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From dumplings and roast duck to slow-cooked feather beef and vegetarian banquet boxes, celebrate with these delicacies
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Our testers bring you these selections by cooking, roasting, steaming and eating in a box
The Lunar New Year is approaching, and according to the Chinese zodiac, it is the year of the ox. Usually, people who celebrate will plan the most important family reunion dinner to be held on the eve of the Lunar New Year, and arrange family visits in the next few days, red packets to be distributed, and more gatherings with family and friends. This is a happy and colorful time full of food, drinks, small talk and memories.
However, because the UK-and most parts of the world-are still under lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus, many celebrating people may not be able to hold large family gatherings or go home for the holidays.
But this does not mean that you cannot enjoy a Chinese New Year meal, whether it is shared between family members or eating by yourself when you are attending a Zoom family reunion.
Our commentators bring you the best Chinese New Year feast by cooking, roasting, steaming and eating (endless) boxed lunch boxes, making this year special.
Almost all kits can serve two to six people, but if you are enjoying the food alone, don't worry. We provide tips on how to stretch the box, how to deal with leftovers, and if all other methods fail, dividing the part into Tupperware and knocking on neighbors’ doors to provide them with some feast is a great way to spread some cheers.
Read more: The 9 best woks for quick cooking
Many dishes require bamboo steamers, and some of our selected products can be purchased separately or easily on Amazon. Important note-If your bamboo steamer has linings, be sure to brush them with oil before putting any dumplings on top.
Otherwise, when you try to pick them up, they will stick to the liner and tear the skin of the dumplings, which will only lead to disappointment and sadness. believe us. Or, use non-stick baking paper instead.
You can trust our independent review. We may earn commissions from some retailers, but we will never allow this to influence choices, which are based on real-world tests and expert advice. This income helps fund the journalism of The Independent.
The Chinese New Year gift box of my neighbor’s dumpling shop is a family-run dumpling restaurant and sake bar in Hackney and Lower Clapton. It is a gift that is constantly being given. Stuffed with enough food for two to four people (although it can certainly feed up to six people), you will be spoiled by this box. Everything is delicious, homely, carefully prepared, and even the most homesick people will be warm.
Some dishes are more interactive than others-pork and shrimp dumplings, fillings and wrapping paper are provided, you can wrap them yourself according to the instructions given before boiling and eat them with the comforting fish soup provided. Everything else can be easily prepared by steaming, frying or heating in the oven.
The box includes: eight pieces of pork and prawn wontons with cabbage and light fish soup; four pieces of potato truffles, glutinous rice and ham dumplings; eight pieces of shrimp; simulated tea salad; six pieces of vegan carrot cake; duck pancake set, containing six pieces Rollable flatbread; steamed pork fish fillet; lo mai gai glutinous rice with chicken and shrimp; Banoffee hazelnut paste and coconut cream steamed cake; four pieces of black sesame and coconut mochi.
All dishes are equipped with sauces, seasonings and decorations, and the box also includes a can of chili oil and a bottle of black vinegar for dipping. My Neighbors the Dumplings is shipping this box all over the UK and can be ordered now. The first delivery date for local orders is February 11, and the first delivery date for local and national orders is February 12. The last delivery date of this box is February 19th.
This is probably the best roast duck our reviewer has ever had, without a doubt. Some of our neighbors were fortunate enough to try some, and completely agreed with this statement. Since 2017, Rice Guys has been making delicious Chinese staple food. This whole marinated and dried old duck can easily feed 6 people. You can even extend it beyond meat-our reviewers use duck carcasses and herbal spices to make broth, and then use it to make duck porridge and duck noodles.
Preparing the duck requires a little bit or organization. First, make sure it is completely defrosted. If you plan to order early and keep it in the refrigerator until the Lunar New Year, be sure to thaw it the night before. Then, once completely defrosted, the duck must be air-dried for two to six hours. The longer the drying time, the more brittle the skin-although our reviewers found that even after two hours of air-drying time, the skin is very brittle. You can pat it dry with a kitchen towel and let it air dry to help it.
