Mortar and Pestle
MAKO Black Steel 
Just as Delicious
With feasting a big part of the lunar new year celebrations, you’re going to want some seriously delicious Asian recipes up your sleeve. I love how many ingredients and dishes have symbolic meanings, with specific foods eaten to bring luck, wealth and prosperity. Here are some of my recipes for how to celebrate the year of the rabbit…
Ring in the Year of the Rabbit at home with these much-loved dishes.
Spring rolls are packed with cultural meaning. Not only is the golden colour of those deep-fried wrappers meant to represent the colour of gold, but the shape of the rolls represent gold bars themselves! If you’re wanting to encourage wealth this Lunar New Year, you’ll want to rustle up a batch.
Juicy, crunchy and so good dipped into a chilli sauce. Get ready to roll, people!
The combo of your favourite san choy bow filling in crisp-fried spring roll wrappers? Worth celebrating.
Using ready-cooked roast duck and frozen spring roll wrappers to make these quick and easy party pleasers. Serve with a dipping sauce such as sweet chilli sauce or sweet and sour chilli coriander sauce, or eat them on their own.
For Lunar New Year, it’s all about loooooong noodles, or longevity noodles. They are meant to represent a long life and are typically served fried or boiled, together with lots of meat and vegetables. I might not have recipes for longevity noodles as such, but I DO have some pretty epic noodle recipes regardless. Give these a whirl… and ALWAYS serve them uncut!
This stir-fried noodle dish might look deceptively simple, but with a few tips and tricks up your sleeve, it really gets elevated to new heights. Prawns (which represent laughter and happiness, since the Cantonese word for prawns sounds like ‘ha’), bouncy noodles and a delicate hum of spice make this dish a delicious Chinese New Year recipe.
Sichuan peppercorns are the star of the show when it comes to this easy weeknight stir-fry. They bring high citrusy notes and an almost numbing sensation, but it has to be tried to be believed. Cook this one up and you won’t regret it!
Now you guys know how much I love noodles, and this one is an absolute favourite. Ready in under 30 minutes, this spicy pork dish pairs perfectly with my homemade hand-pulled noodles, and equally as well with pasta or udon noodles if that’s what you have to hand.
Fish symbolises prosperity, abundance and luxury, and is a very traditional Lunar New Year food in many countries. It’s most often served whole: the head and tail represent a good beginning for the new year, and a good ending to the last.
If you’re looking for a showstopper dish, this whole fried fish will do you proud – and it’s not as scary as it looks! Boasting crispy skin, tender flesh and a tangy sweet and sour sauce, it will earn you serious kudos in the kitchen. I like to use a white fish, like snapper or seabass.
Time to put an Aussie spin on your Lunar New Year recipes! Grilling a whole fish on your barbecue might seem intimidating, but I’m here to show you it’s actually really straightforward – and really impressive, too!
OK, so it’s not a WHOLE fish… but the flavour is totally amazing! This is one fish dish that makes you sit up and take note. It’s spicy, tingly and absolutely full of gusto. Definitely one for fans of heat.
Dumplings represent money, especially if they’re purse-shaped. Try these delicious recipes for to mark Lunar New Year.
It’s no secret I’m a huge dumpling fan, and these beefy parcels of heaven are a pure flavour sensation. I love the hum of the Sichuan pepper in the background, and with a chilli oil kick on top? Epic! If you have time, try making homemade dumpling wrappers – they really do make all the difference come folding time.
The perfect ratio of chewy wrapper, crispy base and a sweet prawn, water chestnut and garlic chive filling.
Sometimes the simple things are the best… like these prawn dumplings, which are classic, elegant and oh-so epic! Speaking of epic, the spicy red oil I’ve paired them with is unbelievably good.
Having a whole chicken for your Lunar New Year banquet symbolises reunion of the family and togetherness. So try these chicken recipes and get celebrating!
This awesome stuffing can be used for chicken or turkey and is gluten-free. The ‘treasures’ in the stuffing include lap cheong sausage and dried shiitake mushrooms for delicious umami flavour.
Get a 10/10 roast chicken – I’m talking golden, crispy skin and soft, succulent meat – EVERY TIME with my totally foolproof technique. Thank me later!
Super-simple ingredients take the humble roast chicken to new heights. An absolute standout for your next family sitdown.
