Indian Americans organize to aid Gujarat (in National News) Will Lillian Sing run for Assembly? (in Bay Area News) HelloBrain.com trades intellectual power online (in Business) Drue Kataoka (in A&E) Emil Amok: Gung hay fat Bush! (in Opinion)

CLICK FOR TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chinese New Year Recipes (Without the Snake)

A couple of simple dishes with special meaning

By Julie D. Soo

Modern snake delicacies in Hong Kong and Japan include snake tempura, snake soup, snake croquettes and sizzling snake stir-fry. The average “garden snake” is a good substitute for eel. The nonpoisonous variety has an oval head, whereas its venomous counterpart has a triangular head.

Snake aficionados say eating snake meat stimulates and energizes the body. Snake prepared with ginseng or other medicinal herbs does wonders for vim and vigor.

A centuries-old Chinese remedy for visual impairments, poor circulation, or arthritis calls for squeezing a snake gall bladder and emptying the bile into a shot of liquor and downing the potent libation. Snake wine is known to alleviate rheumatism. If snake doesn’t go down like chicken for you, here are a couple of more mainstream taste treats for Chinese New Year. Not only will your taste buds delight, but also the symbolic traditions will help bolster the New Year.

---

Roll your own!

Jien Duy (Sweet Sesame Seed Ball)

Jien duy are deep fried, puffed, glutinous rice balls filled with red or black bean or lotus paste and covered with sesame seeds. The small rounds of dough transform into large airy puffs when fried. The belief is that successful businesses are created similarly: the entrepreneur can turn a small amount of capital into a big return. These treats can be found at any deem sum house. The following recipe is from renowned chef Joyce Jue.

Ingredients

• 1-1/3 cups water
• 4 or 5 sticks Chinese brown slab sugar
• 1 pound glutinous rice powder/flour
• 1 cup canned sweet red bean paste filling (or black bean or lotus paste)
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• Peanut oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Put rice powder into a large bowl. While the sugar-water is still hot, slowly stir it into the rice powder. Gather up the dough and knead until smooth. Roll dough into two 1 1/2-inch-thick logs. Cut each into 1 1/2-inch rounds. Using the palms of your hands, roll one round into a ball. Flatten ball and place a 1/2 inch piece of bean paste in the center. Fold dough over and roll into a smooth ball to enclose the filling. Wet your hand and dip ball into sesame seeds to coat the surface of the ball. Press lightly to help the seeds adhere. Set aside, covered. Repeat with remaining dough.

Heat 3 inches of oil to 325 degrees. Carefully slip a few balls into hot oil and gently fry for 12 to 15 minutes. After the first 3 minutes, gently squeeze balls every few minutes with a pair of wooden cooking chopsticks. This helps the balls to expand. Continue squeezing and turning balls until they are gold brown and feel full of air. Drain on paper towels. Cool before serving.

Makes 16 balls.

---

Yu Saang (Chinese New Year Raw Fish Salad)

The following recipe was discovered by Joyce Jue on a trip to Singapore’s Sheraton Towers Li Bai Restaurant. It is a slight variation from the traditional Cantonese salad. The quality and freshness of the fish is crucial for the success of the dish. Purchase the fish from a Japanese fish shop that specializes in sashimi, or a reliable fishmonger. To facilitate the very fine shredding of the radish carrot, use a mandolin or the fine shredding disc of a food processor.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fresh sashimi-grade tuna or striped bass fillet (about a 6-inch by 2-inch piece)
• 2 cups peeled, finely shredded Chinese white radish (daikon)
• 2 cups peeled, finely shredded carrot
• 6 thin quarter-sized slices of fresh young ginger, finely shredded
• 1/3 cup finely shredded sweet preserved pickled ginger (see Note).
• 1/4 cup finely shredded pickled scallions (see Note).
• 6 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded (Optional, see Note).
• 1 large red jalapeno chili, seeded and finely shredded
• 1/2 bunch green onions, finely shredded
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish
• 1 lime or lemon, cut in half and seeded
• Crisp fried shrimp chips or fried rice stick noodles, for garnish

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon Asian sesame oil (toasted sesame oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
• Juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:

1. Chill fish until firm. Cut into paper-thin, 2-inch long slices against the grain; set aside. In separate bowls, cover radishes and carrots with cold water; set aside until ready to assemble the salad. Then, rinse and squeeze out excess water.
2. To assemble the salad, toss fish slices with marinade ingredients. Place fish in center of a platter. Arrange daikon and carrot shreds around fish. Scatter fresh and pickled ginger, the pickled scallions, lime leaves, chilies, green onions and cilantro over fish. Sprinkle with peanuts and sesame seeds.
3. Just before serving, squeeze the lime or lemon juice over all.
4. It is customary for everyone to join in and toss the salad.
5. Using chopsticks, each diner digs from the bottom of the salad and lifts the ingredients to mix together.
6. When the salad is fully tossed, taste for seasoning. Adjust with sesame oil, lime juice, and some of the juices from the vegetables.
7. Garnish with shrimp chips or fried rice stick noodles.
8. Serves 4 to 6.

Note: Bottled pickled ginger and pickled scallions may be found in Chinese markets. Kaffir lime leaves may be found in Thai grocery stores. If kaffir leaves are not available, omit or substitute domestic lime leaves.