I will be the year of resilience: the Chinese calendar also says so. The February 12 is the day of the lunar new year, and begins the year of the buffalo: an animal symbol of strength, hard work, a leader with the qualities of patience, tolerance, and above all tireless. The Spring Festival will be dedicated to him (another name for the New Year in China) and as always – even if without too many guests – it will be spent first of all at the table.
A table full of auspicious dishes, where ingredients such as chicken and fish must never be missing (symbols of abundance), worn as i dim sum (the more they eat, the more money they will earn), the spring rolls (related to the festival, which celebrates the start of sowing), and other dishes that vary according to the area: in the countries of Southern China, for example, Niángāo, which are light and delicious rice dumplings.
RECIPE
To try them at home too, in the gallery above you will find a recipe in which they are combined with vegetables, shitake mushrooms and dried shrimps suggested by Zhang Guoqing, chef of Bon Wei, one of the best Chinese restaurants in Milan who for the whole New Year period (from 12 to 27 February, which is the day of the Lantern Festival) has thought of a menu that includes all the traditional dishes reinterpreted in its hyper-contemporary style.
THE TRADITION
«Niángāo it means “every year more and more”, they say Zhang Guoqing and his son Zhang Le. «Tradition provides that they are made by hand by pounding the steamed rice in a stone mortar, then mixing it with water and salt (an operation called Shi Jiu). The trick to making them perfect with modern tools is to soak the rice, raw, in a blender filled with cold water. It must be left for at least 3 hours, then it must be blended, filtered, squeezed. There is also fresh dough ready to be cut to taste».
«The New Year’s dinner – they continue – it is done at home or as an alternative to the restaurant, as long as it has a private room to recreate the atmosphere of a living room. It is preferred a round table, with the classic revolving glass on which to arrange all the dishes. Then there are also some lucky rites: first of all, red must not be missing ». The party, in fact, stems from an ancient legend that tells of a monster, Nian, who once a year came out of the den to eat humans and the only way to save himself was to scare him by making noise or showing him something red. “The envelopes in which the diners put money to give to the youngest are also red: a sincere wish for prosperity, even economic”, say the Zangs. To see the gnocchi recipe, browse the gallery above
THE DELIVERIES TO CELEBRATE THE CHINESE NEW YEAR
La BON WEI Chinese New Year’s Dinner Collection, in addition to the gnocchi, includes Rice and Foie gras, Hong Tang soup with beef stewed in wine, star anise, carrots, potatoes, celery and cherry tomatoes, Sea bass fingers with ginger and chives, Smoked duck with pea and edamame sauce , Calamari with vegetable brunoise and black chili sauce, and finally red and gold chocolates in the shape of dim sum with the ideogram of the Buffalo created by Bon Wei’s pastry chef, Sonia Latorre Ruiz. The cost is 80 euros per person, you eat for lunch at the restaurant, or you order 24 hours in advance for take-out or delivery, www.bon-wei.it.
Jianguo Shu’s restaurant in Rome has created a tasting menu that includes meat ravioli soup, spring rolls, sautéed rice dumplings with crispy vegetables, sweet and sour sea bass and rice bonbons in special broth with plum leaves. The menu is available at the restaurant on 11 February for lunch and in the evening in delivery and take away mode. 30 euros per person www.daorestaurant.it
Among the proposals to try a Milano also that of Mu Dim Sum, which instead provided a menu with spring rolls with foie gras and caramelized onion in a red cherry sauce, red shrimp with pine nuts, moutai, dill, soy sauce, vinegar and lime zest, Chinese pancakes with spring onions, cooked rice in saffron water and sauteed with scallops and XO sauce, a mix of ravioli, Black cod confit with red pepper sauce, Peking duck, served with thin crepes, sauce and crunchy vegetables, Mochi with mango. 70 euros per person, mudimsum.it.
In the gallery above, the recipe of Bon Wei’s Niángāo
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