Chinese New Year Spring Rolls

Chinese New Year eve is the most important day of the big celebration. The whole family may spend hours making the feast and it is only a private meal, for family only. Homes are scrubbed clean entirely, debts are repaid, new clothing laid out and children are washed head to toes, so everyone is ready for the new year.

At home, we always spend hours making spring rolls 'Chun juan'. I make it in the morning and serve it all day long. It mark the start of the spring season. chun means 'spring' which is why these rolls are good to eat at Chinese new year eve.

Again, I only serve vegetarian food during the first 3 days of the new year for good karma. I made these fabulous spring rolls recipe to be fabulous. A variety are such as cabbage, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, shiitake mushroom,s, leeks, spring onions or shredded carrots.

Servings: 50 egg rolls
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh shiitake mushroom or dried shiitake (soak in boiling water until soft), julienned
• 1pkt  500g pack glass noodles (Buy it from here: http://www.noodlesonly.com/
• 1/2 small cabbage (about 3 cups), shredded (napa or regular cabbage)
• 2 medium carrots, julienned
• 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained and julienned
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 stalk spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 leek, julienned
• 1 shredded carrot
• 2 handfuls of fresh bean sprouts
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• salt according to taste
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (add water to become paste)
• 50 spring roll wrappers, defrosted
• cooking oil, for frying

Instructions:

*If using Chinese dried mushrooms, soak them in very hot water for 20 minutes to rehydrate. Cut off and discard the stem.

In a large saute pan or wok, swirl in 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Turn on the heat to medium-high and immediately add garlic, ginger and green onion, stirring frequently. By the time the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, cabbage, carrots and bamboo shoots.

Turn heat to high and stir-fry the vegetables for about 2 minutes. and then toss in the bean sprouts. Add in the soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook for another minute. Then spread the filling out onto a large baking sheet. Prop the baking sheet up on one side to allow any sauce or oil to accumulate at the bottom (and discard)

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of cool water to form a paste

How to fold spring roll: http://www.wikihow.com/Fold-a-Spring-Roll . Note:  I  using store-bought rice wrapper/sheets, start the process from step 4 onwards. At Step 9, instead of sealing the spring rolls with eggs I use cornstach paste prepared earlier.

In a large wok or saucepan over high heat, add about 1-2 inches of cooking oil

Slide several egg rolls into the oil and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes, turning them over a couple times, or until the wrappers are golden brown. Remove the spring rolls to a cooling rack or paper-towel-covered plate to allow them to drain. Serve hot.

Chinese New Year Longetivity Shiitake Noodles

Chinese New Year is the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. It celebrates the start of new life and the season of ploughing and sowing. This Chinese New Year begins on 31 January 2014. It is a traditional time for feasting with family and friends.  Dinners tends to be very elaborate involving tables laden with auspicious food. Almost every dish has a symbolic meaning  for fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity. 

Today I made Shiitake Noodles to commemorate the new year.  This is a vegetarian dish  because it is considered fortuitous for garnering good karma by refraining from eating food that has been killed. Vermicelli is used because is signifies longevity in Chinese culture. It is long and can be eaten without being cut up.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serving size:  8 person

Ingredients

• 500g pack dried rice vermicelli (buy from: http://www.noodlesonly.com/rice-vermicelli/)
• couple dashes toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
• finger-length piece fresh root ginger, grated
• 300g fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (100g if dried. Soak overnight)
• 1 leek thinly sliced into lengthways strips
• 150g fresh watercress
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp thick dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

Method

1. Soak the rice vermicelli in hot boiling water until soft. Make sure stirring it occasionally to ensure the noodles are fully emerge into water. Rinse in cold water to prevent noodles from sticking. Drain water entirely. May toss with a little sesame oil to stop them sticking.
2. Heat 2 tbsp groundnut oil in a wok over a high heat. When it starts to smoke, add finely chopped garlic cloves, ginger and leek to stir-fry for a couple of secs, then throw in the shiitake mushrooms.  Stir for 2 mins then add the cold vermicelli and the sauces (fish+light+dark soy). Cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the veg is properly mixed then serve straight away.  Sprinkle fresh watercress on top of noodles.

The pasta basics.

 

I often cook to the wrong amount pasta. When cooked too much, cold leftover pasta can be used in cold dishes such as salad or broths.  Also, I always wonder if I am serving the right sauce with the right pasta.  Therefore here is some basics of pasta:

Pasta is an ingredient like no other. It is cheap to buy, easy to cook, delicious to eat and highly versatile. Available in a wide variety of shapes and textures, this simple food made from durum wheat can form the basis of limitless range of dishes.

Durum wheat

Durum wheat makes the best flour for commercial pasta. Majority of pasta making industry are grown in Italy or imported from North America. The flour from durum wheat is called semola in Italian, makes high-quality pasta that holds its shape well. Pasta made with 100% durum are usually more expensive than regular range however it is generally better quality combining flavours.

Nutritional values

Pasta is a completely natural complex carbohydrate food that contains no additives.  Pasta with egg contains most nutrients, while wholewheat pasta has the highest percentage of vitamins and fibre. Rich in protein, pasta provides as much energy as a pure protein like steak, but with little or o fat.  As it contains six or eight amino acids essential to make up a complete protein, it only needs a small quantity of cheese, meat, fish pulses or sauces to make it complete.  

In Italian cooking, ingredients such as extra virgin oil, fresh and canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, red peppers and fresh parsley are used all the time. For ease of use, pasta is also used in soups and broths, dishes in tomato sauces, cream sauces or in tasty salads.

How much pasta to serve?

Serving pasta as first course is 65g-90g (2.5 to 3.5 oz.) uncooked per person. If serving as main course simply increase the weight of uncooked pasta to 115g-175g (4 to 6 oz.) per person.

Source: J. Wright, ‘Classic Pasta’, Annes Publishing Ltd., 2009