Chinese New Year Traditions and Recipes

This post was sponsored by Ling Ling, all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Last week I spent my Thursday evening with 9 other Seattle area bloggers and the delightful Chef Katie Chin for a cooking class with Ling Ling Asian Foods.

Chef Katie shared how her love for cooking began with her mother, and how it's lead her to authoring cookbooks and wearing the horse head on Cutthroat Kitchen. She also graciously shared two of her personal Asian recipes to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year in addition to some Chinese New Year Traditions.

Chinese New Year Traditions

• If you wash your hair on Chinese New Year you will wash away your good luck for the year.
• Same goes with sweeping, as you will sweep all the luck out the door.
• Using bad language on New Year's Day will cause them to follow you throughout the year.
• During the New Year, give freinds with oranges or tangerines (with the leaves still attached if possible) to ensure that your friendships remain intact.
• New shoes for New Year's morning means you start your year off on the right foot.
• Another Chinese New Year's tradition is giving red envelopes to children, filled with money to start the year with prosperity, joy and luck.

Chinese New Year Recipes

While Chef Katie was sharing the Chinese New Year traditions, she led us all through prepping and learning to make side dishes that pair with the Ling Ling potstickers. It was a lot of fun and I learned some great tips! Did you know that potstickers symbolize riches and prosperity during the Chinese New Year?

Chef Katie shared two of her recipes with us, both of them serve 4 as part of a multi-course meal. You can find most ingredients at Asian markets and your local grocery store.

Chinese Long Beans with Cashews

Recipe provided by Chef Katie Chin
Ingredients
1 lb (500g) Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut into 2in (5cm) pieces
2 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 oz (50g) roasted cashews

Directions
1. Cook the long beans in boiling water until tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer the beans with a slotted spoon to an ice bath until cool. Drain. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce and stir fry for 30 seconds.
3. Dish out and garnish with roasted cashews. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Chef's note: Chinese Long Beans have a similar flavor to green beans, but they have a distinct tight and juicy texture. When they are stir-fried in oils with aromatics, they soak up the flavors while remaining tender crisp. You may substitute long beans with green beans but blanch them for 5 minutes instead of 2 minutes.

CHINESE LONG BEANS WITH CASHEWS

Chef Katie Chin

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Asian

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb 500g Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut into 2in (5cm) pieces
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 oz 50g roasted cashews

Instructions

 

• Cook the long beans in boiling water until tender crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer the beans with a slotted spoon to an ice bath until cool. Drain. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce and stir fry for 30 seconds.
• Dish out and garnish with roasted cashews. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Spicy Garlicky Asian Eggplant

Recipe provided by Chef Katie Chin
Ingredients
4 Asian eggplants, cut in half lengthwise than diagonally in ½" in (1.25cm) slices.
2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 red hot chili peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons water

Directions
1. Cover the eggplants with water, add salt and stir to dissolve salt. Soak the eggplants for 5 minutes then drain well.
2. In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chili peppers, eggplant and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and continue stir-frying for 2 more minutes. Add the oyster sauce mixture and stir well to mix. Serve immediately with hot steaming rice.

Chef's note: Asian eggplants are narrow in shape, have a thinner skin and tend to be sweeter than larger American eggplants. They absorb all the flavors around them. You can find Asian eggplants at many Asian markets. You can substitute regular eggplants, just cut it lengthwise into 4-6 strips before slicing.

DIY Cherry Blossom painting activity

After our meal, Chef Katie share a fun and easy DIY Cherry Blossom painting activity.

We've already tried the recipes from Katie in our home, and I am excited to make them again with my family to celebrate the Chinese New Year.