Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and runs for 15 days. If you are lucky enough to have a steam/steam assist oven, we have plenty of great recipes and ideas on our website for you to try at home! So, grab some colorful lanterns and red decorations from your local Asian mart and celebrate!
Traditionally there are a couple of dishes that are always present at Chinese New Year. The Yee Sang salad is a must in the center of our table.
The history behind this salad started in Malaysia by the Chinese settler's and is now present at many Malaysian and Singaporean New Year celebration.
I have included my recipe below which I wrote down on a serviette while dining at the Yangtze restaurant in Wellington over 30 years ago.
Humphry the owner/chef/close friend who originates from Hong Kong changed it up over the years, but I still stick to the original we ate for the first time all those years back and it's remained a family favorite. Best of all it requires no cooking!
The other dish that is always present is noodles for longevity, check out our website for steamed rice noodles, chewy noodles or make your own spaghetti for egg noodles.
The Smeg pasta attachment makes the latter two quick, while the rice noodles are even quicker using your Steam oven!
Make your own tradition with whatever your family favorites are, check out our Asian inspired section and try our steamed dumplings, bao buns filled with duck or crispy roast pork and pickles.
Steam fish and serve along with steamed rice and greens tossed in your favorite Asian dressing, all done with ease in your steam/steam assist oven.
Yee Sang, Loh Hei, Loh Hei – depending on what dialect you speak
You will need a large round platter or tray for the Yee Sang, Chinese red packets x 4, Chinese teacups x4 or sauce dishes, and a pair of chopsticks per person. Ideally each person needs a red packet or a teacup to toss into the salad so if you have more than split accordingly so each person has something to add
This recipe is enough for 6 as a starter but is easily doubled or tripled or quadrupled as in our case!
To make salad you will need
- 200-300gms raw super fresh fish finely sliced and placed in center of your plate/platter - keep in fridge while you get other ingredients ready
- 25 sheets of wonton wrappers cut into four and deep fried, drained and place in one or two bowls – essential for the crunch element
Make use of your Smeg food processor Grate and shred the following and pile each vegetable separately onto platter around the fish making a colourful plate - 1 cup shredded Iceberg Lettuce,
- 2 x carrot,
- 2 x red capsicum or chilies,
- 1 bunch spring onions,
- ½ bunch coriander,
- ½ bunch mint,
- 1 x cucumber,
- 150gm daikon or radish,
- thumb of finely shredded ginger
- 1 cup finely sliced celery
– swap out or add whatever you like
Next to fill red envelopes
Toast 2 tbsps. sesame seeds and ½c roast peanuts separately
When cool chop peanuts finely and pop into red envelope
Place cooled sesame seeds, five spice, in a separate envelope
Mix salt sugar and pepper and place in another envelope
Take your teacups or saucers and put 1tbsp Dijohn mustard, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp black Chinese vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil separately in each teacup
The idea is to put salad in the center of the table, place packets and teacups around salad.
Each person takes a teacup or packet and tosses into salad for good luck, next each person has a pair of chopsticks and together sing out Yee Sang while tossing the salad to combine everything – this is the messy part but just go with it.
Serve into small bowls or plates, have chili and extra soy sauce on hand, enjoy
You may find you want to make this salad all through summer, its that good!
