Lunar New Year Feast

Celebrate the year of the dragon with classic Chinese dishes you can make at home

Sesame Chicken with Broccoli Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon cooking oil of choice, divided

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce

• 1/3 cup rice vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, or to taste

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

• 1/2 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks

• 1/2 cup sliced shallots

• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, or to taste

Directions

1. Place chicken pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, salt, and white pepper. Toss chicken to coat evenly and set aside.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon cooking oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Stir in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sambal oelek, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or wok until very hot. Add chicken pieces carefully to the hot oil. Cook, stirring, until chicken pieces are lightly browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes total. The chicken pieces will cause spattering, so be sure to use a long-handled spoon or other utensil to move the chicken around.

5. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from the skillet and add the remaining 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Add carrots, shallots, and broccoli, and stir quickly and continually, 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Stir in prepared sauce, and cook until the vegetables are as tender as you like, 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Place cornstarch in a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Keep stirring until there are no lumps. Add cornstarch slurry to the skillet and rapidly stir until well combined. Return chicken pieces and cook, stirring often, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Remove from heat, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve hot.

Honey Walnut Shrimp Ingredients

• 1 cup water

• 2/3 cup white sugar

• ½ cup walnuts

• 4 large egg whites

• 2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)

• 1 cup vegetable oil for frying

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• ¼ cup mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Stir together water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and add walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.

2. Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in mochiko until it has a pasty consistency.

3. Heat oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Dip shrimp in mochiko batter, then fry in batches in hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

5. Stir together mayonnaise, honey, and sweetened condensed milk in a medium serving bowl. Add fried shrimp and toss to coat with sauce. Sprinkle candied walnuts on top and serve.

Ingredients Marinade:

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup Chinese rice wine

• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

• 2 tablespoons red bean curd (Optional)

• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (Optional)

Pork:

• 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins

Directions

1. Gather all ingredients.

2. Stir soy sauce, honey, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine, hoisin sauce, red bean curd, and five-spice powder together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until just combined and slightly warm, 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, slice each pork tenderloin lengthwise into 1 1/2to 2-inch-thick strips. Place pork strips in a large, resealable plastic bag.

4. Pour marinade into the bag with the pork. Squeeze air from the bag, seal, and turn the bag a few times until pork is well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.

5. When ready to cook, preheat a charcoal grill for mediumhigh heat and lightly oil the grate.

6. Remove pork from marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Set aside the remaining marinade for basting.

7. Rake the hot coals into two equal piles on opposite sides of the charcoal grate. Add a small container of water to the grate. Place pork strips in the center of the grate for indirect cooking.

8. Cook pork over indirect heat, turning regularly and basting as desired, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), 30 minutes or longer.

Recipe Tips

If you can’t find red bean curd, use 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring, if desired.

To cook over indirect heat on a gas grill, simply turn off the center burner. Place food over that burner, which will cook by the heat on either side.

Courtesy allrecipes.com