Chinese New Year is a very important part of life in China. It is also widely celebrated all around the world where many people of Chinese decent reside. A major part of the Chinese New year is the customs and the food they serve. Like here in America, We have foods that are considered Traditional for us on New Year's , they have foods that are traditional for them throughout the entire process and celebration of the Chinese New Year which started this year on Jan 24.Chinese New Year is an important Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the Chinese calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar.
Several foods that are tradition there are brands we see everyday here as well. Kikkoman is great for the Chinese New Year. I know most all of us have used Kikkoman brand in the past, here in my home, we use it at least once a week for marinades, sauces and much more. Kikkoman has a great website which features tons of great recipes, a newsletter and even Sweepstakes 7 Coupons. I loved the Kikkoman Juice Bird sweepstakes and played it everyday while it ran.
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A great recipe you can find on Kikkoman Website is the Classic fried Rice. You can use Minute Rice in this recipe as well , and it's a great dish and simple to make.You can also find some great recipes & more when you sign up for Minute Rice Recipe Club
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Ingredients (Makes 6 servings)
6 strips bacon, cut 1/2" pieces
1 egg, beaten
8 green onions and tops, sliced
4 cups cold, cooked Minute Rice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce*
*May substitute Gluten Free Soy Sauce
Instructions
Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Move bacon to the side of the pan; add egg and scramble. Move egg over and add green onions to the skillet; saute for about a minute. Stir in the rice, add garlic and soy sauce. Toss until mixture is well blended and heated through.
This is a simple recipe that everyone is sure to enjoy. You can eat it alone of add some of your other Chinese New Year favorite's with it.
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Another Great place to find awesome recipes for the Chinese New Year tradition as well as year around is the Dole Sunshine Times Newsletter
I have found some amazing recipes through here. I like to take the recipes and after I have made them a few times, add things or take things away to make different variations that my family will enjoy. You can actually input the ingredients you have on hand in a space on the Dole recipe Site and it will help you come up with some amazing recipes for you using what you have.
One of my favorite recipes so far that I have tried which would be great for Chinese New year is the Alsatian Pineapple Chicken. I do however, substitute the Egg Noodle for rice most times when I made this.
Ingredients 8 slices DOLE Fresh Pineapple
1/2 cup finely chopped DOLE Fresh Pineapple
1 tbsp. margarine
4 thin sliced chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 to 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium DOLE Onion, halved, thinly sliced
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 medium cooking apple, cored, thinly sliced
Direction Cook pineapple slices in margarine, in large nonstick skillet, until lightly browned then remove. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and sprinkle with garlic powder. Heat oil in skillet and brown chicken. Add onion, allspice and chopped pineapple. Cover, simmer 5 minutes. Add apple; cook 3 minutes longer or until tender.
STEP 2
Ingredients 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tbsp. water
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup apricot preserves, melted
2 cup hot cooked egg noodles
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Direction Combine vinegar, water and cornstarch in small bowl or cup. Stir until blended; add preserves. Add to skillet. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Serve chicken breasts with sautéed pineapple slices and noodles. Sprinkle with parsley.
One of my favorite parts of the Dole Sunshine Times Newsletter is the coupons though. We all like to save money and I frequently find money saving offers on Dole as well.
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Now that You have some great recipes to start your week off, Don't forget to sign up on the links above so you can get even more great recipes and have them at your fingertips year around with the click of a button. Although many great food exist for the Chinese New Year, they also have what is considered Traditional foods.
A reunion dinner, named as "Nian Ye Fan", is held on New Year's Eve during which family members gather for celebration. The venue will usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family. The New Year's Eve dinner is very large and traditionally includes dishes of Pork, Chicken and fish. Most reunion dinners also feature a communal hot pot as it is believed to signify the coming together of the family members for the meal.
In most areas, fish is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "may there be surpluses every year" ." Eight individual dishes are served to reflect the belief of good fortune associated with the number. If in the previous year a death was experienced in the family, seven dishes are served.
Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honor-ability. Several foods are consumed to usher in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.
So Start gathering your favorite recipes after you get all signed up and Menu planning for any occasion will be simple!