Chinese New Year, the start of the lunar year, is the most important traditional holiday in China. This January denotes the beginning of the Year of the Rooster, as defined by the Chinese zodiac cycle.
Celebrations will begin on January 27, 2017, New Year’s Eve, and typically last around two weeks, making this the longest holiday in the Chinese calendar.
Chinese New Year, Saturday, January 28th will officially usher in the Year of the Rooster. Millions of people across the world are right now preparing to gather with family and getting ready for celebrations to welcome twelve months of the Rooster.
Food is an important part of the Chinese culture and a lot of significance is assigned to different foods for the New Year. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune.
With the Chinese New Year coming up this weekend, Atlantic Superstore is once again highlighting its T&T and Rooster brand Asian products and fresh produce to help us celebrate the Year of the Rooster!
While my family won’t be travelling to China to celebrate (although I would love to!), we do like to celebrate this festive occasion with a special Chinese-themed dinner.
A couple of years ago we made these absolutely delicious, Lion’s Head Meatballs with Shanghai Bok Choy. They are so unbelievably good, that I have made them several times since.
Last year we made Lettuce Wraps of Prosperity, which were a huge hit then and continue to be one of our most loved and asked for appetizers.
This year we are going to make,“Six Fortune” Shredded Chicken Stir-Fry (recipe below).
How do you make a chicken breast juicy and flavourful? Chef Zhu’s secret is to add starch because it creates a protective shield to seal in the moisture within the protein. This recipe also uses six different colours, including red, green and yellow bell pepper, which gives a lucky symbolism to this flavourful dish. Savoury and refreshing, it is a perfect choice for your Chinese New Year Eve’s reunion – or anytime!
I love that it’s simple to make and a bit of a twist on our usual chicken stir fry recipe.
- Main ingredients:
- 500 g/ 1 lb boneless and skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
- ½ green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- ½ red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- ½ yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- ½ carrot, sliced into thin strips
- ⅓ onion, sliced into thin strips
- 2 stalks celery, sliced into thin strips
- For chicken seasoning:
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chicken powder (powdered chicken stock)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
- 2 tablespoons Rooster Brand™ Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Other ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (to pan-fry the chicken)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (to stir-fry vegetables)
- 1 teaspoon Rooster Brand™ Cornstarch, add just enough water to mix
- Thinly slice chicken, and finely slice all other ingredients.
- Mix sliced chicken strips with the chicken seasoning ingredients and leave for 15 mins.
- Heat 4 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large sauté pan or a wok over high heat. When the pan is hot, pan-fry the chicken. Set aside when it is cooked through.
- In the same pan heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add all sliced vegetables to the pan. Season with a pinch of salt. Stir-fry the ingredients constantly for about 20 seconds.
- Add chicken back into the pan. Toss all ingredients together for about 20 seconds. Add the cornstarch-water mix and stir until thickened. Serve and enjoy.
Another fun tradition to celebrate Chinese New Year is to mix up your fruit bowl (or box, in my case!) a bit. Our local Atlantic Superstore® has a great selection of fruits and vegetables to choose from. We usually always have apples, bananas, tomatoes, grapes, etc, but we rarely have the more exotic Chinese fruits such as:
Pomelo
- Pit of pomelos have fibre and are lower in sugar in comparison to other fruits like mandarins and oranges
- Pomelos contain many vitamins and minerals including ones with antioxidant properties
- The skin of this fruit has insoluble fibre which helps with digestion
- Dietitian tip: Eat the whole fruit for optimal intake of nutrients
Persimmons
- Persimmons are a great source of fibre
- Persimmon skin has insoluble fibre which helps keep you feel fuller, longer
- Dietitian tip: Eat the whole fruit for optimal intake of nutrients
Starfruit & Dragon Fruit
- It is recommended to not peel the skin of starfruits and dragon fruits (do not eat the skin of dragon fruit) as the whole fruits are a great source of vitamin C
- These fruits are low in sugar, making them a great option for those watching their sugar intake
Seaweed
- Seaweed is full of Vitamin A, Vitamin K and magnesium
- Dietitian tip: Add thin strips of Rooster™ brand seaweed into noodle soups for additional flavour and extra nutrients
Bok Choy/Napa Cabbage/Snap Peas
- While many choose to eat bok choy, napa cabbage and snap peas cooked, they’re also delicious eaten raw
- Low in calories and are packed with Vitamin K and Vitamin C
- Also great for calcium absorption
- Dietitian tip: Substitute wraps (flour/rice) with napa cabbage for a healthier choice
- Snap peas have 5 grams of fibre in every cup and 6 grams of protein in every cup
Edamame Beans
- Dietitian tip: Edamame beans are a great source of protein and is a great alternative as a vegetable-based protein. Consider adding to salads for the extra nutrients and flavour.
Chinese eggplant
- Eggplants contain antioxidant properties and can help to strengthen the immune system
- Dietitian tip: Leave the skin on when cooking for additional nutrients
- Dietitian tip: Watch the amount of oil added to Chinese eggplant as every teaspoon of oil offers you an additional 50 kcals. Eggplant will soak up all the oil you add in; therefore, control portion
Chinese New Year is the perfect opportunity to introduce your family to a few different fruits and vegetables, things you may not normally buy.
I hope you embrace your inner rooster and satisfy your curiosity for something new with these fruits & veggies and this fun family friendly recipe from the team at Atlantic Superstore® and No Frills®.
How do you usually celebrate the Chinese New Year?
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Mmm, I must admit, these are totally new recipe ideas to me but definitely ones I will try. I am very eager to try new fruit and these look delicious and are very nutritious as a bonus!!
Thanks so much Pat. The recipes that we have already made are really tasty and it’s fun to try something a little different from what we usually make.
Monica Parlee recently posted…Celebrate Chinese New Year with Family {w/Recipes}
We use to go to China Town and have lunch. Now we do not do much as far as celebrations and I miss it. Just harder where we live
Those look so good! We once bought a dragon fruit just because it looked so cool- seeing it in that photo brings back memories. :) We went to a Chinese New Year party on the weekend- it was a lot of fun!
Heather Lynne recently posted…Orangetheory Fitness Update & Results