Good luck, fortune and health
Linda Furiya | First appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune January 25, 2006

Ever since my childhood, the holiday season never ended when the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve. On the first day of the New Year, instead of taking down the Christmas decoration, my parents were busy putting the final touches on a Japanese dinner, in celebration of Japanese New Year, comparable to what you taste in Tokyo, only we were living in rural Indiana. Every year, my mother brought out her special serving items: lacquered boxes, shiny new chopsticks and elegant porcelain bowls and plates, from the “osechi-ryori,” or home-cooked New Years food. The cold appetizers were presented in simple three-tiered lacquered tray, called “jubako,” with a pine branch painted in gold. The other mouthwatering fare included deep-fried tofu pockets stuffed with tangy vinegar-flavored rice and maki with nutty kanpyo (dried gourd strip) centers.

In Japanese and Chinese cultures, symbolic food, especially ones that represent good luck, fortune and strong health, play a major role in the menu planning.

Mochi, glutinous rice patties, are considered the ultimate symbol of good luck and a Japanese New Year celebration would be incomplete without it. Boiled, roasted or served in sweet red been soup, the traditional way to eat mochi during the New Year is in a hot savory fish broth called ozoni. Japanese superstition says that the coming year will be a good one if the sting of mochi doesn’t break when it is bitten into and pulled away like a long string of taffy.

It was while living in China that I learned that, like the strand from a piece of mochi, the long strings of noodles offered at the end of a meal symbolized good fortune. And it was during my time in China that I saw and tasted, firsthand, the vibrancy of how the Chinese New Yearis celebrated.

My fondest memories are of Shanghai, where the weeklong holiday possessed the sizzle and spark of the Fourth of July and the family togetherness of Thanksgiving.

From nightfall to dawn, the entire city came to life and it all revolved around food. The sprawling hall-sized restaurants with tables seating 10 and 12 people elbow-to-elbow as the enjoyed platters of whole fish steamed with ginger and green onions, succulent meat and seafood courses tossed with an endless variety of stir-fried vegetables and large tureens filled with golden-hued shark gin soup, the ultimate Chinese luxury food.

Nowadays, at home in the states, on New Year’s Day, I give a nod to my Japanese heritage by fixing a bowl of ozoni to determine how my year will be. On Chinese New Year, I’ll fix a fusion home-style meal, like the menu below, that plucks elements from the Japanese New Year parties of my childhood and my experiences in Beijing and Shanghai and meld them with characters of American comfort food, such as creamy coleslaw and hearty casseroles.

My good luck slaw in as interpretation of an American classic using zesty daikon and sweet carrot and possesses the color of good fortune. The dish of corn, pine nuts and (my own addition) roasted red peppers is a local Beijing favorite. Serving it on endive leaves takes it to the height of crunchy elegance.

My Lion’s Cub Head casserole is my version of the Shanghainese classic dish, Lion’s Head soup, which represents positive energy. To heighten the color and health aspects of this dish, I’ve added Swiss chard and bitter greens. The sweet finale of this Asian-inspired menu incorporates Japanese mochi powder, a gentler introduction to the vanilla flavor and chewy texture of mochi.

With each taste I’m reminded of the New Year meals at my family’s dining table in Indiana, the smoky stir-friend pork served in a crowded alleyway restaurant in Beijing and the great noodles at a bustling banquet hall in Shanghai. There’s no better way to bring in the future than enjoying the flavors of the past.

Asian New Year

Corn, Pine nuts and roasted red peppers on Belgian endive leaves

To enjoy the full flavor of this dish, don’t skimp on the pine nuts. In Beijing, this is the perfect accompaniment for Peking duck. Serve as a side dish with grilled meats like steak and lamb.

• 2 Belgian endives, stem trimmed, 10 or 12 leaves removed
• 1(10-ounce) package frozen sweet corn or 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon sake
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup diced roasted red bell peppers
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon finally chopped cilantro

If frozen, blanch the corn kernels according to package directions. Drain and set aside

Toast the pine nuts in a nonstick skillet, shaking the pan occasionally, until lightly brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the chicken stock, sake, vinegar, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet or oiled wok over medium-high heat. Add the corn and pine nuts and stir for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock mixture and cook, stirring, until reduced by half. Add the bell peppers and soy sauce, stir, than add the sesame oil and cilantro. Mix well and cook for 1 minute longer. Allow to cool to room temperature before spooning generously onto endive leaves.

