HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

IT'S THE YEAR OF THE HORSE

Starts JANUARY 31 and is celebrated for 15 days

Horse (Birth Years: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014)

Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Horse enjoy exploring and their independence. They are honest and enjoy holding meaningful conversations with others. Horses enjoy traveling and a change of scenery. Their family and friends may view them as drifters because of their constant need for a new environment. A weak quality that the hose holds is that they can come across as self centered; this can lead to them having a difficult time making friends. Sticking to a routine for an extended period of time can easily bore them. Horses enjoy careers where they can interact with their co-workers freely; a quiet office is not their cup of tea. They easily grasp new concepts, and are reliable when it comes to meeting deadlines. Their spontaneity keeps their partners interested in them, but they have a tendency to fall in love too quickly. The best love matches for Horses are Dog or Tiger.

TRADITIONS

    Chinese New Year celebrations mark a new beginning. Houses are aired out to get rid of last year’s bad luck, and they are decorated in red, which symbolizes good luck and fortune. Family members gather to give children red envelopes full of money for good luck.  

The food eaten during the celebration 

is intended to promote

 wealth, happiness and longevity.

One traditional dish is uncut LONGEVITY noodles,to promote a long life.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces (1/2 box) spaghetti or linguine
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 3/4 cup snow peas, blanched and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 
  
• sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

1. 1. Prepare noodles according to package directions. Rinse, drain and set aside.
2. 2. Toss the chicken pieces with the cornstarch, salt and white pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
3. 3. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it turns white.
4. 4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the bean sprouts, snow peas and carrots and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce and stir-fry until blended, about 1 minute. Add the reserve noodles and toss until coated. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Dumplings  to promote wealth in the upcoming year because their shape resembles old forms of Chinese currency. Most are savory, but some have added sugar for a sweet life.  Others are stuffed with coins for extra luck for the ones who discover them.

Ingredients

• 1 box (32 Oz.) Asian-flavored Chicken Broth*
• 2 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced Thinly On The Diagonal
• 1 bag Frozen Chinese Or Thai Dumplings (such As Pork, Chicken, Shrimp, Veggie, Etc.)
• ⅓ cups Mushrooms, Sliced Thinly
• 1 whole Scallion, Chopped
• ½ cups Fresh Spinach Leaves
• Preparation Instructions
• *Broth can be found next to the stocks and broths on the soup aisle or on the ethnic foods aisle of the grocery store. I use a coconut curry broth.
• Pour the broth into a pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add the carrots. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the dumplings and mushrooms and simmer for about 8 minutes. (Do not cook the dumplings at a rapid boil or they will break open.) Add the scallion and spinach leaves and continue to simmer for about two minutes longer, or until the dumplings are heated through and the vegetables are tender enough.Courtesy of the Tasty Kitchen

Another must-have dish is the the five-vegetable stir fry, representing The five blessings  Longevity, Riches, Peace, Wisdom and Virtue,  

Stir-Fried Chinese Vegetables

Serves: 4 to 6

4 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ medium red onion, cut into 4 wedges, layers separated
2 heads organic baby bok choy, trimmed, cut lengthwise into quarters
¼ pound organic Chinese broccoli, stems and leaves separated and cut into 1-inch pieces, or an equal amount of broccoli rabe
¼ pound organic Chinese long beans or regular green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 green onion, trimmed, 5 cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces, 1 thinly sliced and reserved separately
¼ head Napa cabbage, leaves cut crosswise into strips 1 inch wide
²⁄₃ cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water, heated
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Heat a large wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot enough to flow freely and begins to shimmer, add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes and stir-fry just until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Scoop out the aromatics and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the wok. When it is hot, add the onion pieces and stir-fry until they turn glossy and bright, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the bok choy and the Chinese broccoli. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Add the long beans and the 1-inch green onion pieces. Continue stir-frying until they are bright green and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Add the Napa cabbage, along with about ¹⁄₃ cup of the hot broth or water and the reserved aromatics. Continue stir-frying until the vegetables are all tender-crisp, about 2 minutes longer.

Add the remaining broth or water, and soy sauce; briefly stir the cornstarch mixture and drizzle it in. Continue stir-frying until the vegetables all look lightly glazed with sauce, about 1 minute longer.

Transfer the stir-fried vegetables to a heated serving dish. Garnish with the sliced green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

From and tested by Wolfgang Puck. 

Celebrities Born in the Year of the Horse

Louisa May Alcott, Chopin, Davy Crockett, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Sandra Day O'Connor, Rembrandt, Teddy Roosevelt, Sir Isaac Newton, Barbara Streisand, Cindy Crawford, Cynthia Nixon, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, Jason Biggs, Jackie Chan, Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, Leonard Bernstein, Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Rembrandt, Ashton Kutcher, Emma Watson, Josh Hartnett, Katie Holmes, Kristen Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Genghis Khan, Emperor Kangxi and Yongzheng of China’s Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR  恭禧發財