Chinese New Year: It's Dinner Time!

      Chinese New Year also called the Spring Festival, is the most important holiday for Chinese people. It signifies the beginning of the new year and hope that it will be filled with love and good things. The arrival of this holiday also means that the spring is coming; the now will melt, plants will recover, hope is in the air, and everything is returning to summer colors. 
      The most important part of the New Year night is the New Year dinner. It is not only a dinner; it is also a good time that the entire family will enjoy together. 
      For me, this year is special since I cannot go home to my own family. This means I get to share this special night with my lovely host family and that I will cook the Chinese food at New Year dinner for them. Yay!
      I chose six different foods- bumper harvest vegetable, bouilli, dumping, rice balls, turnip shreds soup, and spicy cucumber. The things I will need are: cucumber, parsley, shallot, ginger, Chinese beans, potatoes, corn, radish, shrimp, pork, rice balls, and dumplings. 
    I chose bumper harvest vegetable because it is a special food from my hometown. I tried to find a picture online to show, however this one does not do it justice. 

To begin, clean all of the produce and cut the potato and corn into cubes. 
Next put oil and the Chinese beans together until the beans change color. Then add the potatoes, corn, and beans into one pot with water and add corn starch to finish.
        




        Bouilli is my favorite food however it is difficult to make. Here is a picture from the internet: 

      To make bouilli, cut meat into cubes and put oil with the meat in a pan for about 2 minutes or until the meat changes color. Then add water. Then add the following products:

       Next are the dumplings which are the most important dish in northern china where my hometown is. In China, dumplings are called "jiaozi," which means space and also to make friends. I am not the best person to make dumplings so I plan to just go to the Asian store and buy pork dumplings. To make the dumplings, simply boil them for about 3 minutes.

        Rice balls are another symbolic food for the New Year. In Chinese, rice balls are called "tangyuan," which means the coming together of a family. Therefor rice balls symbolize reunion. To cook the rice balls, place them in enough water for them to boil. This will take about 2 minutes.

        The turnip shreds soup is another New Years dish. Put oil and shrimp together in a pan, then put water and cut radish strips along with the shrimp in a pot of water. Add radish, scallion, ginger and salt. 

       Lastly is the spicy cucumber dish. Cut up the cucumber into strips. Then mix laoganma, oil and vinegar together. Mix in the cucumbers and you're all set!

       When dinner is finally ready, this is what it all looks like. Happy New Year!

        

By: Kunru Li