A Year-End Cookbook for Chinese New Year: A Feast Menu Guide

It seems like, every year at the end of the year, I had to summarize all the dishes I made. This year, I wanted to do it too, but frankly, this year has been filled with just eating and drinking around. Few dishes have been made, only leaving me with some random notes!

Sweat! I'm letting myself down and my fellow villagers down!I'll spill out the cookbook accumulated over these years.Bloodas a compensation and to meet expectations—this is it!

A Feast Menu Guide for Chinese New Year

To prepare an elegant home feast, you need to know:

First, a typical Chinese New Year feast consists of three main parts: cold dishes, hot dishes, and desserts or main courses. Their proportions should be approximately 20%, 70%, and 10% respectively.Second, the order in which the dishes are served is as follows:① Cold Dishes: These should have a balance of meat and vegetables with more meat than vegetables.

② Hot Dishes: The sequence for serving hot dishes at the banquet is: main course - deep-fried or grilled dishes - clear soup - side dishes - sweet soup - vegetable dishes - concluding soup

Head Course: This is the main dish of the feast, the most luxurious and skillfully prepared.

Deep-fried or Grilled Dishes: These are designed to accompany alcohol.Clear Soup: After being treated by rich head dishes, this light soup serves to refresh the palate.Side Dishes: They can be adjusted according to needs but should differ in ingredients and preparation from those served earlier.

Sweet Soup: Also used to adjust the taste profile.

Vegetable Dishes: Choose seasonal vegetables and ensure they are fine and light.

Concluding Soup: The final dish to leave a lasting impression, thus its broth content should be rich.

③ Main Courses: Two or one in total, one meaty and one vegetarian or one salty and one sweet.

Third, the combination of dishes:

Dish ingredients: Reasonably mix wild game, seafood, poultry, fish, dried fruits, and fresh produce.

Dish shapes: Cut materials into different shapes—slices, shreds, cubes, etc.

Dish colors: Ensure a variety without monotony.

Dish cooking methods: Utilize various techniques like stir-fry, steam, braise, roast, etc., to make the menu diverse.

Fourth, utensils: As they say, food should be paired with elegant vessels—each dish should match an appropriate serving ware.

Step 1 of preparing a home feast: Based on these principles and according to the number of guests, list your menu.

Step 2 of preparing a home feast: According to your menu, you need:

① Buy ingredients: All main, auxiliary materials, and seasonings should be considered.② Pre-soak dried goods, pre-marinate ingredients, prepare semi-finished products in advance, and prepare cold dishes for later use.③ Prepare tableware, wine glasses, etc.

Step 3 of preparing a home feast: Set an alarm clock in the kitchen on New Year's Eve. Place your menu where it can be easily seen.

Then, imagine scenes:

You could start four hours before the banquet by cleaning fish and shrimps, cutting all auxiliary materials...

Two hours before the banquet, turn on the oven to bake marinated lamb chops that were prepared two days ago. Meanwhile, place pre-soaked ingredients in containers and pour already prepared broth over them for steaming.

In between using the oven and steam pot, you can start lemon-marinating shrimp...

An hour before the banquet, take out previously braised beef and frozen pig's trotters from the refrigerator, cut, and serve them on platters...

The cold dishes come first. Ten minutes later, your first main course is served.

Following their applause, you can start stir-frying in a wok...

In short, knowing these principles, creating a menu, making plans, and organizing everything will make hosting an impressive home feast as easy as a piece of cake!

Two hours after the banquet, open the oven.Oven.Put in the lamb chops that were marinated two days ago.Riblets of lamb.Simultaneously, place the pre-soaked ingredients into a casserole and pour in the already prepared stock.Broth.Let the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall steam for another two hours...

While the oven and steamer are heating up, you can start marinating shrimp with lemon.Lemon.Prepare shrimp for marination with lemon.

One hour before the banquet, take out the beef that was braised ahead of time and the chilled pig's foot from the refrigerator.Beef.Slice and plate them.

The cold dishes will be served first.

Ten minutes later, serve your first main course. Then, amidst the applause from your guests, heat up a wok to stir-fry the dish...

……

In summary, knowing the principles, having a well-prepared menu, and making proper plans can make organizing an impressive and rich family banquet seem effortless, like a piece of cake!