Gong Xi Fa Cai
HAPPY
CHINESE NEW
YEAR
2025
Traditional Recipe Ideas
Happy Chinese New Year!
To celebrate this New Year, we are introducing a recipe book full of traditional Chinese recipes that our students have shared with us. Enjoy these delicious recipes and have a feast to welcome the Year of the Snake.
A big thank you to everyone who has participated in this project.
EDI Team
Braised Chicken - 烧鸡
Ingredients
Chicken thigh fillet 600g
Ginger 1.5cm. Thin slices
Two spring onions chopped
Potato 320g diced
Salt & pepper
Soy sauce 2tbsp Dark soy sauce (optional) 1tsp
Oil 1tbsp
Chinese 5 spice
seasoning 1/2tsp
White sugar 1/2tsp
Normally eaten with rice and vegetables
Instructions
Preparation
Cut the extra fat off each chicken thighs. Then cut each chicken thigh into 4 even pieces. Two spring onions washed and chopped. Cut ginger into thin slices.
Cooking
In a medium sized pot, add 1tbsp of cooking oil. Then on medium heat add the cut ginger and spring onions into the pot and shallow fry for 1 minute. Then add in the chicken and stir for around 5 minutes until the chicken has turned white. (lightly cooked) Turn down the heat and add 1/2 tsp white sugar, 2tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp dark soy sauce (optional) and 1/2 tsp of Chinese 5 spice. Stir evenly to coat the chicken. Add boiling water to the pot so it almost covers the chicken in the pot. Then bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add some black pepper.
During this time wash, peel and chop the potatoes into rough wedges and set to one side.
In the pot, taste the dish soup and add salt if necessary. Next, add in the potatoes and simmer for a further 20 minutes. (Until the potatoes are soft). Serve in a bowl.
Recipe provided
by
Katie Davison
Serves 4
Yi Mein - 易美 Ingredients
300 g dried Yi Mein noodles
2 ⅔ tablespoon neutral cooking oil
4 cloves garlic - minced
⅔ large onion - sliced
⅔ large carrot - julienned
5 ⅓ pieces shiitake mushrooms - sliced (rehydrated if using dried ones)
320 ml low-sodium chicken/vegetable stock
2 ⅔ tablespoon oyster sauce - or vegetarian oyster sauce
1 ⅓ tablespoon light soy sauce
⅔ tablespoon dark soy sauce
⅓ teaspoon sugar
⅓ teaspoon ground white pepper
Salt - to taste
146 ⅔ g Chinese chives - cut into sections
1 ⅓ teaspoon sesame oil
Yi Mein is also known as longevity noodles!
Instructions
Parboil the noodles
Bring plenty of water to a full boil. Put in the noodles. Leave to cook while gently loosening up the strands. Once they reach the al dente texture (a little undercooked), drain well, then set aside.
Fry the vegetables
Heat an empty wok until smoking hot. Add oil then swirl it around to cover a large surface (if using nonstick cookware, add oil then start heating).
Add garlic and onion. Fry until fragrant. Stir in carrot and mushrooms. Cook for 1 minute or so.
Pour in chicken/vegetable stock, then season with oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Bring to a boil. Taste and add a little salt if necessary.
Braise the noodles
Place the noodles into the wok. Gentle toss so all strands touch the braising liquid. Leave to simmer over low heat until the noodles have absorbed most of the liquid.
Add Chinese chives and sesame oil. Toss to cook until the chives start to wilt. Dish out and serve immediately
Mapo Tofu⿇婆⾖腐
For the tofu
600 g regular tofu - soft or medium firm (see note 1) 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauce
2 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
100 g minced beef - or pork - or mushrooms for veg option
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoon Sichuan chilli bean paste - see note 2
1 tablespoon fermented black beans - rinsed and chopped
1 tablespoon ground chilli - or chilli flakes (or to taste)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
400 ml water - or unsalted stock
2 tablespoon cornstarch - mixed with 3 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper - or to taste
1 stalk scallions - finely chopped
Ingredients
Blanch
Cut the tofu into 2.5cm/1 inch cubes. Gently slide them into a wok/pot filled with water. Add the salt. Bring the water to a boil then simmer for 1 minute. Drain the tofu and set it aside.
Fry
Heat up an empty wok until hot then add the oil. Put in minced meat/mushrooms, along with minced ginger. Stir fry over high heat until the meat becomes pale. Add Sichuan chilli bean paste, fermented black beans, chilli powder/flakes and minced garlic. Fry until fragrant.
Braise
Pour in Shaoxing rice wine and 400ml (1¾ cup) of water or unsalted stock. Bring to a boil then gently slide in the tofu. Leave to boil for about 5 minutes (uncovered).
Turn the heat down to medium. Add half of the cornstarch water mixture (make sure to stir it well beforehand). Leave to simmer for 10 seconds or so, then pour in the remaining half. Once the sauce becomes just thick enough to coat the spatula, add ground Sichuan pepper and chopped scallions. Give everything a gentle mix then turn off the heat immediately. Serve it hot with plain steamed rice.
