The Chinese New Year, a celebration that starts with the new moon and lasts for 15 days, begins this year on Feb. 1. This will be the year of the sheep — or ram — a character on the Chinese zodiac that promises a year of peace and tranquility (world headlines notwithstanding).
To mark Chinese New Year, NPR's Linda Wertheimer looks at a new children's book — Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats — that tells the stories behind this and three other major Chinese holidays. The book's co-author is Nina Simonds, who's written a number of books on Asian Cooking, and who took Wertheimer shopping in Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown for special New Year treats.
One traditional treat is slices of candied lotus root: It represents the blessing of many children, Simonds says, "but also it's very traditional to serve lotus root because it's said that the good luck passes through the holes of the lotus root and into your mouth for the new year." Simonds says other traditional treats include candied melon, to promote growth and health; peanut cookies, for long life; candied coconut, which symbolizes togetherness; and candied kumquats, a round, golden fruit that symbolizes money and prosperity. All these very sweet treats, she says, would go on a "prosperity plate" to be offered to guests coming over during the holiday.
Below, Simonds offers an updated recipe for a prosperity plate, as well as a recipe for traditional sweet rice balls. Both are reprinted with permission from Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes, by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz, & The Children's Museum, Boston (Harcourt, Inc.).
Vegetable Sticks with Peanut Dip
On Chinese New Year, says Simonds, "many families prepare a tray of prosperity — a special six-sided platter that has connecting sections filled with candied fruits, melon, and lotus seeds. These foods symbolize riches, longevity, and the blessing of more children." Simonds says those traditional foods can be replaced with cut vegetables for "a more colorful and healthful version of the traditional prosperity tray."
2 red peppers, rinsed and drained
1 yellow pepper, rinsed and drained
1 pound baby carrots
PEANUT DIP:
1 cup smooth peanut butter, or more as needed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
7 tablespoons water, or more as needed
1. Using a paring knife, cut off the top and bottom of the peppers. Remove the seeds and cut each pepper in half along the length. Then cut each half along the length into three or four strips, removing any white membrane. Cut each strip on the diagonal into pieces about 1-1/2 inches long. Arrange the peppers and the carrots in separate piles on a decorative tray or in a basket. Leave a small space in the middle of the vegetables for the dip.
2. Scoop the peanut butter into a blender or a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the soy sauce, rice wine or sake, vinegar or Worcestershire sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger, blending until smooth after each addition. Add the water and continue blending. The dip should be stiff but creamy. If it seems too thick, add a little more water; if it seems too thin, add more peanut butter.
3. Pour the dip into a small bowl and place in the space on the tray of vegetables. Makes 6 servings.
Sweet Rice Balls
Chinese New Year festivities climax with the arrival of the Lantern Festival -– and, says Simonds, "no Lantern Festival celebration would be complete without yuanxiao, the sticky rice balls that are symbolic of family reunion and happiness. Recipes vary from region to region: In Taiwan many people make yuanxiao without fillings, like those in this recipe. But in different parts of China, yuanxiao often are stuffed with sweet pastes made with sweet red beans, dates, lotus seeds, coconut, peanuts, and sesame seeds. All are served in a sweet soup." And, Simonds cautions, "Be sure to say only good things as you roll the dough so that you will enjoy good luck in the year to come."
1 cup sweet rice flour
1 tablespoon safflower or corn oil
½ cup boiling water
SOUP:
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1. Put the sweet rice flour into a large mixing bowl. Mix together the oil and boiling water, and slowly add the rice flour, stirring with a wooden spoon. Mix to a rough dough and let cool. Place the cooled dough on a clean surface and knead lightly until smooth.
2. With your hands, roll the dough into a long snake and cut it into teaspoon-sized pieces. (There should be about 40.)
3. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a tray that has been lightly dusted with sweet rice flour.
4. To make the soup, bring the water and sugar to a boil in a large pot. Lower the heat and cook for a few minutes to fully dissolve the sugar. Add the rice balls and bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the balls float to the surface. Stir in the almond extract. Remove from the heat, ladle soup and balls into individual soup bowls, and serve. Makes about 40 balls.
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