Then it went into a hot oven for less than an hour. Roasting this duck is idiot-proof, so even if you accidentally put it breast-down (not breast-up as the instructions tell you, but you have never roasted a whole duck like our reviewer before) Duck, I don’t know which side that means), it will still be cooked beautifully. Be sure to put a tray underneath to collect the dripping fat-and save the fat, because it can be used for many other dishes. Chop or chop up and serve with hot jasmine rice and any chili condiments around you.
The Chinese New Year delicacies at this Liverpool-based Chinese restaurant is an authentic feast, with seven dishes, each with two servings. It will serve 4 to 6 people-however, since these dishes may still be frozen, you can put a few of them in the refrigerator to defrost and cook later.
Our favorite dishes are Chinese mushrooms and cabbage dumplings, which are vegetarian-friendly, and the slow-cooked beef knuckles of Jiang beef, which are so tender that they fall apart immediately. Good news for vegetarians-Luban also offers a vegetarian banquet box (£45), which includes yin and yang hot and sour soup, artificial duck pancakes, mapo tofu and noodles. Our reviewers especially liked the artificial duck pancakes made with cherry wood roasted jackfruit and mapo tofu.
Each dish comes with a simple instruction card explaining how to reheat the food and the time required, so you can serve all the food at the same time and make the most of the feast. If you plan to freeze something, be sure to keep the card of the corresponding dish for future reference.
The Wun's Tea Room feast kit created by the team behind Bun House is full of luck and prosperity. This restaurant is located in Soho, London, but offers delicious steamed buns, dim sum and Chinese New Year gift boxes nationwide. It can be used by two people, but the box is so big that our reviewers can easily stretch the contents within two days-which means it will be more delicious for longer.
First of all, you will get lo hey luck, which is a traditional must-have dish for the Chinese community in Southeast Asia to celebrate the New Year. It is also called yee sang, yusheng or lo sahng, depending on where you are and the dialect you speak-no matter what you call it, this dish unifies richness, prosperity and luck in its symbolic meaning . Many of its ingredients (oolong salted salmon, grapefruit, crispy rice, crispy noodles, shredded vegetables, kimchi, and grapefruit vinaigrette) are assembled on a round plate and then thrown as high as possible. It is messy, lucky and delicious.
The box also includes Wun’s signature sugar-covered Iberian barbecued pork, hailed as an indispensable food by food critic Jay Rayner, who wrote: “I need this in my life.” Pork is fat that melts in the mouth. The best part is that if you can't finish the generous portion given, save the rest and add the fried rice the next day. Thank us in the future.
Another highlight of this feast is the sauce. The malt grapefruit tahini sauce for the lettuce salad side dish is a revelation, like the Cantonese salsa that is destined to be eaten with Hainanese boiled chicken thighs and basmati rice. Value for money, which also shows that this box is both lucky and prosperous-the number 8 is considered by the Chinese to be an auspicious number-our critics can guarantee this.
Alta Foods meal bags provide an excellent alternative to a full feast box for individuals and couples who cannot fully commit to the rich food provided by our other select products. You can choose from a selection of hot and cold Asian dishes made by your favorite restaurants to create your own Chinese New Year (or any time of the year) feast, and Alta Foods provides the perfect platform for this.
Festive limited edition dishes are offered, including Chinese radish cake (lo bak go) and sweet nian gao (nian gao), both made by the legend of dumplings in London’s Chinatown. The latter is a very traditional dish served during the Lunar New Year to celebrate growth and progress. It is sliced and fried, so it is crispy on the outside and squishy on the inside, and the taste of sweet coconut and caramelized brown sugar completes a meal.
Our reviewers especially liked the Vietnamese-style beef tenderloin block from Goldfish Hampstead, which is a delicious and spicy dish made with tender meat. Dumplings’ legendary Dongpo braised pork belly is also highly recommended. It melts in your mouth and has a great taste. Vegetarian dishes such as mapo tofu and eggplant marinated with chili, garlic and ginger are also available.