Babaofan⼋宝帆
2 cups glutinous rice 360 grams
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter or vegetable/coconut oil
1 tsp rice wine
1-2 cups red bean paste Note 1
1 cup Chinese dried fruits/nuts ex: jujubes, lotus seeds, dried fruit, longyan, goji berries, nuts, etc.
oil for greasing the bowl
Glaze
1 cup water
1 tbsp dried osmanthus flower optional, Note 2
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp corn starch + 1 tbsp water
Ingredients
Known as 8 treasure rice. The number 8
Prep the Rice/Toppings
Rinse the glutinous rice and let soak in water for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain the water and steam until cooked.
Instant Pot Method:
Add the rice to a pressure-cooking safe bowl. Add water to into the Instant Pot inner pot, add a trivet, and place the bowl on top. Close and seal the lid. Set the rice to cook for 15 minutes on high pressure and natural release for 10 minutes before manually releasing.
You can add some water (up to 2 cups) to the soaked, drained rice before steaming to make it even softer/stickier. Mix the cooked rice with sugar, rice wine, and butter. Set aside. Soak any dried ingredients such as jujube and longan in hot water until they are soft, around a few minutes. Drain and set aside.
Assembly and Cooking
Grease a medium-sized bowl with oil Arrange the dried fruits at the bottom of the bowl. You can optionally arrange them in a pattern
Add half of the cooked rice on top of the dried fruits. Press the rice along the sides of the bowl to create a hollow center. In the center of the bowl, add the red bean paste in an even layer. Place the remaining cooked rice on top of the red bean filling and press it flat. Steam the bowl over medium heat for one hour.
Create the glaze
In a small saucepan, add 1 cup water, dried osmanthus flower, and sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for around 5 minutes
Mix the cornstarch and 1 tbsp water until smooth. Add the cornstarch slurry to the osmanthus syrup and stir quickly to combine. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat and set aside
Nian Gao糖年糕
For the cake:
4 1/2 sticks brown sugar, broken into small pieces
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 pound glutinous rice flour
1 cup fine rice flour
Kosher salt
1 dried red date
Canned condensed milk (optional)
For the steamer:
1 wok or large saucepan
Bamboo steamer or large saucepan with a steamer basket
Parchment circle
Vegetable oil
Ingredients
This symbolises “yearly growth and improvement.” This could be in income, health or kids. It is good luck to eat it at New Year.
Step 1: Prepare the Sugar Syrup
Bring a wok or large saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the brown sugar and 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons of cold water to the wok or saucepan.
Stir occasionally as the sugar melts, and cook until the sugar dissolves.
Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Set aside to cool until no longer steaming, about 6 minutes.
Step 2: Mix the Rice Flours
In a large bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour and fine rice flour.
Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment circle and lightly grease the parchment with more vegetable oil.
Gradually add the sugar syrup to the rice flours in three additions, stirring with a rubber spatula until there are only a few small lumps of flour. The mixture will be stiff at the beginning but will loosen after stirring for about 1 minute.
Step 3: Strain the Batter
Strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve set over another large bowl.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and cover with aluminum foil.
Place the pan over the steamer and steam over medium heat until the cake is light brown and almost translucent, about 2 hours.
Refill the steamer after every 10 to 15 minutes as the water evaporates
Step 4: Check for Doneness
The classic way to check for doneness is by taking a small piece from the center of the cake with a chopstick (or a butter knife) and then placing a dried red date on top of the hole to hide it and provide a kind of decoration
Remove the pan from the steamer and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Flip the nian gao onto a large plate, peel off the parchment, and invert onto a serving plate.
Step 5: Serve
To serve right away, cut the cake into 1/2-inch-thick wedges using a greased knife.
For pan-fried nian gao, allow the cake to cool completely and, without slicing, cover the cake with foil.
Chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight
Slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces and pan-fry in a lightly greased nonstick skillet over medium heat, flipping halfway through, until browned in spots, about 10 minutes.
Fa Gao - 发⾼
1 cup short grain white rice (anything labelled “sushi rice” will work)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon granulated sugar or brown sugar (plus 1/3 cup/70g)
1/2 cup tepid water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
vegetable oil for brushing
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 drops red food colouring (optional)
goji berries and golden raisins (for topping, optional)
Ingredients
Known as prosperity/fort une cake.
Add the rice to a medium bowl, and cover it with 2 inches/5cm of water. Cover the bowl with an overturned plate and let the rice soak overnight
Dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in the tepid water, and let it sit for 15 minutes until foamy. Drain the rice, and add it to a high-powered blender along with the yeast mixture. Blend until smooth. Then add in the flour and remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Blend again until well incorporated and mixture resembles thin pancake batter. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Cover with an overturned plate and let the mixture ferment in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it doubles in volume. (I placed mine in a closed microwave with a large mug of boiling water next to it.)
Brush your steaming vessels (small tea cups, tart tins, or a muffin tin) with a light coating of oil. The rice mixture will look a bit bubbly and puffy.
Fold in the salt, baking powder, and red food colouring (if using). Mix well to combine. Fill each oiled steaming vessel about 70% – 80% full, and top with the dried goji berries and raisins (if using). Set aside to rest while you heat up the water in the steamer (this short resting period will help ensure a better rise).
Fill your steamer with at least 7 5 cm of water Heat over mediumhigh heat until the water is boiling.
When the water in the steamer is at a full boil, transfer the cakes to the steamer Cover, and steam over high heat for 25 minutes Do not open the lid during steaming. After 25 minutes, turn off the heat and let the cakes rest in the steamer for 5 minutes with the cover still on.
