HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

Year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit by the Chinese calendar.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

Jin Dui (Chinese Sesame Cookies)

Recipe By:

Andrew Faulkner

Ingredients

• 6 ounces Organic Sweet Potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups Glutinous Rice Flour
• 1/3 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 1/2 cup Hot Water
• 10 ounces Red Bean Paste
• 2/3 cup White Sesame Seeds
• Oil for frying

Directions

Peel the sweet potatoes and boil them until tender, then mash them. Sift the glutinous rice flour and flour together then blend together with the sugar and mashed sweet potato. Knead the mixture well and sprinkle in the hot water.
Knead the dough into small balls and then roll each ball into a flat round shape. Spoon on some red bean paste onto each as stuffing and knead back into balls. Coat the balls with cold water, then coat thoroughly with sesame seeds.
Deep fry on a low heat until the balls are golden and swollen. Drain and serve.

Posted by Chef Bill Brooks, Corporate Chef, U.S. Foodservice, Inc

Opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily

reflect those of U.S. Foodservice, Inc