Lifestyles

Banish the February doldrums by celebrating the New Year all over again.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, Saturday is New Year's Eve, a great time to make a resolution to be more creative in the kitchen, starting, naturally, with adding Chinese options to your family's menu choices.

Cooking Chinese food in American homes has become easier, with the increasing availability of bottled sauces, authentic ingredients and ready-made foods, from frozen dumplings to heat-and-eat won-ton soup, says Dorothy Tague, director of Chop, Wok & Talk cooking school, in Friendship.

Many of these sauces and specialty ingredients are carried in mainstream supermarkets, as well as specialty Asian stores such as Ou's International Co. and Pittsburgh Asian Market, in Wilkinsburg. Stores such as Ou's are particularly helpful. Hand over your list of seemingly mysterious ingredients, and the staff at Ou's will do the work of finding the products for you.

American cooks often take the easy way out by buying ready-made foods -- or using takeout -- to avoid dealing with recipes sporting long lists of ingredients or trying to figure out vague directions about cutting vegetables and folding dumpling skins, says Tague.

A better way to turn out more authentic meals, she says, is to take some classes, where knife skills are taught and students can see how pot stickers and won tons are folded in three dimensions.

"I can show you how to 'cheat' when making pot stickers," she says. "They will look like pierogies -- but it's not Chinese. And you can read the books, but who knows what 'double fry' means? Or pinch pleats?"

Gently acquainting American home cooks with Chinese ingredients and techniques also is a goal of Ching-He Huang, a British cooking show host and author of "China Modern" (Kyle Books, $19.95 paperback). In the book, she says that cooking Chinese fare at home isn't as popular as cooking Italian cuisine.

"Take a look at the supermarket ingredients aisles of these two sections, and you'll see what I mean," she writes. "Is this because people view Chinese cookery as complicated and the ingredients inaccessible? This is a myth I want to dispel."

Huang offers 100 cutting-edge, fusion-style recipes -- takeoffs on takeout favorites, traditional home cooking, and fusion cuisine where East meets West. Her New Year's menu features two types of dumplings, Peking Duck, Char Sui Pork, Hot Chile Shrimp, steamed seabass, egg fried rice, fresh mango and vanilla coconut sticky rice, and egg custard tarts made easy with refrigerated pie pastry.

For pure do-it-yourselfers, says Tague, the truth remains that Chinese cooking can take a while -- it's all in the prep. Fortunately, much of a meal can be made ahead and then thrown together in 10 minutes.

"You cut up the vegetables, let the meat marinate overnight and prepare the sauces ahead of time," she says.

Maybe the preliminaries take 50 minutes, but the actual cooking time is less than 10.

"And that isn't any different from making a traditional American meal," Tague says. "It's just in reverse. It's quick to put all the ingredients together, but you still have to put it in the oven to cook, and that could take 50 minutes."

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New Year culinary traditions

Chinese New Year means 15 days of partying, feasting, fireworks and hopeful wishes during the oldest and most important festival in the Far East. Also called the Spring Festival, the celebration commemorates the earth coming back to life and the anticipation of plowing and sowing -- which, thank goodness, directly leads to the subject of food, and lots of it.

"Chinese New Year is equal to Christmas plus New Year's Eve," says Louis C. Ou, who owns This year -- 4705 -- is the Year of the Boar, and Chinese families are preparing dumplings, buying candy and stocking up on sweet rice flour cakes, flavored with brown sugar and fruit, or salty turnip cakes to serve to family and friends, he says.

Many foods are associated with Chinese New Year, either because their names sound similar to Chinese characters with lucky meanings, or their shapes or colors symbolize happiness, prosperity and good fortune. It's a time to wear red, give children red envelopes stuffed with "lucky" money and enjoy red, strawberry-flavored candy, Ou says.

It's traditional to serve foods whole for New Year's -- that means fish and chicken with heads and tail/feet on -- and to dine on fruit as well as sticky-sweet glutinous rice pudding, steamed dumplings or fried pot stickers, and egg rolls, says Dorothy Tague, director of Chop, Wok & Talk cooking school in Friendship.

