My Buddha's Feast, A Lotus Root Stir Fry

Traditionally, Buddha's Feast or Buddha's Delight is a vegetarian dish served on the very first day of Chinese New Year. The use of vegetables signify purity, therefore no meat or seafood is eaten on the first and fifteenth day of the New Year celebration and no animals are killed on those two days.

During Chinese New Year, using shitake mushroom symbolizes the welcoming of Spring and the calling of opportunities in life, whereas using water chestnuts signify unity. The one mushroom I enjoy the most is the Bunashumeiji mushrooms. It adds a really sweet, smoky, mushroomy flavor to the dish.

Since today isn't the first or the fifteenth day of the New Year, I have tweaked my Buddha's Delight recipe using Chinese waxed sausage and lotus root. In the Chinese New Year tradition, cooking with lotus roots also carries the meaning of bonding and strong family ties. You can also find lotus root candies in many boxed candied fruit trays sold at Asian markets. Lotus root may enhance the sweetness of soups but after all the boiling, it ends up a little soggy and tasteless. Stir frying, on the other hand, preserves the crunchy texture and the sweetness of the lotus root for a really satisfying end result.

Chinese sausages and other waxed meats like duck or bacon are also prevalent in many Chinese New Year festive foods. The rose wine flavor preserved in the chinese sausage is really brought out and adds a mildly intoxicating aroma to any stir fry or clay pot dish.

Lotus Root Stir Fry Recipe

Ingredients :
1 piece lotus root, sliced
2 links of chinese duck liver sausage, sliced ( OR regular chinese sausage )
1 bunch bunashimeiji mushroom
chinese shitake mushroom, shredded
3 water chestnuts, peeled and sliced
green onions, shredded
sesame oil
white pepper
shaoxing cooking wine
2 tbsp oyster sauce
sugar and salt to taste

Method :

1) Cook chinese sausage in microwave on high for 2 minutes, and then set aside.
2) Stir fry the the green onions and mushroom until fragrant. Toss in the sliced lotus root and water chesnuts. Continue stir frying for 2 minutes.
3) Dash in some sesame oil, white pepper, oyster sauce, and cooking wine. Stir fry for 1 minute and add the sliced chinese sausage, sugar and salt to taste. Mix well and continue stir frying for an additional 2 minutes OR until cooked.

Happy Chinese New Year

This year, Chinese New Year falls on the 18th of February, which also marks the beginning of the Spring Festival. The first day of the New Year begins with the new moon and ends on the full moon 15 days after. The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar movements, therefore the specific date changes every year. That is why the Chinese have 2 birth dates, one is based on the Roman calendar, and the other is based on the lunar calender.

A Family Affair and the tradition
Christmas Eve and the Chinese New Year's eve share the same family affair, with the traditional family reunion dinner being the highlight and marking the beginning of the celebrations. Just like the Christmas tree, the Chinese have their pink cherry blossom tree that symbolize rebirth, prosperity and wealth. It is customary to set off the NY with fire crackers, and you will see fire cracker decorations as you stroll down any street of China Town, malls and even in households along with some really beautiful fiery red lanterns. Even though I am away from home, this festive season has remained one of my fondest childhood memories growing up. During the whole 15 days of the Chinese New Year celebration, Chinese kids and unmarried persons are just as ecstatic as the their western counterparts opening Xmas gifts. They receive money in a little Red Envelope, symbolizing prosperity throughout the year. The chinese also pay respects to the gods of the household and the family ancestors in a religious ritual ceremony in honor of heaven and earth.

Chinese New Year Foods
Everyone enjoys the festive foods. The most significant foods of Chinese New Year would be the "Nian Gao", which is Mandarin for "Year Cake". You will see lots of sweet tangerines all over town. It is customary to bring a bag of tangerines when visiting others during Chinese New Year. It is a symbol of long lasting relationships and an abundance of happiness. Just like Halloween, Chinese New Year also celebrates the biggest "sweet" treats of the year, filled with an array of sweet candied preserved fruit, cookies and other sweet delights.

So, here are some of the goodies and what they signify:

Candied melons - growth and good health
Red melon seeds - joy, happiniess, truth and sincerity
Lychee nuts - strong family bond
Kumquats - prosperity
Coconut shreds - unity
Peanuts - longevity

Longan fruits - brings good sons
Lotus seeds - brings many children

So, boys and girls, I have thought of something simple, sweet, and symbolic of Chinese New Year. A coconut macaroon recipe that requires no baking. In the Hokkien and Taiwanese dialect of the Chinese language, the pineapple is known as "Aung Lye". Pronunciation-wise, "Aung" and "Lye" are also two other words in those dialects meaning "Prosperity" and "Come". Therefore, in the Chinese tradition, eating pineapple during the Lunar New Year symbolizes that "prosperity" will "come" your way throughout the entire year.

No Bake Coconut Macaroon Recipe

Ingredients :
1 lb fresh pineapple
fresh grated coconut shreds ( OR toasted )
crushed mixed nuts ( pistachios, peanuts, almonds and cashews )
toasted sesame seeds

Method :

1) In the blender, crush the pineapples, and cook them on the wok on low heat until a paste-like texture is formed, then set aside and cool down in the refrigerator.
2) Chop the mixed nuts, and mix that in with the pineapple paste and sesame seeds.
3) With the palm of your hand, make small tiny serving sized balls with the pineapples and nuts mixture.
4) Coat the macaroon balls with fresh grated coconut shreds.

Wishing all a prosperous New Year,
blessed with good fortunes and laughters to stay !
Happy Chinese New Year :)

Related : Chinese New Year celebrations in Southern California & other cities.