Martin Yan
Yan Can Cook, Santa Clara, CA

“The Chinese New Year is considered a time when all generations of family come together and celebrate; it's a time of renewal and rebirth. Many symbolic foods are served; noodle dishes (longevity), steamed whole fish (surplus), rice (prosperity), and dates (abundance), just to name a few.”

Ming Tsai
Blue Ginger, Wellesley, MA

“We celebrate Lunar New Year with lots of noodle dishes, since noodles mean longevity, and I make this Whole Roasted Chicken with an Orange-Yuzu Glaze. Oranges, of course, symbolize wealth in the year ahead and the wholeness of the chicken is a symbol of family unity and prosperity, all common themes at the Lunar New Year table.”

Simpson Wong
Jefferson Grill, New York, NY

“I usually celebrate Lunar New Year with my family in Brooklyn. My sister's shark fin soup is to die for. I usually make Braised Sea Cucumber with Shiitake Mushroom and Dried Oyster. My brother-in-law is Vietnamese Chinese, we love his Roasted Pork Butt with Saigon Beer. My sister-in-law usually steams a gigantic whole fish with lily flower bulb, and we have 8 Treasure Sticky Rice, Crispy Prawns with Asian Ramoulade Sauce. The list goes on and on.”

Jin Patisserie is a dessert lover's nirvana. Executive Chef Kristy Choo combines a passion for sweet decadence with an artistic flair, to create gorgeous cakes and chocolates that are almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.
Born in Singapore, award-winning chocolatier Choo was a flight attendant before becoming a chef--an experience that nurtured a passion for international cuisine.

Choo talks to New Asian Cuisine about her culinary
journey and a few of her favorite flavors.

Saveur Editor-In-Chief James Oseland moderated a lively discussion on Korean cuisine to an enthusiastic crowd that packed the auditorium of the Asia Society in New York recently. The panelists included Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall author, chef, and consultant, Chef David Chang of NYC’s Momofuku, and Ssam Bar, Daniel Reiser, Corporate General Manager of Woo Lae Oak Restaurant Group, and Chef Rachel Yang of Coupage in Seattle. The interest in Korean cuisine, and culture, is growing in America. Experts agreed that this trend will continue, as more people appreciate the finer points of kimchi and bulgogi along with LG appliances and Samsung phones which have created a positive with-it image for Korean products. A tasting reception followed the program, and guests were treated to delicious traditional as well as innovative Korean sample dishes.

Check out our photo gallery for photos of the event.

“Just to clarify—there are no tangerines in this dessert and it doesn’t look like a pie. But it’s still delicious. In Singapore, this is a highly prized gift for Chinese New Year. Traditionally, people give away fresh tangerines (“tangerine” is a homonym for “gold” in Chinese). When Western-style baked goods were introduced, this round turnover was created to resemble the real thing – thus, its crackly orange egg yolk wash and clever little clove on top.

This is the first dessert I ever baked. My late aunt Jessie taught me this—and many other family recipes—when we lived together in Singapore. After we packed these pies into little boxes, we would surreptitiously confer about which family members deserved the fruits of our labor. And there always seemed to be only one clear answer—we did!”

Believed to have originated in Asia over 2000 years ago, rhubarb is usually used in pies, sauces and tarts because of its unique sharp and tangy taste. Only rhubarb stalks are edible; its leaves contain high amounts of oxalic acid, a toxic and potentially deadly poison. When buying rhubarb, choose medium-sized stalks that are deep red in color. The deeper the red, the more flavorful the stalks will be. You can store rhubarb stalks in the refrigerator, unwashed and wrapped tightly in plastic, for up to three weeks. Trim and discard leaves before storing them. While cooking rhubarb, always use a non-reactive pan. If cooked in reactive metal pots like aluminum, iron, and copper, rhubarb’s high acidic content will interact with metal ions of the pans to form brown compounds that darken both the pan and rhubarb.

Azuki beans or Adzuki beans, also known as red beans, are small, dried, reddish-brown beans with a sweet flavor. They are commonly eaten sprouted or boiled in a hot, tea-like drink, and are also used as a popular flavor of ice cream. These beans are usually boiled and mashed, then sweetened with sugar or honey to prepare red bean paste. While the paste is commonly used in many Chinese foods such as zongzi and mooncakes, it is also profusely used in Korean cuisine and as a filling for Japanese sweets such as anmitsu and taiyaki. Azuki beans boiled with sugar, lotus seeds and orange peel produces a popular sweet dish called red bean soup. These beans can be purchased at Asian markets.

Many people know wasabi as a hot and spicy condiment that accompanies plates of sushi or sashimi in Japanese restaurants. But besides blending perfectly with the saltiness of soy sauce and the cool delicacy of raw fish, wasabi has been used extensively by traditional herbalists of Japan. It is now being rediscovered by modern health practitioners for its remarkable health benefits. Research suggests that wasabi prevents food poisoning, and may also have anti-carcinogenic and anti-coagulate properties. It has also been found effective in preventing tooth decay, and can be used in marine paint to prevent fouling.

Try Roasted Duck Breast, Baked Eggplant, Wasabi & Watercress Salad

P*ONG

150 West 10th street, New York, NY 10011, (212) 929-0898

The highly anticipated P*ONG (scheduled to open this winter) will serve small, luxurious savory & sweet bites, drinks, cocktails, cheeses, and lots of freshly prepared desserts. Located in the heart of West Village, this 750-square-foot space will have 18 seats for dining at the bar and full table service for 16. While there is no promise of the popular Thai Jewels (Spice Market) being available at P*ONG, Pichet Ong will be featuring many of his signature flavors in his seasonally changing menus, which consist of a la carte and tasting menu offerings. Designed by architect Andre Kikoski (Suba), P*ONG is will initially open for evening service, followed soon by lunch and afternoon tea, and New York City's first dessert delivery service.