DIY delicacies for the Chinese New Year

Translated by Angel Pu

Although a growing number of people now prefer ordering ready-to-eat Chinese New Year dinners from hotels and restaurants, many other still prepare this festive meal themselves. For this latter group, a variety of Taichung chefs are offering some relatively-easy recipes for healthy, delicious additions to your at-home new year feast.

Chef: Amanda Chao, former
dietician of National Taiwan
University College of Medicine

Dish: Buddha's Casserole

According to some online sources, Buddha's Casserole recently became the most popular traditional lunar new year dinner dish. Chao uses her professional knowledge to create a healthier version that has less fat, less salt and fewer calories. Best of all, it is still delicious. --By Ann Li, photos by Amanda Chao

Ingredients:
1 chicken
75 grams of Jinhua ham
150 grams of pork knuckles
Half a pork stomach
300 grams of spareribs
200 grams of skinned chicken
10 quail eggs
3 scallops (place in water to soften)
2 abalones
6-8 shiitake mushrooms
50 grams of fish skin
100 grams of pork tendons
2-3 sea cucumbers
300 grams of clams
10 chestnuts
6 lotus seeds and Chinese red dates
1 taro
250 grams of garlic and sliced bamboo shoots
1 Chinese cabbage
1 oyster mushroom
2-3 king trumpet mushrooms

Seasoning: Shaohsing rice wine, oyster sauce, sea salt, sugar, pepper
To prepare the stock: Dice and cook Jinhua ham. Boil 3 scallops, chicken, ham until cooked and stewed over low fire for 2-3 hours.

To cook:
1. Heat oil; pan-fry marinated spareribs, taro, chestnuts and garlic until golden. Bake them for a more refreshing flavor.
2. Place shiitake mushrooms and scallops in water for 8 hours. Boil pork knuckles and pork stomach first.
3. Roughly cut the Chinese cabbage and put it in the bottom of the casserole. Add the following ingredients in this order: bamboo shoots, spareribs, clams, chicken, quail eggs, shiitake mushrooms, taro, pork knuckles, pork stomach, pork tendon, fish skin, oyster mushroom, king trumpet mushrooms, scallops, Chinese red dates, lotus seeds, garlic, chestnuts, sea cucumbers, abalones.
4. Add hot stock and a big spoonful of Shaohsing rice wine to casserole.
5. Cover casserole with a lotus leaf or plastic wrap. Cook for 1 hour, remove the fat on the surface and cook for another hour. Before serving, add some oyster sauce, sea salt, sugar and pepper to taste.

Chef: Paul Li, Hai Hua
Restaurant, Howard Prince
Hotel Taichung
(04) 2463-1616

Dish: Fresh Cuttlefish with Scallops

Cantonese Chef Paul Li has worked at many high-end hotels in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei for almost 30 years. His rich experience can be seen as he prepares ingredients and cooks. Fresh Cuttlefish with Scallops is an easy dish suitable for Chinese New Year's Eve. --By Niang Chen

Ingredients:
10 fresh scallops
1 ready-to-cook cuttlefish
2-3 sprigs of celery
2 bell peppers
Some chopped green onions and scallions

To cook:
1. Marinate scallops and cuttlefish with chicken powder, sugar, Shaohsing rice wine, potato flour, salt, egg white, and stock.
2. Boil water with scallops in it. When water begins boiling, turn off the fire and leave the scallops in the pot to keep them moist and tender.
3. Stir-fry celery with water, a little oil and sugar. Strain the water, stir-fry again with oil. Thicken with potato starch.
4. Boil cuttlefish and bell peppers for 10 seconds and strain.
5. Stir-fry green onions and scallions over medium fire. Add scallions, cuttlefish, bell peppers. Add potato starch to thicken the sauce.

Chef: Pi Chih-feng, China Town
restaurant (04) 2462-5688

Dish: Abalone with Oyster and Mushrooms

Chef Pi has cooked Cantonese food for 40 years. Besides authentic Cantonese cuisine, he's also good at making all kinds of dim sum. Abalone with Oyster and Mushrooms is a refreshing, tasty stewed dish that contains a whole abalone. --By Niang Chen

Ingredients:
Chilean abalone
Shiitake mushrooms (or bamboo fungus)
Bok choy
You can adjust the spice ratios however you like

To cook:
1. Steam abalone can for 4 hours without opening it.
2. Open abalone can and strain it. Cook with chicken claws, pork skin, Jinhua ham (spareribs, cured salty pork, or pork will also do), oyster sauce, chicken powder, rock sugar, ginger, green onions, water and cook for 6-8 hours. Add some soy sauce and continue cooking till abalone is soft.
3. Soften shiitake mushrooms (resembling coins) and steam for 2-3 hours. Add chicken powder and oyster sauce to taste. These can be cooked alone or stewed with ingredients in Step 2.
4. Thicken the sauce in the pot from Step 2 and add "fat choy" ("hair vegetable" in Chinese) and rest of ingredients.
5. Boil bok choy and present it with the mushrooms and abalone on plates, or serve them in a casserole.

Chef: Negi, Ganesh Indian
Restaurant (04)2237-9355

Dish: Indian Curry Shrimps

Ganesh offers high-quality Indian cuisine prepared by young but experienced chef Negi, whose signature dishes include Tandoori Chicken, Grilled Chicken Rolls with Spices, and Risotto with Assorted Vegetables and Spices. Curry Shrimp is a traditional northern Indian entree that is popular but easy to make. --By Ann Li, photos by Clock Wang

Ingredients:
300 grams of fresh shrimp
1 chopped onion
2 chopped beefsteak tomatoes
3 spoons of minced ginger and garlic
4 spoons of oil
Some cilantro

Seasoning:
4 spoons of paprika
1 spoon of turmeric powder
3 spoons of assorted spices powder
Some salt
3 spoons of lemon juice

To cook:
1. Shell the shrimp and marinate with spices for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil and stir-fry minced ginger and garlic until brown.
3. Add assorted spices powder and tomatoes and stir-fry.
4. Add shrimp and water. Cook until thickened. Sprinkle on some cilantro.

Chef : Dereke Bruce, owner of
Finga's Fine Food (04) 2327-
7750

Dish: Portuguese Braised Pork with Clams

New Zealander Dereke Bruce, the long-time owner of Finga's, introduces this delicious dish, allowing at-home diners to dig into a classic for a taste of rustic comfort food at its best--giving your stomach a special treat this Chinese New Year. This recipe serves four. --By Jill Chan

Ingredients:
800 grams pork belly
400 grams fresh clams
600 grams tomato red pepper sauce
Bunch of fresh parsley
3 grams fresh basil
100 ml olive oil
400 ml of any brand of white wine
Loaf of garlic bread

To cook:
1. Prepare pork belly by seasoning it all over and covering it with olive oil. Braise for 30 minutes. Deglaze with white wine.
2. Add tomato pepper sauce to the pork belly and continue to braise for a further 30 minutes.
3. Add clams and herbs and cook for a further 10 minutes
4. Season and serve with garlic bread.