Year of the Pig
COOK, EAT CELEBRATE &
Lunar New Year feasting made easy: Take a cooking class BY HEATHER L. KING | PHOTOS BY DIANE SHEYA, SLICE
“I
don’t think that people realize all the food symbolism around Chinese New Year,” Diane Sheya, owner and culinary director of Salt Lake Institute of Culinary Education (SLICE) in South Salt Lake, says. Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is a time of togetherness, when family and friends gather to feast and welcome the new year. This year, SLICE has put together a special Chinese New Year cooking class in honor of the Year of the Pig. The threehour, hands-on workshop aims to bring new and old friends together around the most symbolic (and delicious) foods of the Lunar New Year. During the class, students will learn how to prepare four dishes and the symbolism behind each one. Then, you’ll sit down to dinner enjoy the fruits of your labor in addition to a special steamed fish prepared just for your meal.
CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR: THE YEAR OF THE PIG WORKSHOP
Feb. 6, 6-9 p.m. $85 per person Salt Lake Culinary Center 2233 S. 300 East, South Salt Lake 801-464-0113 Register at SaltLakeCulinaryCenter.com SLICE offers instructor-led cooking experiences for every skill level—from the beginner who is interested in knife basics to the home chef looking to spice up their meals with Indian curries or ramen to the emerging culinary professional seeking a position in the hospitality and culinary industry. To spark your interest in the class, SLICE instructors have shared the following recipe with Devour readers (Hint: it’s one of the dishes you’ll prepare in the class.) 48 Devour Utah • February 2019
Stuff your egg rolls with good fortune
CHINESE SPRING ROLL RECIPE
Courtesy of SLICE Ingredients 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon rice wine or white wine ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1 pound ground chicken 2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided 2 cloves garlic finely minced 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 1-2 stalks green onion, chopped ½ head of small cabbage, about 8 ounces, shredded 2 carrots, thin julienne cut 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 50 frozen spring roll wrappers, defrosted 2 cups cooking oil—vegetable, canola or peanut oil for deep frying For the Cornstarch Slurry 1 tablespoon cornstarch ¼ cup water
PROCESS
Prepare the Filling In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, wine, pepper and cornstarch. Add in the chicken and mix well. Let marinate for 10 minutes (or up to overnight in the refrigerator). Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil. Stir fry the ground chicken until browned. Remove browned ground chicken from wok to a bowl and set aside. Wipe the wok clean and turn heat to medium. When just starting to get hot, swirl in the remaining cooking oil. Add in the green onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Take care not to burn these aromatics. Add in the carrots and cabbage. Stir well and turn the heat to mediumhigh. Stir fry the vegetables for 2 minutes, or until the carrots have softened. Add the cooked chicken back into the wok, stir well. Add in the oyster sauce and toss again.