"I don't show my students how to cook whole fish or chicken because it grosses them out," she says. "But veggie dishes, lo mein -- all kinds of noodle dishes -- and soup are suitable for New Year's."

There usually is a banquet that consists of a parade of several dishes, maybe eight to 14.

Noodles symbolize longevity, which is why they usually are served whole, says Ou, but avoiding cutting them is becoming less important at New Year's.

"You want to keep them whole for birthdays," he says. "It's OK to cut them at New Year's -- just don't cut them too short."

And you won't see fortune cookies or General Tso's Chicken at authentic dinners.

"They aren't Chinese," he says.

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Fried Dumplings-Pot Stickers

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Dorothy Tague, director of Chop, Wok & Talk cooking school in Friendship, offered this recipe for these popular appetizers, which also can be steamed. She learned how to make them from Pittsburgh's longtime Chinese cooking instructor, Anna Kao. If the dumplings have been frozen, steam them directly from the freezer for 20 minutes, or pan-fry for 15 minutes.

For the dumplings:

• Round dumpling wrappers
• Water
• All-purpose flour, if needed

For the filling:

• 1 pound uncooked ground pork or beef
• 2 cups minced napa cabbage
• 1/2 cup minced green onions
• 1 1/4 teaspoons grated gingerroot
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

To steam dumplings:

• Water
• Vegetable cooking spray, optional

To fry dumplings:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Sauce for serving, one or more:

• Bottled hot chile sauce
• Bottled hot mustard sauce
• Hot Chile Pepper Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)
• Apricot Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)
• Mustard Sauce (recipe follows)

Cover the dumpling wrappers with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. Have a small bowl of water nearby.

Combine the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl. Lay several wrappers on a work surface and place 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each (See photo 1). Do not overload with filling. Dip your finger into the water and moisten all the edges of the dumpling (Photo 2). The water will "glue" the edges. Fold the dumpling in half and pinch one side together (Photo 3), leaving the top part open.

You are going to make pleats in the back row of the wrapper while catching the front part of the wrapper and squeezing them together so that the dumpling is sealed. You will pinch and pleat from one side of the dumpling skin to the other, making about 5 pleats and ending up with a dumpling that is pleated in the back and smooth in the front so it can be formed into a moon shape (Photo 4 ).

Push the dumpling on the table top to flatten the bottom so it will sit upright. Now, bend both sides toward the center to make a moon shape. The shape is necessary so that the dumplings will fit into a frying pan.

Place the formed dumplings onto a tray sprinkled with flour or covered with wax paper (Photo 5). At this point, the dumplings can be cooked immediately, or frozen until hard, then transfered to a plastic freezer bag.

To steam: Arrange the dumplings on a heat-proof plate 1 inch apart and steam for 5-8 minutes over medium heat, or arrange in a Chinese double steamer coated with vegetable cooking spray and steam for 5-8 minutes (Photo 6).

To fry: Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick pan or skillet. Make a row of dumplings around the outer edge of the pan, nesting them together. Make a second row inside the outer row. Continue working toward the center of the pan, squeezing all the pot stickers in.

Fry the dumplings over medium heat until the bottoms start to brown (Photo 8). Add 1/2 cup water and the cider vinegar and cover the pan with a lid or foil. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, until the dumplings are done. Test to see that the pork no longer is pink.

Arrange the dumplings around the edges of a plate. Serve with bottled hot chile sauce or hot mustard or any of the following dipping sauces.

Makes 3-4 dozen dumplings.

Hot Chile Pepper Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 heaping teaspoon chile sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients in a jar. Refrigerate for as long as 1 month.

Makes 1 cup.

Apricot Dipping Sauce

Instead of the apricot preserves, you can substitute pineapple, cherry, pear, fig or other fruit preserves.

• 1 cup apricot preserves
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lemon juice or vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 dried chile peppers

Mix all ingredients in a jar. Microwave for 1-2 minutes just to soften the jam so mixing will be easy. Refrigerate for 2 months or longer.

