Bring in the Chinese New Year with a bang in Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane is the place to be this Chinese New Year with a HUGE line up of festive events: http://bit.ly/14GuxEp

It’s time to farewell the year of the dragon and welcome the year of the snake at the 2013 Valley Chinese New Year Festival and The City's BrisAsia Festival.

VALLEY CHINESE NEW YEAR

The festival will take place in Chinatown Mall, Fortitude Valley, from Friday 8 February until Sunday 17 February.

Chinatown Mall will come alive with ten days of celebration including lion dancing, musical performances, cooking demonstrations, firecrackers and Tai Chi displays.

There will also be 3D lanterns on display, market stalls and special food offerings from the Valley Chinatown Mall restaurants.

Make a day of it and kick off the Chinese New Year with a special lunch or dinner, just a stroll away from the street festivities. 

King of Kings is a popular favourite with award winning dim sums, a range of fresh seafood and the famous Fire Dragon Drink.

For a no-fuss banquet, Golden Palace is offering an early dinner which includes a three course meal from a pre-organised menu.

For the night-owl, The Brunswick Social offers top notch cocktails and Hong Kong inspired dumplings. The venue is open until the early hours of the morning and is a perfect setting to celebrate the New Year. 

BRISASIA FESTIVAL

The City will also pay homage to its Asian residents and the beauty of Asian cultures with a free two week festival in the CBD from 8 - 23 February.

Festivities include a Burnett laneway party celebrating Asian music and dance, a Big Aussie-Asian BBQ featuring celebrity chef Poh Ling Yeow, a public conversation forum with Asian artists and producers, an Eastern Odyssey of music and art, an Asian games night and a Neon Pop dance party. Click here for a full list of events.

Information and photos from Visit Brisbane

Recipe: Dumplings to celebrate Lunar New Year

Eat Your Way to Prosperity
 

Chinese Potstickers
by Story of Bing

Dumplings, one of the most important foods eaten during the Lunar New Year,  symbolize wealth because their shape resembles ancient Chinese money. They are traditionally eaten after dinner or around midnight.

About

These Chinese dumplings are really easy to make because they are made with store bought dumpling wrappers. Don’t sweat over making the wrappers from scratch because the store bought ones are so good these days.

They are absolutely delicious and very fun to make with friends and family. Feel free to vary the filling for different surprises on the table!

For a pictorial step by step tutorial on how to make these dumplings, go to - http://www.storyofbing.com/2012/07/chinese-potstickers/

Yield:

24 dumplings

Ingredients

200g ground pork (slightly fatty, not lean)

100g canned water chestnuts (or chopped spinach/cabbage)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon fine sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon Shaoxing Huatiao wine

2 to 3 tablespoons of chopped scallions (spring onions)

25 to 30 store bought dumpling wrappers (the round kind, not the square wanton or spring roll wrappers)

Plain flour to dust

4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (for 2 batches of cooking)

2/3 cups water (for 2 batches of cooking)

Preparation

1

Place 200g of ground pork in a large mixing bowl. If preferred, pork may be substituted with ground chicken.

2

Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1 teaspoon of fine sugar, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing Huatiao wine.

3

Place 100g of canned water chestnuts in a chopper/blender. Chop the water chestnuts to small pieces. Add the chopped water chestnuts to the pork mixture. If preferred, use spinach or cabbage in place of water chestnuts.

4

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of finely chopped scallions or spring onions to the pork mixture. Combine all the filling ingredients well.

5

Thaw the dumpling wrappers if they are frozen. Keep them well covered until they are ready to be used.

6

Dust a dish generously with flour. This will hold the dumplings once they are made.

7

Dust the table generously with flour. Carefully separate the sheets of dumpling wrappers and lay them on the table. Fill each wrapper with about 1.5 teaspoons of the prepared pork filling.

8

Prepare a bowl of water. Dip finger into the water and lightly wet the rim of each dumpling wrapper.

9

Bring the dumpling wrapper together till the opposite ends meet. Gently push the filling into the wrapper and pinch the top tip of the dumpling wrapper to seal it.

10

From the centre of the dumpling, fold a pleat on ONE side and bring it to the other side of the dumpling. Fold towards the centre of the dumpling. Pinch to seal it.

11

Repeat and create a 2nd pleat. Be mindful to pinch tight to seal the dumpling well. Repeat and create a 3rd pleat. Each side should have 3 pleats.

12

Repeat the same pleating on the other end of the dumpling. Always ensure that the pleats face the centre of the dumpling.

13

Place all prepared dumplings in a well floured dish ensuring that they do not touch each other. Set aside till ready to cook. They can also be frozen at this stage.

14

To cook the potstickers, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a very hot frying pan. The potstickers should be cooked in at least 2 batches.

15

When the oil is hot, add the dumplings ensuring that the flat surfaces face down. Pan fry till the bottoms of the dumplings are a nice golden brown.

16

Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan. Cover the pan immediately and let the steam cook the dumplings for 4 to 5 minutes.

17

Once the water has evaporated, remove the cover and let the dumplings sit in the hot pan for another minute for its base to crisp up again. These are now Chinese potstickers.

18

Gently transfer the potstickers to a plate. Serve immediately.

19

These Chinese potstickers are best served with a vinegar dip made with balsamic or black chinese vinegar and thinly sliced ginger. Soy sauce, chili oil or sesame oil may also be added to the dipping sauce.

Recipe: Buddha's Delight

Buddha's Delight

Photo: flickr user FotoosVanRobin

This vegetarian dish symbolizes health, wealth and happiness.

Ingredients:

4 dried Shiitake or Chinese black mushrooms
1/2 cup dried lily buds
4 dried bean curd sticks
8 ounces bamboo shoots, sliced
6 fresh water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
1 cup Napa cabbage, shredded
4 ounces snow peas
1/4 cup canned gingko nuts
1 knuckle of ginger, crushed

Sauce: 
4 tablespoons reserved mushroom soaking liquid or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Other: Vegetable oil for stir-frying, as needed Salt

Preparation 

1. In separate bowls, soak the mushrooms, dried lily buds, and dried bean curd sticks in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes to soften, then squeeze out any excess liquid. 
2. Reserve the mushroom soaking liquid. If necessary, strain to remove any grit. Remove the stems and cut the mushroom tops in half if desired. 
3. Finely chop the water chestnuts. 
4. Peel the carrots and julienne into thin strips. 
5. Shred the Napa cabbage. 
6. Remove the snow pea strings and cut in half. 
7. Drain the gingko nuts and crush the ginger. 
8. Combine the reserved mushroom soaking liquid with the Chinese rice wine, dark soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Set aside. 
9. Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the heated wok. 
10. When the oil is hot, add the carrots. Stir-fry for 1 minute, and add the dried mushrooms and lily buds. Stir-fry for 1 minute, and add the water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, snow peas and ginger. Stir in the shredded cabbage and gingko nuts. Add the bean curd sticks. 
11. Add the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat and let the vegetables simmer for 5 minutes. 
12. Taste and add salt or other seasonings as desired. Serve hot.

Source: Foodista - Buddha's Delight by  Sheri Wetherell http://www.foodista.com/recipe/VKKKXV47/buddhas-delight