Celebrate Chinese New Year (26 January) by cooking up some delicious dishes inspired by the Orient for family and friends.
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Chinese New Year is the largest and most important of the traditional Chinese holidays and is a celebrated symbol of spring. Festivities are held over 15 days marking the end of the harvest and the sowing of new crops. It is a special time to share with loved ones enjoying festive foods.
To join in the celebrations stir up your own tastes of the East with these simple but tasty orient-inspired dishes that incorporate fresh Chantenay and Tenderstem Broccoli® with store-cupboard basics.
Simple 5 Spice Chantenay
Spicy, crunchy and oh so simple to make Chantenay Carrots cooked in Chinese 5 Spice are great as a spicy starter or side dish.
Simply wash some Chantenay, halve if large. Toss in a little oil and a generous sprinkling of Chinese Five Spice powder (available from good supermarkets). Roast in a hot oven for 20-30 minutes until the Chantenay are tender and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve!
Tenderstem® Broccoli with Oyster Sauce, Garlic and Ginger
Here’s a quick and simple low fat dish that’s packed with flavour and ready to serve in just 10 minutes.
Boil or steam 200g Tenderstem® for about 3 minutes until tender. Cut a thumb-sized piece of ginger and 3 cloves of garlic into fine slices and fry gently with a little groundnut oil. Add 4 tablespoons of oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons of Kikkoman soy sauce and warm through. Add the cooked Tenderstem® and toss to coat in the sauce. Serve with basmati rice into which you have stirred a big handful of chopped fresh coriander leaf. Serves 4.
Udon Noodles with Tenderstem®, Red Peppers and Griddled Turkey
For a special treat this Chinese New Year try this colourful dish with juicy Tenderstem and peppers, it’s so simple and can be cooked to serve 4 in minutes.
Preheat griddle pan. Splash Kikkoman soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce over 500g thin sliced British turkey breast, set aside until the griddle pan is hot, then griddle for 2-3 minutes each side until nicely striped. Meanwhile, cook 800g of fresh Udon noodles according to the packet instructions (about 2 minutes) and set aside to cool. Prepare 200g Tenderstem® by cutting off the florets and slicing the stems into diagonal strips. Slice the red peppers into strips and finely slice 6 small shallots. Stir fry the vegetables in a hot wok with a tablespoon of groundnut oil until everything has a little bit of colour. Add 2 crushed garlic cloves and a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger along with some Kikkoman soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce to taste and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Udon noodles and toss to mix. Serve the noodles piled high with the turkey arranged on top. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil.
The New Year festival lasts for 15 days so there’s plenty of time to try your hand at these and other recipes, for more ideas visit www.chantenay.co.uk and www.tenderstem.co.uk.
