Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
Cook with Jamie
One of the things I love about the UK is that we’re starting to embrace different cultural celebrations. With the bleak weather we’ve been having, I reckon we could all do with a bit of a party and in my eyes Chinese New Year, which falls on Sunday 10 February this year, is the perfect excuse to get your loved ones together and cook up a feast.
The beauty of Chinese cooking for me is that it’s super quick and can be incredibly easy to achieve from scratch. I love trying different interpretations of it at home, but when it comes to special occasions, I think it’s only right to call in the big guns. So, these gorgeous recipes come to you courtesy of the brilliant Kylie Kwong. Kylie is Australian-born Chinese, and what I love is that she combines those influences to create fantastic dishes. I’m going to hand over to Kylie and let her fill you in on what a traditional Chinese New Year should involve, so get planning, and enjoy it!
Kylie says, ‘Traditionally, the New Year’s Eve dinner is sumptuous. The tremendous amount of food symbolises abundance and wealth for the household. A whole fish is usually served, which represents togetherness and plenty, as well as a chicken, which must be presented with head, tail and feet to symbolise completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as they represent long life. It’s also vital to have flowers, in recognition of the fact that without them there would be no fruit.
‘The menu I’ve prepared here does not strictly adhere to the traditional Chinese New Year; it is more a reflection of my Australian- Chinese upbringing and what I love eating the most.’
Bamboo steamers have been used for centuries in Asian cooking – I love using them to make little savoury dumplings or coconut buns, or simply to steam fish and veggies. You can pick them up for next to nothing online or in Asian supermarkets.
When you’re out and about, look out for different styles of chopsticks and store them at home in a jar – not only do they look cute displayed on your shelf, they’ll also add an element of fun to your meal.