A Lunar New Year Banquet

It’s been just over two weeks since the start of Lunar New Year and I’m still recovering from the banquet that I made. For the past few years, Chelsea and I have hosted and cooked dinner for our friends. Last year’s dinner was the biggest I ever cooked for and I don’t think I ever left the kitchen.

Lunar New Year 2020 with our friends and neighbors.

What we didn’t realize at the time was that dinner would also be our last indoor social gathering. In March 2020, the Bay Area issued a shelter-in-place, and nearly a year later, we still have not seen many of our friends and family in person.

Luckily, we weren’t entirely alone for Lunar Near Year this year. Chelsea’s parents went on a social distance drive from Ohio to California to stay with us for a few weeks and their visit happen to coincide with the New Year.

Even though there were only four adults in our household, I still wanted to put my Chinese culinary skills to the test. So for the Year of the Metal Ox, I made a 14-course Chinese feast.

Here are the dishes!

凉拌黄瓜 (Cucumber salad with garlic)

饺子 Sometimes, you need to take a few short cuts when cooking 14-courses. These dumplings are by Bibigo and I made a couple of dipping sauces

酸菜鸭肉汤 (Duck soup with pickled mustard greens)

金陵素什锦 (Nanjing New Year’s Salad)

素炒雙菇 （Stir-fried Oyster and shiitake mushrooms with garlic)

荷塘小炒 （Lotus root stir-fry with fungus, Chinese sausage)

炝莲花白 (Stir-fried cabbage with chili)

红烧肉 （Red-braised pork with eggs and tofu)

家常炒西南花菜 (Stir-fried broccoli with garlic)

回鍋牛皮菜 (Twice-cooked Swiss chard)

炒年糕 （Stir-fried rice cakes)

蒸水蛋 (Steamed egg)

甜酸鸡肉 （Sweet and sour chicken)

奶黄包 (Steamed egg custard bun). Another shortcut. These are called Phoenix buns from the local Asian grocer.

We also got special fortune cookies from the Oakland Fortune Cookie Factory

Of the new dishes I cooked, I was most impressed with the Nanjing New Year’s salad, which had a mild, delicate taste and the Lotus root stir-fry, which is one of my favorite dishes to order at Macau Cafe, one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Sacramento.

While the Year of the Metal Ox just started, I’m already looking forward to next year’s Lunar New Year banquet, which I hope will include more family and friends.

新年快乐！恭喜发财！