Photo courtesy of National Watermelon Promotion Board
Many in Asia and around the world will observe Lunar New Year, which begins on Feb. 12. The festival period lasts for 16 days, so there’s plenty of time to add a new Asian dish to the menu. These five recipes, inspired by Chinese and other Asian cuisines, make a good starting point for celebrating the Year of the Ox.
Photo courtesy of The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley
Five-Spiced Tofu with Brussels Sprouts and Thai Basil Black Pepper
This tofu dish is one of nine courses Chef Peng S. Looi created for a family reunion-style meal, inspired by the Chinese dishes in Malaysia. The Chinese traditionally celebrate the Lunar New Year with an extravagant multi-course feast served family-style, but Chef Looi plated the dishes individually in light of 2021’s pandemic restrictions.
Photo courtesy of National Watermelon Promotion Board
Shaking Beef on Watermelon and Watercress Salad
Chef Mai Pham runs two restaurants in Northern California and has launched a line of frozen Vietnamese meals. This recipe is inspired by the classic dish, bo luc lac, and showcases the love of contrasts in the Vietnamese kitchen. A drizzle of citrusy, gingery fish sauce brings all the flavors forward and together in perfect balance.
XO sauce is a condiment developed in Hong Kong and typically used in Cantonese dishes to deepen the umami characteristics. The ingredients often include dried scallops, dried shrimp and ham cooked with chili peppers, onions, garlic and sugar. Chef Mikel Anthony of Savoie in San Diego substitutes prunes for the sugar for additional depth and serves the sauce on fried red snapper.
For this dish, Chef Keith Brunell of Nordstrom Restaurants soaks cucumbers and celery in a rice vinegar mixture for a quick pickling and creates a miso-ginger vinaigrette to marinate the soba noodles. Avocado and watermelon radishes add touches of color to each bowl.
Barramundi Tacos with Asian Slaw & Sesame-Soy Yogurt
Chef Christopher Koetke, dean of the Sun Valley Culinary Institute, fuses Asian flavors into a fish taco. A traditional Chinese family would probably not serve this dish at a New Year banquet, but the ingredients complement each other and combine two favorite cuisines. Barramundi is a sustainably produced cost-effective fish that is becoming more widely available in foodservice.
