Iron Chef: Lunar New Year

So my new editor, the one from Union City Patch, called me to ask if I had any photos for my latest article on Lunar New Year.

"Uh...no..." I admitted, then hastily added, "But I can get some for you. I, uh, was planning to make an Asian style dinner tonight." (I'd actually planned to make burgers, but an impromptu LNY dinner was much more intriguing-- and a heck of a challenge.

After the conversation, I quickly Googled a bunch of recipes on my Blackberry. One shopping trip to my local Ranch 99 and some advice from one of the ladies that worked there ("You want the red bean cakes, not the moon cakes. That's another festival."), I had all the ingredients. Two hours after that, dinner was ready.

We ate Steamed Red Snapper (a recipe I tweaked),Longevity Noodles, and gyoza (store bought). In an attempt to recognize the Vietnamese side of things, I tried to find banh chung, but no luck--I ended up with the regular kind. But I have to admit, that and the brown sugar cake was pretty darn tasty. The pictures looked pretty good too--my editor was very pleased.

The whole experience taught me a lot about Lunar New Year and how it's celebrated. Who knows? Next year, maybe I'll celebrate it with some friends. :)

Note: The original recipe comes from Everyday Chinese Cooking: Quick and Delicious Recipes from the Leann Chin Restaurants.

Steamed Red Snapper

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 pounds whole walleye or red snapper, well cleaned
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
* 2 green onions, with tops

Preparation:
1. Slash the fish crosswise 3 times on each side. In a small bowl, mix the ginger, vegetable oil, garlic, salt, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil; rub the cavity and outside of the fish with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or longer.
2. Cut the green onions into 2-inch pieces; shred lengthwise into fine strips. Place in a bowl with ice water to cover; let stand 10 minutes, or until the strips curl. Place the fish in a steamer, if you have one and cook for 10 minutes. If not, place on a cooling rack (See note below). Place the rack over a pot of boiling water and cover with a lid until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. (Add boiling water if necessary). Garnish with the green onions.

Note: If you want to cook this fish in the microwave, cover the fish with plastic wrap on a microwave dish and cook for 3 minutes on high. Let stand for 2 minutes and rotate the dish. Cook an additional 2 minutes on high.

Potato and Fish Soup with Cheese

This particular recipe came about as I was trying desperately to think of something to do with the last piece of fish in the freezer. Preferably something that would stretch it out for a few days, right? I did a search and found this recipe at Allrecipes. With a few modifications (like less fish, milk instead of cream and Parmesan instead of Muenster), this turned out pretty darn good.

• 4 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 small onion, chopped
• 4 cups water
• 10 potatoes, diced
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 1/2 pound cod fillets, cubed
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Muenster cheese
• salt to taste

Directions
Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan, and add the paprika. Saute the onions in this mixture until they are soft. Add the water, bring it to the boil, and add the potatoes. Simmer gently until the potatoes are almost done. Depending on the size of the potatoes it may be necessary to add more water during cooking.

Add cream or milk and the fish; continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to fall apart. If they remain very firm, mash them gently in the pan with a masher or wooden spoon.
Add a little of the potato mixture to the beaten eggs, and then stir eggs into the soup. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese. Correct the seasoning, and serve at once.

Baked Tilapia and Fried Okra

My fiance and I came back from martial arts practice exhausted. While he began another load of laundry, I came up with this recipe. I love a full freezer. It makes life so much easier.


Baked Tilapia and Fried Okra


4 tilapia filets

1/2 bag breaded Okra

2 small potatoes, cut into small sections

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups canola oil

3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste


Pour the oil into a heavy skillet and set the heat to medium high. Spray a pan with nonstick coating. Put the filets in the pan. Season with salt, pepper and garlic on both sides. Place in 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.


While the fish is cooking, toss the potato chunks into the cornstarch. Set aside. Drop one piece of breaded okra into the oil. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough to cook with. Add okra and potato chunks carefully in batches, using no more than half the pan space at a time. Cook till golden brown, then carefully remove and drain on a paper towel.Season with salt and pepper.


Pull the fish out of the oven after 30-35 minutes and check for doneness. If the fish flakes when you gently twist a fork in it, it's done. Serve hot with okra and potatoes.