Welcoming in the Year of the Dragon

Monday, January 23 ushers in a new year for the Chinese: the Year of the Dragon, considered one of the most auspicious  and powerful signs in the zodiac. Among the things you should do to start the New Year off properly are: clean the house, (this means donating unwanted clothes and household items as well as dirt – but hide the broom on Monday, and don’t sweep on that day or you may sweep good luck out the door); decorate with bright colors; and most important:  prepare and consume plenty of lucky food.

Oranges,  preferably Mandarins, are lucky, decorative and delicious; many families put out a bowl for the New Year.   According to Wikipedia, (thank goodness it is back up), fresh varieties available in our markets include clementines and tangerines. This Spy is not overly fond of the canned mandarin segments in heavy syrup, although perhaps in a salad with spinach, almonds, red onion, chicken…

Sesame Cold Noodles

Here are a few, admittedly Americanized, sauces that we use for everything from chicken  to meatballs to rice croquettes, as well as a fabulous Hot & Sour Soup recipe we have prepared  for years, courtesy of Gourmet magazine, and now Epicurious.

Fred’s Fiery Dipping Sauce
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups white sugar
6 cloves garlic,minced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon salt

Mix and chill. Best made 2 or 3 days before serving, so flavors develop. Keeps forever.

Sesame Peanut Sauce for Cold Noodles ( and a plethora of other goodies)
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes – or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper – or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 lemons, juiced

Hot & Sour Soup

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons ketchup
water to thin, (1/4 to 1/2 cup)

Mix all together in bowl. Amount of water depends on your use. This sauce was originally intended for cold noodles, but it is so delicious we devised many uses for it.
Linguine noodles work fine – you may want to break them in half before cooking. Add some crunch & color for garnish – radishes, scallions, cucumbers, grated carrots.

Chinese Hot and Sour Soup https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/reviews/Chinese-Hot-and-Sour-Soup-231354
The ingredients list is a bit daunting. The lily buds are not necessary, we generally use half the amount of dried mushrooms, and most of the time omit the pork. You can also omit adding the eggs. Good for whatever ails you.