Last Wednesday we celebrated the Chinese New Year, this year it’s the year of the snake. It is a tradition across most of Asia to enjoy a lavish feast to celebrate the new lunar year.

In China, festive red lanterns, loud firecrackers, fireworks, new clothes and fancy haircuts are all part of the celebration to usher in the new year.

Friends and families gather the night before to celebrate and enjoy a lavish feast together. The foods enjoyed on that night are all classic dishes which will bring

daji: good life and great prosperity. What is cooked holds great meaning. Most households make an assortment of dumplings and or potstickers, many from scratch.

Whole fish is cooked and enjoyed; this symbolises abundance. Crispy spring rolls symbolise bars of gold and bring wealth and prosperity in the year to come. Noodles play an important part in this feast, the longer the noodles the better and this represents the wish for a long, happy and healthy life.

These are all good reasons for us all to enjoy any of these delicious dishes this weekend!

Potstickers with Hot Chili Sauce

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup water chestnuts

6 dried black mushrooms, softened in warm water for about 20 mins, stems removed

40 wanton skins

seasonings

3 tbs minced ginger

1/3 cup chopped chives minced

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs rum (optional)

2 tsp sesame oil

1½ tbs cornstarch

Hot Chili Sauce

3 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs sugar

2 tbs water

1 tbs hot chili paste

1 tbs minced fresh ginger

1 tbs minced garlic

Vegetable oil for frying dumplings

In the bowl of a food processor chop shrimp, chestnuts and mushrooms.

Add all the seasonings and stir well to mix. Stir in the cornstarch, the mixture should be stiff.

Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling in the centre of one wanton skin.

Moisten the edges with water. Fold over in half to enclose filling. And press the edges to seal.

Repeat until all the filling is used up, arrange dumplings on a tray and dust with cornstarch.

Heat a large frying pan add some oil and pan fry the dumplings until golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Remove with a strainer and drain. When you have fried all the dumplings, add the chili sauce to the pot and cook until bubbly, add dumplings back to pot, add a little water if necessary and cover for a short time.

Serve the dumplings at once.

Tropical Spring Rolls with Tamarind Plum Sauce

[caption id="attachment_1136311" align="alignnone" width="960"] Spring Rolls -[/caption]

4 cups finely shredded cabbage

2 carrots, shredded

4 blades fresh chive, finely chopped

2 tbs chopped chadon beni (cilantro)

4 Chinese dried black mushrooms, reconstituted, caps removed and chopped

1 tbs chopped garlic

1 tbs minced ginger

¼ cup minced shrimp

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

25 spring roll wrappers or 50 wan ton skins

Vegetable oil to fry

Paste:

½ cup water

1 tbs cornstarch

Combine cornstarch with water and set aside

Heat a clean wok, add one tablespoon oil , w