Kidzworld Kitchen: Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is the most important of traditional Chinese holidays and is celebrated in a big way with food, fun and family!

This year the first day of the lunar calendar falls on February 10^th, 2013 and will be celebrated in China and many other countries with significant Chinese populations, and in Chinatowns in major cities all over the world.

Customs include giving gifts and money, decorating windows and doorways with red and other symbols of good luck, prosperity, health and long life. On the Eve of Chinese New Year families gather together for a feast and end the night with firecrackers.

The theme of Chinese New Year is to reconcile, forget all grudges and wish peace and happiness for everyone! Sounds like a great holiday! So if you would like to get in on the fun here are a couple of recipes to get you in the spirit. Everyone loves delicious, fun-to-eat spring rolls and bright red moon pies are just the perfect thing to bring you luck. Kung hei fat choi!

Red Moon Pies
Courtesy of Love Sugar Cakes

Spring Rolls
Courtesy of Love Sugar Cakes

Wrapping Spring Rolls
Courtesy of Love Sugar Cakes

Red Moon Pies

Ingredients:

Pie:

• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ounce red food coloring (an entire small bottle
• 2 Tbsp. water
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 ½ cups cake flour
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. baking soda

Filling:

• 6 ounces softened cream cheese
• ½ cup softened butter
• 1 cup  marshmallow cream (Hint! Found in a jar in the baking section of your supermarket)
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Grease cookie sheets, or line with parchment paper
3. In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder, food color and water, mix and set aside
4.  In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar and eggs
5. Add in buttermilk, salt, vanilla extract and food color mixture and whisk together till completely combined
6. Stir in flour and mix
7. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in the vinegar then pour into the batter and stir
8. Carefully spoon 1tbsp into round circles onto prepared cookie sheets
9. Bake for about 6-7 minutes, until they’re set and no longer sticky or soft. Set aside to cool
10. Beat cream cheese, butter and marshmallow cream together until smooth then add powdered sugar and vanilla
11. Spread a tbsp or so onto a cooled pie then top with the bottom side of another pie
12. Cover with plastic and put into the fridge until you’re ready to serve

Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

• 100g Asian vermicelli noodles
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1½ cup finely sliced Chinese cabbage
• 1 cup roughly chopped bamboo shoots
• 1 peeled and grated carrot
• 1 tin drained and chopped water chestnuts
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 packet frozen spring roll wrappers, thawed (Hint! Take out of the freezer an hour before)
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• Sweet chilli sauce or Hoisin sauce for dipping

Spring Rolls
Courtesy of Love Sugar Cakes

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cover the noodles in boiling water and stand for 5 minutes. Drain and chop into small pieces
2. Bring a wok or non-stick frying pan to a high heat, and add oil. Add garlic, cabbage, bamboo shoots, carrot and cook for about 4 minutes or until soft
3. Stir in noodles and chestnuts, soy sauce and pepper. Set aside to cool completely
4. On a clean surface place a small bowl with the beaten egg
5. Roll out a wrapper and turn it diagonally to make a diamond shape.
6. Place 1½ tablespoons of cooled filling in the centre of the wrapper
7. Pull up the bottom corner of the wrapper over the filling then tuck each side in, use your fingertips to wipe the edges of the top corner of the diamond with a little egg, and then snugly wrapper over the roll
8. Continue until you have used all the mixture and then cover the rolls with a damp towel
9. In a wok or frying pan heat up the vegetable over (Hint! To know if the oil is hot enought dip one end of a spring roll into the oil - if it doesn’t sizzle, the oil is not ready)
10. When the oil is ready, fry the spring rolls in batches until lightly golden on all sides
11. Place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil
12. Serve immediately with sweet chilli or Hoisin sauce for dipping

Wrapping Spring Rolls
Courtesy of Love Sugar Cakes

Remember, be creative, have fun and above all, safety first! Always talk to the adult in charge before you get your chef on! Kung hei fat choi!

Recipes courtesy of Love Sugar Cakes