Whipping up some Lunar New Year delicacies

JAKARTA (JP): Looking for some easy to prepare but delicious dishes to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year? Try the following recipes; your family and friends are sure to be impressed.

Fried Chicken with Pineapple

* 1/2 chicken * 1 tsp light soya sauce * 1 tsp angciu (rice wine) * a dash of ground pepper * 1/2 tsp sugar * cooking oil * 1 tsp minced garlic * 1 tbsp minced shallot * 1 tsp minced ginger * 50 g minced pineapple * 3 tbsp tomato sauce * 1 tbsp sugar * 1/2 tsp salt * 1 tbsp lemon juice * 450 ml water * maizena mix with water

1. Season the chicken with light soya sauce, angciu, ground pepper and sugar. Allow to soak for 30 minutes before deep frying the chicken.

2. Heat cooking oil, stir-fry the garlic, shallots and ginger until fragrant. Add the pineapple, tomato sauce, sugar, salt, lemon juice and water. Let simmer.

3. Add in chicken, let boil until chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken and cut it into pieces.

4. Thicken the sauce with maizena solution.

5. Arrange the chicken pieces on a serving plate and drizzle with the sauce.

Fish Wrapped in Tofu Sheet

* 200 g fish fillet, cut thinly * a dash of salt, sugar, pepper * 1/2 egg white * 1 tbsp ginger juice * 1 tbsp sago flour * 100 g water chestnut, thinly sliced * 1 hioko mushroom, soaked in water, thinly sliced * 1 tsp ginger, thinly sliced * 1 tbsp leek, thinly sliced * 1 tbsp light soya sauce * a dash of salt, pepper * 1/2 sesame seed oil * 1 tsp cooking oil * 1 tsp sago flour * 1 dried tofu sheet, soaked it in water and cut to 10 cm x 10 cm * 1 egg white * Nori, dark-colored seaweed sheet * cooking oil

1. Season fish fillet with salt, sugar, pepper, egg white, ginger juice and sago flour. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Combine it with water chestnut, hioko, ginger and leeks.

3. Add in light soya sauce, salt, pepper, sesame seed oil, cooking oil and sago flour. Mix well.

4. Prepare one tofu sheet, place the fish filling on the tofu sheet. Wrap and seal with egg white. Tie parcel with nori.

5. Fry the fish parcel over low heat until cooked and brown. Remove from pan. Drain the oil. Serve warm.

Recipe courtesy of Chinese Food by Mary Winata (PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama/2000).