The price of Chinese food ranges from £5.50 to £15, so you can make a lunch box according to your budget. They are very easy to prepare because you can just take the bag out of the refrigerator and put it in boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Bob is your uncle. Serve with steamed or fried rice, noodles or whatever you like.
Vegetarian, this is for you. Alter is a completely vegetarian brand, founded by chef Andy Hogben, who has previously worked in the kitchens of Andrew Wong, Som Saw and Dabbous. Therefore, this box is completely different-it absorbs the influence of China, Indonesia and India and brings together a unique experience that is both delicious and refreshing. The box can feed two people, but it can be easily stretched to complete one meal the next day.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that Izakaya kimchi is similar to Indonesian Rojak-this is also common in Malaysia and Indonesia. Rojak is a sliced fruit and vegetable salad with sweet chili sauce. Alter's izakaya kimchi is rich and sweet, and each one is slightly spicy. No matter how you want to eat it, you can use it as a fresh appetizer or palate cleanser.
Tofu boiled in bamboo sauce is also delicious, especially when paired with Sichuan cold soba noodles. The sesame seeds are generously provided as it adds a lovely flavor to the two dishes. If when you browse the menu and decide that you need to save something the next day, we recommend that you save the Xi'an-style knife-cut noodles as a delicious lunch.
Looking for an alternative to the usual Chinese fare? Take a look at Lao Zhang Ji’s Singapore Laksa. Nothing can compare to a large bowl of warm laksa, whose fragrance is mouth-watering and flawless on a cold February night. Rice noodles, bean sprouts, prawns and tofu are fused into a creamy, prawn-flavored, coconut-flavored soup. It smells like heaven in the bowl. The sambal chili paste provided by Lao Chang Kee must be added to this kit. Umami kick is just a flavor art.
This kit is simple and easy to prepare, and unlike all our other kits, it can actually only be eaten by two people. If you think, of course you can extend it to three people-no. You don't want to share. Our critics liked how comforting this bowl is, and it is especially suitable for chasing homesickness and melancholy for our Southeast Asian readers.
Old Chang Kee is famous for its curry puffs. Almost every culture has some type of food wrapped in pastries, whether it's Cornish pie or samosa. The curry puffs are the Southeast Asian version. The huge curry puffs of Lao Zhang Ji are filled with different types of fillings. It is an excellent breakfast or lunch. Our reviewers especially liked the signature curry egg puffs and shredded beef puffs.
If your Lunar New Year is defined by prosperous or lucky salads and endless snacks, then Makan Malaysia has met your needs. This dish is especially famous among Malaysian Chinese and Singaporeans, but it is almost unheard of in other Chinese regions such as Hong Kong. However, Makan Malaysia in Reading is determined to give Yisheng the recognition it deserves because it is a staple of Chinese New Year.
The ingredients for this dish include sashimi, grapefruit, carrots and vegetable shreds, plum sauce, peanuts and sesame seeds, and crispy fried wonton wrappers. Each has its own symbolic meaning, such as abundance, good luck, prosperity, good luck, wealth, etc. They are piled high on the plate, and then thrown as high as possible-the messier the plate, the more luck you have! However, our reviewers will recommend putting down some plastic or paper for easy cleaning.
You can also add a jar of pineapple tart and peanut biscuits to the yee sang order on the Makan Malaysia website. These are very common snacks for tourists during the Lunar New Year, or just to laugh at yourself because they are really more delicious.
The banquet box from My Neighbors the Dumplings is great and worth every penny; our second choice is Wun's Tea Room Chinese New Year Feasting Kit, which is filled with delicious food and is fun to eat. If you want to customize more dishes you want, Alta Foods is a good choice. If you just want a snack, Makan Malaysia will be your first choice.
For more delicious family meals, read our guide to the best DIY kits to buy from your favorite restaurant during the lock-in period
IndyBest product reviews are fair and independent advice you can trust. In some cases, if you click on the link and purchase the product, we will earn revenue, but we must never allow this to affect our coverage. These reviews are compiled through a mixture of expert opinions and real-world tests.
Our testers bring you these selections by cooking, roasting, steaming and eating in a box
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