Serves 4.

Good luck red and white carrot, daikon and napa cabbage slaw

Here, sweet napa cabbage, crunchy and spicy daikon and cilantro replace the usual cabbage-onion-parsley trio. Use heavy cream in place of half-and-half for a creamier consistency.

Dressing:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste

Slaw:

• 3 cups shredded napa cabbage
• ½ cup shredded daikon radish
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• ½ cup almond slivers (optional)

In a jar, combine the mayonnaise, half-and-half, vinegar, sugar and celery seeds and shake well. Taste, then season with slat and pepper. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a large bowl, combine the napa cabbage, daikon, carrot, cilantro and almond slivers. Add the dressing and toss well.

Serves 4.

Lion’ cub’s head meatballs with napa cabbage “mane”

The whole cabbage leaves that cover the meatballs during braising help seal in the juices, making the meatballs extra tender.

Meatballs:

• ½ pound ground pork
• ½ pound ground turkey
• 1 cup fresh crabmeat
• ½ cup pank (Japanese) bread crumbs
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1 (6-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained, minced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon water

Vegetables and Pasta:

• 1 head napa cabbage
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Rice wine, as needed
• Salt to taste
• 5 Swiss chard leaves, sliced into ¼ -inch-wide strips
• 1 bunch bitter greens, sliced into ¼-inch-wide strips
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 4 cups hot cocked angel-hair pasta
• 1 tablespoon finally grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine the pork, turkey, crabmeat, panko, salt, sesame oil, rice wine, water chestnuts, green onions, ginger, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Mix well. Form into 16 2-inch meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, remains 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce and the water. Set aside.

For the vegetables and paste: remove 2 whole leaves from the cabbage and set aside. Cut the head in half lengthwise, then julienne the leaves to the point where the tough white core begins. Discard the core.

In a deep sauté pan or wok over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the julienne cabbage, a dash of salt and a splash of rice wine. Stir until the cabbage becomes slightly limp.

Transfer to a 3-quart Dutch oven or casserole with a tight-fitting lid. Repeat the procedure with the Swiss chard and again for the bitter greens, adding more oil and rice wine as needed. Place the Swiss chard and bitter greens in a bowl. Set asides and keep warm.

Using the same pan over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, dip and coat the meatballs in the cornstarch-soy sauce-water mixture, then ass them to the pan.

Fry until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a baking dish and pour the chicken stock over the meatballs. Drape the reserved cabbage leaves over the meatballs. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Reserve the sauté pan with the meat drippings.

While the meatballs are cooking, reheat the pan over medium-high heat with the meat drippings and pour remaining cornstarch-soy-sauce-water mixture. Add the pasta, toss to coat thoroughly. Add the lemon zest and toss again.

Divide the pasta among warmed serving bowls. Remove the meatballs from oven, discarding the cabbage leaves. Top the pasta with the meatballs, Swiss chard and bitter greens.

Serves 4 to 6.

Custard mochi cake with candied ginger topping:

I got this recipe from my mother, who got it about a decade ago from a Japanese friend living in Cincinnati. The cake will puff up and crack in places while it bakes. Don’t make the mistake I mane by popping the bubbles. Don’t worry it will flatten out evenly as it cools. Also, the doneness is not determined by prinking it with a toothpick. Stick to the indicated time.

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1 cup mochiko (sweet rice flour)*
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch square-baking pan.

Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add the milk, vanilla, mochiko and baking powder; mix well.

Pour into the prepared pan and back for 45 minutes. Sprinkle crystallized ginger over the top, and back for 20 to 25 minutes longer, until golden brown.

Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Serves 9.

• Mochiko is available in the ethnic foods aisle of some supermarkets, as well as in Asian markets.

Year of the Dog

• The Asian New Year is celebrated this year on Sunday