Paper Palate

Starting this weekend, Chinese communities around the globe will begin celebrations of the Chinese New Year. Parades will be held featuring dragons dancing through the streets while the crowds clang cymbals and pop firecrackers.

While the parade sounds like fun, another way to usher in a prosperous year is to enjoy good food. There are no specific dishes attributed to the Chinese New Year, like turkey is known for the American Thanksgiving. A banquet-style meal with many various dishes is the key.

Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong was released in the US earlier this month, just in time for some Chinese New Year food ideas. Kylie Kwong is known for combining traditional Chinese recipes with contemporary techniques. Her Australian television shows Heart and Soul and Simply Magic also air on cable channels throughout the world including the US and Canada. The Simple Chinese Cooking cookbook is a companion to her Simply Magic series.

I like that Kylie introduces Asian ingredients, which may seem strange, in a very approachable way. For example, the Hot and Sour Soup recipe calls for silken tofu which many people may have never worked with before. The directions do not vaguely state something like “cut the tofu into 30 pieces” which may have some people standing over their tofu for a bit wondering what to do. Instead, very detailed instructions are provided and you are directed to “Gently remove tofu from packet and invert on a plate. Carefully cut into 30 cubes (cut lengthways into 5 equal slices, then widthways into 6).” I really appreciate these details because you basically can not do it wrong. Personally, I have cooked tofu many times but never tried that particular cut before, so even I learned something.

Not all ingredients are foreign, but to complete some recipes you will need to make a visit to your local Asian grocer. Items like kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and fresh black cloud ear fungus (usually tasteless but provides a slight crunchy texture) are not easy to come by. The Chilled Cucumber Salad though has very simple ingredients and is really easy to make. It has alot of flavor and it can be served as an elegant complement almost anything.

I noticed while making both the soup and the salad that Kylie’s instructions teach you new ways to cut the food which really has a lot to do with Chinese cooking. I have never peeled an entire cucumber before to generate thin slices, but they were perfect for the soup. And it’s those nice touches that make the end product seem more authentic than just the combination of ingredients.

Kylie Kwong’s Simple Chinese Cooking available from Amazon.com for $23.07 and Amazon.co.uk For £16.50.