
Hot and Sour Soup
Chinese Chicken
Tea Eggs
Jiaozi
Ginger Ice Cream
Almond Cookies
Tangerines
Fortune Cookies
Thousand Days Red Jasmine (Xian Tao), a display tea with a Litchi nut shape, opening to a red clover blossom, Jasmine scented. Find it at Silk Road Teas on the sidebar.
