January/February 2017taste magazine 136
y love of Chinese New Year started when I was a kid. Every
year, our parents would take us to Chinatown to see the
dragonsandmusic,thenwe’dqueueupattheOldTaiYuenfor
afamilydinneratLaminextables.Butitwasn’tuntilIwaslucky
enoughtovisitHongKongandChinaforChineseNewYearwithabunchof
fellowfoodiesthatthetruemeaningofthiswonderfuleventwasbroughthome
tome.Duringamagicalhome-cookedfeastattheapartmentofourHongKong
hostess, we learnt about many of the symbols and rich traditions that make this
eventsospecial,notjustinChinaandHongKong,butacrossAsia.InThailand,
dumplingsarepopularastheyresembleancientgoldingots,whileMalaysians
sharetheProsperityTossSalad,wheretheytosssaladingredientstogether
withchopsticks–thehigherthey’retossed,themoreluckisheadedtheirway!
That Hong Kong dinner was one of those meals you remember forever.
Forthismenu,too,we’vechosendisheswithsymbolism,usingfavourite
flavours and popular ingredients, such as pork belly and whole snapper. With
this we wish you a year of luck, prosperity, happiness and plenty of great food!RECIPES
ALISON ADAMS
PHOTOGRAPHY
JEREMY SIMONS
STYLING
KRISTEN WILSON
FOOD PREPARATION
KERRIE RAY
ChineseNewYearbeginsonthe28thofJanuary.
ThisyearwillbetheYearoftheRooster—the
turn of the Fire Rooster to be exact (fire being
oneofthefourelements).Theroosterissaid
to be trustworthy, responsible and honest.
a hinese
ew ear
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF