Year of the Pig 2019: Best pork recipes to try this Chinese New Year

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By Wynnie Chan
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We give you three delicious dishes that will impress your relatives at your holiday family feast

By Wynnie Chan |
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Pork and kimchi potsticker dumplings

Gao ji, or dumplings, are traditional Lunar New Year fare eaten because they resemble silver ingots and symbolise wealth. This version replaces the usual Chinese cabbage with kimchi.

Ingredients (makes 30)

  • 250g lean minced pork
  • 150g kimchi, finely chopped, liquid squeezed out, pat dry
  • thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled, grated finely
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp rice wine
  • 2 tbsp cornflour
  • 11/2 tbsp grapeseed oil for frying
  • 30 dumpling wrappers

Chinese New Year traditional snacks with a twist, from super-easy biscuits to umami-rich pork balls

Method

1 Thoroughly combine all the ingredients for the filling together in a large bowl. Cover and set aside in the fridge for an hour.

2 Place one heaped teaspoon of filling into the centre of a wrapper, brush the edges of the wrapper with a little water. Cradle the dumpling in your left hand and, with the other hand, make a pleat along the edge of one side of the wrapper, then pinch the two edges of the wrapper together to seal it. Continue pleating until the dumpling is crescent-shaped and sealed entirely. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.

3 Heat half of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Place half of the dumplings flat side down, fry until they are lightly browned on the bottom. Pour 100ml cold water into the pan, cover, cook for 6-8 minutes until the dumpling wrappers turn translucent and the water has almost evaporated. Remove the lid, and continue to cook for a minute until all the water has evaporated and the bottom of the dumplings are crisp and golden brown. Repeat with the remaining oil and dumplings.

4 Serve with chilli oil and/or balsamic vinegar.

Nutritional information per 10 jiaozi: 403kcal, 1698kJ, 24.7g protein, 13.0g fat, 48.3g carbohydrates, 2.7g fibre

Pork lettuce wraps (san choi bao)

Lettuce is served during the festive period because it symbolises prosperity. These pork lettuce wraps are easy to prep and make a great snack for when visitors come knocking at your door.

Ingredients (4-6 as a starter)

  • 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
  • 4 shallots, peeled, sliced
  • thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 red chillies, deseeded, thinly sliced
  • 200g lean minced pork
  • 1 small carrot, peeled, diced
  • 8 fresh water chestnuts, peeled, diced
  • 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stalks removed, diced
  • 150ml water
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1 tbsp water
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 150g butterball lettuce, separated into leaves

Nian gao and congee get a healthy upgrade for Chinese New Year

Method

1 Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, sauté the garlic, shallots, ginger, and chillies for a few minutes until fragrant.

2 Add the minced pork, stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the pork is lightly browned before adding the carrots, water chestnuts, mushrooms, water, oyster, and soy sauces. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes or until the carrots are tender.

3 Pour in the cornflour mixture. Mix thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper before tossing in the spring onions once you’ve taken the pan off heat.

4 To serve, take a lettuce leaf, spoon some of the pork mixture, add a little hoisin sauce, fold up into a parcel and enjoy.

Nutritional information per serving (4): 149kcal, 630kJ, 13.2g protein. 5.2g fat, 13.4g carbohydrates, 2.3g fibre

Sweet and sour pork

The traditional sweet and sour pork is given a healthy makeover here by replacing deep-fry belly pork with pan fried loin.

Ingredients (serves 3-4 as part of a meal)

  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten
  • 350g pork loin or shoulder, cut into 1 cm slices
  • 4 tbsp cornflour seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
  • 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar or to taste
  • 1 tbsp honey or agave or to taste
  • 200ml water
  • 2 tsp light soy sauce
  • 11/2 tbsp cornflour dissolved with 3-4 tbsp water
  • 2 medium bell peppers (green, red, or yellow), cored, deseeded, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 medium onion, peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 8 fresh lychees, peeled, stoned, cut, optional
  • 2 rings of fresh pineapple, cut, optional
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Year of the Pig 2019: the coolest student stalls from this year's HK Lunar New Year Fair in Victoria Park

Method

1 For the sauce: combine the tomato purée, vinegar, sugar, water, and soy sauce in a small pan bring to the boil. Add the peppers, onions, lychees, and pineapple, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce back to the boil before stirring in the cornflour mixture. Keep warm on a low heat.

2 Dip the pork in egg white, then in cornflour, shake off excess.

3 Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Put the pork slices into the pan in a single layer, leaving some space in between each piece. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with some kitchen paper, blot away the excess oil and place on a serving plate.

4 Pour the sauce over the pork and serve immediately.

Nutritional information per serving (4): 280kcal, 1181kJ, 21.6g protein, 9.4g fat, 28.9g carbohydrates, 3.3g fibre

Edited by Nicole Moraleda

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