It is Chinese New Year and 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. Chinese New Year 2022 falls on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022, and celebrations culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 15th, 2022.  The tiger is known to be king of all beasts in China and comes third in the Chinese zodiac.  People born in a year of the Tiger are predicted to be brave, competitive, unpredictable, and confident.

This week we will be making – Prawn Chow Mein with a side of Shitake and Pak Choi

Food plays an important role in many New Year celebrations with families coming together for reunion meals and feasts.

There is so much more to Chinese cuisine than just your local takeaway.  Chinese food is fairly healthy as dishes usually contain lots of vegetables.  This country’s cuisine is fascinating and differs from many others as it lacks the creamy, butter-based sauces found in many other cuisines.

Food is central to Chinese New Year and festive dishes are chosen for their symbolism in bringing good health, long life, luck and prosperity into the coming year.  Red is a symbol of luck and yellow for wealth.

Noodles, along with long beans, are traditionally eaten at Chinese New Year, as the long strands symbolise longevity for the year ahead. The preparation of the noodles is generally up to personal preference, as long as the noodles are not cut or broken as this would signify shortening of life, which would definitely not be a good start to the year!

This week we will be combining umami flavours with prawns and vegetables to create a tasty dish that is a more authentic version of this beloved Chinese takeaway.  Our focus will be on Mise en place – a French term for having all your ingredients measured, cut, peeled, sliced, grated, etc. before you start cooking. 

Chow Mein translates as ‘crispy noodles’, is mostly associated with takeaways, but when freshly made at home it makes for a satisfying tasty meal. There is a lot of speculation as to the exact origins of the dish, as most regions of China seem to have a version, but with such an array of interchangeable ingredients you can see why it is difficult to know its exact origins.

Chinese New Year is the pinnacle of the Chinese calendar and is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year.  Celebrated by more than 20%, of the world; it’s the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over the world.

Five facts about Chinese New Year

·         It is the longest Chinese holiday

·         The festival causes the largest human migration in the world due to family reunions

·         Children receive lucky money in red envelopes

·         Firecrackers are always set off at midnight

·         The Chinese decorate everything red for Chinese New Year

This week we will be using the following skills: measuring, chopping, and mincing, cutting, slicing, mixing/combining, boiling/simmering and wok frying.

See you Saturday Junior Chefs.