{"id":9754,"date":"2020-01-16T11:58:34","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T11:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=9754"},"modified":"2020-01-21T20:17:45","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T20:17:45","slug":"welcome-to-chinese-new-year-2020-the-year-of-the-rat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/winter-2020\/welcome-to-chinese-new-year-2020-the-year-of-the-rat\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to Chinese New Year \u2013 2020 \u2013 The Year of the Rat"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>n case you are wondering, \u201cDidn\u2019t we already celebrate the year of the rat?\u201d you are correct. There are 12 zodiac animals of the Chinese horoscope which rotate every 12 years and are associated with each new year.<\/p>\n

So, here we are again with the rat, the first animal of the rotation. People born in the year of the rat are said to be industrious, thrifty, and lucky financially. Previous years of the rat include 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, etc.<\/p>\n

The Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year and the Spring Festival, dates fluctuate and are based on the arrival of the new moon which appears somewhere between the end of January and early February. The celebration continues for around two weeks culminating with the arrival of the full moon.<\/p>\n

\"\"In 2020, Chinese New Year is January 25 and lasts about 15 days, until February 8.<\/p>\n

The other animals in the rotation are the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and the pig.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your zodiac animal?<\/p>\n

Check the chart above for your birth year!<\/p>\n

New Cookbook Celebrates Regional Chinese Fare<\/h3>\n

To celebrate the year of the rat (or any year!), you might want to grab a copy of China: A Regional Cookbook<\/em><\/a> by Terry Tan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The 624-page celebration of recipes from China includes regional specialties divided into sections of northern, eastern, southern and western China.<\/p>\n

The author describes himself as \u201cSingapore-born Chinese, with parents whose antecedents hark back not only to eastern China, but also to southern China, mingled with Southeast Asia. Our family kitchen was always perfumed with the scent of intoxicating herbs and other aromatic ingredients, such as lemongrass, ginger, chilies, limes, fresh coriander\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Tan moved to England in the early 1980s to run a restaurant. At that time, \u201cthe public had not gotten their heads around the fact that I could be Chinese and yet not merely ladle out endless dishes slathered in sweet-and-sour sauce; my cooking instead incorporated many cu8linary influences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His book provides an opportunity to learn more about the vast scope of Chinese cuisine. With gorgeous photography throughout, this tome of Chinese gastronomy is a beautiful addition to any cookbook collection.<\/p>\n

Here are two of the recipes that we found interesting (and delicious!):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Caramelized Apples<\/h3>\n

The origin of this dish is obscure, and it seems to have a higher profile in Chinese restaurants outside of China than within it. During festival times, however, children in Beijing can be seen munching candied fruits of various kinds, which are sold on sticks for ease of eating during the celebrations.<\/p>\n

In this recipe, the apples are cored and cut into pieces before being coated in batter and sugar, for serving on a plate. Chinese chefs have an ingenious way of caramelizing sugar in a little lard or oil.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Fresh Scallops and Pak Choi<\/h3>\n

Here is a dish with a true imperial flavor, one that Shandong citizens are extremely proud of as a banqueting dish.<\/p>\n

Use the best scallops you can find \u2013 each one large and about a half-inch thick. The pak choi here is of the smaller variety, sometimes called Taiwan pak choi, with pale green stalks and dark green leaves.<\/p>\n

This dish is sometimes served with the pak choi arranged to look like the spokes of a wheel, with the scallops on top.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Chicken with Hoisin Sauce<\/h3>\n

From Henan comes a dish that uses hoisin sauce (also called sweet bean sauce) to wonderful effect. Many northern chefs make their hoisin sauce by blending yellow bean sauce with sugar until the correct level of sweetness is achieved. For this dish, you can choose the complementary ingredient to work with the chicken \u2013 water chestnuts, ginkgo nuts, lotus seeds or lychees, for example \u2013 all of which will give delicious results.<\/p>\n

For the recipes, see below.<\/p>\n

Recipes and photos used with permission from CHINA: A REGIONAL COOKBOOK<\/a> by Terry Tan, published by Lorenz Books.<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

[vc_text_separator title=”View Recipes In This Issue” title_align=”separator_align_center” border=”no” el_class=”in-this-issue-headline”]\n
\n