For those of Chinese heritage and from other Asian cultures, the Lunar New Year began Saturday, and festivities will continue into February, ending when the moon is full.
During this celebration, many fine meals with family and friends will be had, and the foods will symbolize good fortune.
At this time of year, although it’s not part of my culture, I, too, celebrate the “good-luck” feeling of Chinese New Year by preparing Chinese-style dishes at home.
If you would like to do that, too, today I have two recipes for you to try.
One is for shrimp and vegetable spring rolls. Spring rolls are served during Chinese New Year because their shape and colour resembles a gold bar, a symbol of wealth. Spring rolls are also tasty and crispy, a fine way to start a meal.
You’ll also find pork being served during Chinese New Year because it symbolizes wealth and also strength and blessings. One way that pork is prepared is by Chinese-style barbecue.
A book called The Chinese Kitchen says the Chinese in Canton call pork prepared this way char sui, which in English means: “held-by-fork-over-an-open-fire.” That meaning dates back to a time in China when meats were most often cooked that way.
These days, though, Chinese-style barbecue pork is mostly cooked in an oven, including today’s sparerib recipe. Some recipes ask you to simmer the ribs first, and then marinate and roast them. But for a fuller flavour, I decided to oven-steam them first. After you marinate and then roast the ribs, they ending up having a striking mahogany colour, a succulent texture and a fabulously rich flavour.
Make a meal of the ribs by serving them with steamed or fried rice and stir-fried vegetables.
Shrimp and Vegetable Spring Rolls
You can make the filling for these spring rolls a few hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate it, until you are ready to fill, roll and fry the spring rolls.
Preparation: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 12 to 15 minutes
Makes: 12 to 14 spring rolls
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus some for frying
4 cups shredded Napa or Chinese cabbage
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
300 grams small, cooked salad shrimp, patted dry and then coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Asian-style chili sauce, such as Sriracha
12 to 14 fresh (eight-inch square) spring-roll wrappers (see Note)
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
• hoisin sauce, plum sauce, hot mustard and/or sweet Asian-style chili sauce, to taste, for dipping
Heat the 2 Tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet set over medium-high. Add the cabbage, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger and cook until just softened, about two to three minutes. Spoon this mixture into a wide, shallow bowl and cool to room temperature. When cool, mix in the shrimp, cilantro, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce.
Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place a spring-roll wrapper on a work surface with one corner facing you. With a brush, wet edges with cornstarch/water mixture.
Place 1/3 cup of the filling in a narrow row down the centre of the wrapper. Fold the bottom point of the wrapper over top of the filling. Fold the sides of the wrapper partially over the filling. Tightly roll up the spring roll and set on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
Preheat the oven to 200 F. Deep fry the spring rolls, three to four at a time, rolling them around as they cook, until golden, about three minutes. Keep cooked ones warm on a plate in the oven until the others are cooked, or enjoy straight away.
Serve the spring rolls with hoisin sauce, plum sauce, hot mustard and/or Asian-style sweet Thai chili sauce, for dipping.
Note: Depending on the brand, spring-roll wrappers are sometimes also labelled egg-roll wrappers. You know they’ll be suitable for spring rolls because they will be quite thin but large in size, about eight inches square.
Chinese-style Barbecue Spareribs
Make a meal of these richly coloured and flavoured ribs by serving them with steamed or fried rice, and steamed or stir-fried vegetables.
Preparation: 30 minutes, plus marinating time
Cooking time: Two hours and 10 minutes
Makes: four servings
1 1/2 kilograms pork spareribs (also called side ribs)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp paprika
Trim loose fat from spareribs and then cut them into single-bone pieces. In the places where there are no bones, cut the meat in 1 1/2-inch-wide strips.
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Set a baking rack over a large and sided baking sheet. Set the ribs, meaty-side up, in a single layer on the rack, and then season with salt and pepper. Pour the 2 cups water into pan. Cover and bake the ribs for 80 minutes.
While the ribs bake, make marinade by combining the remaining ingredients in a 13- x -9-inch pan.
When the ribs have baked 80 minutes, remove from oven, uncover and let stand 20 minutes. Now set the ribs in the marinade mixture, toss to coat and arrange, as best you can, in a single layer. Cool ribs to room temperature, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator at least four hours, turning the ribs occasionally.
When ready to roast, preheat oven to 325 F. Line a clean, sided baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the ribs on the baking sheet, meaty-side up. Generously top each rib with the marinade left in the pan. Bake ribs, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes, until richly coloured, sticky and yummy. Arrange on a platter and serve.
How to make a spring roll
Step 1: Place a spring-roll wrapper on a work surface with one corner facing you. Brush edges of wrapper with cornstarch/water mixture.
Step 2: Place 1/3 cup of the filling in a narrow row down the centre of the wrapper. Fold the bottom point of the wrapper over the filling. Fold the sides of the wrapper partially over the filling.
Step 3: Tightly roll up the spring roll and it’s ready for frying.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His latest is The Great Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook (Appetite by Random House). His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
