Chinese New Year

[TheOtherHalf]

We are going to be doing 2 theme days in our canteen at work next week. Chinese New Year and Burns night.
Any ideas for the best chinese meals ? TIA

[TheOtherHalf]

can anyone think of any chinese deserts or dont they have them ? Ive never been to a chinese restaurant so wouldnt know

[EcclesCake]

You commonly find banana or apple fritters on a UK Chinese menu.

For New Year it is traditional to have Nan Gao (sp) which is a steamed fruit cake made with rice flour. It symbolises prosperity and family unity for the coming year.

[gingejbee]

The Chinese have a limited desert menu because they usually prefer fresh fruit to end a meal.

[ummmm]

Lychees.

I've only seen them in Chinese restaurants.

[EcclesCake]

Shudder, lychees always make me think of eyeballs.

[DTCwordfan]

Kung Hei Fat Choy

Gong Zi Fa Chei

desserts - mango pudding, lychees, custard tarts, red bean pudding. small cakes meaning rich sweet life
tangerines (as they are gold balls) and get red envelopes with a £10 note in, the gold to represent fortune - known as lai see.

Chinese New Year dishes are very specific with lots of symbolism, for example:


Jiaozi dumplings - family reunion
Springs rolls or clams - bullion
Lettuce wraps with minced pigeon (chicken or oysters) rising fortune
Peking Duck- fidelity
Lions Head Dumplings (Ch sausage meat) with Bak Choy - power and strength
Tuurnip cake - rich sweet life
Roast Chicken - wholenessnd prosperity
1000 year old eggs (salted eggs where the white goes black and yeuck IMO - fertility
stir fry with garlic and chives in the dish - eternity
Pork dish - children
Steamed fish (Garoupa) - "Yu" - abundance in the year
Noodles - mushrooms etc - longevity - do not cut them


Meals are not cheap and also often include abalone, birds nest soup, sharks fin soup......drinks, wine beer and XO cognac.

The house is cleaned top to tail the day before (like in Scotland) and you wear new clothes.......

hope this helps/

[TheOtherHalf]

thanks everyone. DT C some of those sound disgusting. I dont think our customers would go for some of them. But thanks for the info

[DTCwordfan]

most of them are pretty tasty - I am not a huge fan of fried or boiled eggs to begin with, so the "1000" year old eggs are not my cup of tea but then I eat most things and quite an afficinado of sea-cucumber which has most gweilos (white foreign devils) disgusted at the concept.... Even though it sounds odd, the turnip cake is quite nice, taro is also acceptable.

If I was you for a canteen, I would look at the duck, chicken, noodles, and some dumplings, perhaps fish if you can source garopa or cod.....don't know how the budget looks like. Desserts get the tangerines in along with small custard tarts, and a mango pudding (like a delish mango milk jelly), coconut "jelly" is also used and your Chinese s-market should have lychees... (they taste good, look a little bland and I can understand the eyeball comment - but then I eat fish eyeballs and lips and the gill cheek muscle is the sweetest on any fish.....).

[DTCwordfan]

the first two expressions you should use - perhaps on banners, the first is Cantonese, the second Mandarin for "Happy New Year."

[TheOtherHalf]

Thanks DTC. We are a hospital canteen so small budget. I think we will probably just be doing the basics. Spring Rolls and plum sauce, Beef Stir Fry, Chicken Chow Mein, noodles and rice and perhaps a veg stir fry. Prawn crackers are on half price special offer in M & S so may get some of those. Fortune Cookies in Tesco are cheap, so may get those. Ive googled some CNY pics with Happy New Year and also some dragons to print off. Thought also I might get a bit crafty and make some chinese lanterns to hang up. It will all come together by the weekend I hope.
All the staff seem quite keen as its a nice change from the normal menu.
Thanks for all your suggestions everyone.

[joggerjayne]

"I've never been to a chinese restaurant ..."

What ... never?

Don't they have them in Bridlington?

I've been to Bridlington, but can't remember it in that much detail.

[TheOtherHalf]

Yes JJ we do have quite a few Chinese restuarants here but No, I have never been to one. Im a veggie anyway and although I have tried some of their food elsewhere, cant say I like it. Each to their own. Im know most people love it.

Theres not much to Bridlington except the lovely sands and countryside when there arnt too many daytrippers, although I know we do need them so Im not complaining. I just love it when its quieter. But by choice, I wouldnt stay here for the rest of my life. We have a few ties here but when we havnt, we would like to move to the Lake District.

[Mr-H]

My wife and I went to Sainsbury's today - they are doing a '2 eat for £10' deal on chinese this week. we had 4 mains and 2 sides for 310, a saving of over £8. It was also, too much for the 2 of us; it would have comfortably fed 3 people. Just thought, a number of people on a budget, throw all the dishes in he middle and help yourselves.