Makes about 2 cups.

Mustard Sauce

This is traditionally served with egg rolls.

• 2 teaspoons Chinese powdered mustard or Colman's dry mustard
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Place the mustard in a small bowl. Pour the boiling water a little at a time into the mustard, stirring or whisking until smooth. Add the vinegar and sugar. Cover and chill for 2-3 hours to develop the flavor. Refrigerate for as long as 1 week.

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Hot Chile Shrimp on Yellow Shi Noodles

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Noodles served for Chinese New Year never should be cut because they represent long life. This recipe is from "China Modern" by Ching-He Huang (Kyle Books, $19.95 paperback). Leave the tails on the shrimp, if desired.

• Water, for cooking and cooling the noodles
• 5 ounces dried yellow shi noodles or other wheat-flour noodles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 6 large cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated gingerroot
• 3 medium-size fresh red chile peppers, seeded and chopped
• 10 1/2 ounces raw tiger shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 green onions, chopped lengthwise
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (stalks and leaves), chopped

For the sauce:

• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 5 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Prepare the noodles according to package directions, drain and immediately refresh under cold running water to rinse away the starch and keep them springy. Set aside.

Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic, ginger and chile peppers, stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the shrimp and stir-fry until they start to turn pink.

Stir in the sauce ingredients and cook for less than 1 minute, then add 1/3 cup boiling water, the lime juice, green onions and cilantro.

Refresh the prepared noodles under boiling water, then drizzle with some olive oil and divide between 2 bowls. Place the shrimp and sauce on top and serve immediately.

Makes 2 servings.

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Char Siu Pork on Steamed Bok Choy with Sweet Orange Sauce

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This recipe is from "China Modern" by Ching-He Huang (Kyle Books, $19.95 paperback). The author adapted it from a recipe shared by chef David Wong. She suggests serving this with egg fried rice.

• 1 pork tenderloin (18 ounces)
• Hot and boiling water
• 14 ounces bok choy
• 1 green onion, finely sliced, for garnish

For the marinade:

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated gingerroot
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons yellow bean sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Sweet Orange Sauce:

• Juice of 3 oranges
• Dash light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

Cut slashes into the sides of the pork tenderloin. Combine all the marinade ingredients and marinate the tenderloin for as long as possible: --overnight in the refrigerator is best.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the pork from the marinade; reserve the marinade for basting. Place it on a rack over a roasting pan and pour hot water into the pan to half fill the tray. Roast the pork in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn the tenderloin over and brush with the remaining marinade, basting well. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and roast for 20 minutes more. Turn off the oven. Cover the pork with foil and keep warm in the oven.

Fill a wok or pan with boiling water to a depth that will not submerge the base of a steamer. Place the bok choy in the steamer and steam for less than 2 minutes.

To make the sauce: Heat the orange juice, soy sauce, honey and cinnamon in a small pan. Combine the cornstarch and cold water. When the sauce boils, stir it into the pan, then remove it from the heat.

Slice the pork, arrange on the bok choy and drizzle with the sweet orange sauce. Sprinkle with the green onion.

Makes 2 main-dish servings or 4 appetizer servings.

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Chinese Egg Custard Tarts (Dan-ta)

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Ching He-Huang writes in "China Modern" that an egg tart -- prepared by her mother -- was sometimes her after-school treat, "delicious straight out of the oven, washed down with a glass of cold soy milk."

• 1 ready-made pie crust (7 ounces)
• Butter, for greasing the pan

For the filling:

• 2 small eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan with some butter.

Roll out the pastry on a board to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 12 circles, using a 3-inch round cutter and line the muffin cups with the pastry circles.

Put the filling ingredients in a small bowl and beat lightly until smooth. Pour the filling into the pastry-lined tart pans, leaving 1/4 inch at the top.

Bake the tarts for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the custard has set. Test by inserting a small toothpick -- it should come out clean. These can be served cold, but are much nicer warm.

Makes 12 tarts.

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