🐉 happy year of the dragon!

'of rice & yams' no.7

Oh my goodness, where did January go?! Time is flying, but I’ve officially submitted round one of cookbook edits (yay!), and we’ve got some exciting travels lined up. But first things first, LUNAR NEW YEAR is upon us!!!

As a CBC (Canadian-born Chinese) gal, my appreciation for meaningful cultural traditions deepens every year. Although Lunar New Year was never a huge event in my family, we always celebrated with a festive feast, complete with an obligatory pomelo at the end of the meal since it’s the best communal fruit! While we didn’t strictly follow customs throughout the week, I’ve held onto some playful traditions like sporting red undies on New Year’s Day, ‘cause why not add a bit of cheekiness to the mix?

We’ve never really been superstitious, but what truly resonates with me during New Year and throughout my life is the joy of sharing special foods and being surrounded by loved ones. Last Saturday, we hosted an early LNY dinner since we’ll be catering my cousin’s birthday in Joshua Tree this coming weekend.

To get things festive, I decorated our 900 sq. ft. condo with lanterns, flowers, and a few extra red and gold accents (see fun dragon plates above). We managed to comfortably seat 14 of us for a buffet-style spread, complete with our first-ever prosperity toss salad! With chopsticks in hand, the idea is that the higher you toss the salad, the greater your luck will be in the upcoming year! 💯 would do it again. You can see it in action here:

mybfisgf

A post shared by @mybfisgf

🏮 THE MENU🏮 (all gluten-free, of course)

1. Hot & Sour Soup: Recipe in my upcoming cookbook 😉

2. Scallion Pancakes with XO Mayo: I used Ah Nui’s GF Dumpling Flour for these (as suggested on the package), but they turned out thinner than I had hoped. While the mix works GREAT for actual dumplings, I’ll be experimenting with gluten-free scallion pancakes until I achieve a satisfying flakiness similar to its gluten-filled counterpart. When that happens, I’ll be sure to share it here! The mayo was a total flavour bomb—I simply mixed a few spoonfuls of XO into it.

3. Prosperity Toss Salad: Essentially, it’s a refreshing and vibrant vermicelli salad that serves as a show-stopping centrepiece. I had seen videos of this Malaysian and Singaporean tradition in the past, and this year felt like the perfect time to give it a try (instructions below)

4. Soy Braised Chicken: A simple yet comforting main dish for a crowd. Combine bone-in chicken legs, tamari, rice wine, brown sugar, garlic, star anise, bay leaf, and water in an ovenproof pot. Let it simmer for 30 minutes, then quickly broil in the oven for some nice browning on the skin. Must serve with steamed rice.

5. Tong Yuen (Glutinous Rice Balls) with Toasted Goodies: A recipe my aunt introduced to me this summer, this Chiu-Chow style version is topped with toasted coconut flakes, black sesame, and peanuts. Their round shape and sticky texture symbolize unity and bonding with loved ones during the New Year. You can find my recipe for this in Long Noodle Zine, beautifully illustrated by my sister @joannzalo. The project showcases Lunar New Year recipes contributed by various chefs and artists across Los Angeles.

6. A Big Ol’ Tropical Fruit Platter: Featuring dragonfruit, starfruit, longan, and lychees!

Prosperity Toss Salad w/ Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

You’ll want to gather the most colourful ingredients you can find, as it’s meant to be a centrepiece, after all. Traditionally, a prosperity toss salad or Yu Sheng would feature raw fish (as the word “fish” is a pun for abundance), but I skipped it since I already had chicken as my protein for the night.

Choose your own adventure –

• rice vermicelli

• cabbage (napa, green, or red), shredded

• honey or ruby pomelo, torn into bite-sized pieces

• mango, sliced

• shelled edamame, blanched

• heirloom carrots, shaved into ribbons

• bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or green), julienned

• mini cucumbers, shaved into ribbons

• beancurd strips

• radishes (red or watermelon), thinly sliced

• pickled ginger

• pickled red onions or shallots

• microgreens or sprouts

• (gluten-free) fried shallots or garlic

• roasted peanuts

• herbs like cilantro, scallions, or basil, chopped

Plate ingredients in sections on a large platter and serve with a light dressing like –

Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients
4 tbsp lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tbsp grainy mustard
2-inch knob ginger, minced
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp yuzu paste (optional)
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp chili paste (such as Sambal Oelek or Calabrian)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, grainy mustard, ginger, maple syrup, yuzu paste, toasted sesame oil, chili paste, and olive oil until emulsified.

✨

🏮 TUNES FOR LUNAR NEW YEAR 🏮

Groovy, soulful beats –

A cultural phenomenon –

✨

CATERING IN JOSHUA TREE 🏜️

Here’s a sneak peek of the catering menu for my cousin’s epic 50th bash! I’ve dusted off my catering manager hat this week, and we’re going to make literal magic happen this weekend! I’ll let you know how it all goes in the next edition 😉

✌🏼 All the peace, love, and good food!

Gong Hei Fat Choy!

Jannell