Blending Cultures This Chinese New Year
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This is a sponsored post on behalf of Ling Ling Asian Kitchen. While this post is sponsored, I only share products that I use personally and feel great about sharing with my readers! All thoughts and opinions below are my own. #LingLingAsian
Our family had always been one big melting pot of cultures and traditions- and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Especially when it comes to the food! This last year we have had the whole family get together for tamale making parties and traditional tea ceremonies. We have snacked on my grandmother’s crispy Scandinavian cookies while our Russian Soup cooled down. We have opened our homes, minds, and arms to so many new things, traditions, people, and food- and it has been a blast.
Our family has always been so excited to embrace each new family member that comes into our lives, and love to embrace and preserve the culture they bring with them. And this year, we will be celebrating Chinese New Year for the first time!
To be completely honest, I didn’t know very much about Chinese New Year until I was invited to Seattle to attend Ling Ling‘s Chinese New Year event. Now, I can tell you ALL about their potstickers. My family has eaten them for years, and they were one of my biggest cravings during my pregnancy!
Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. And there are so many customs and traditions that go along with it! Red envelopes filled with lucky two dollar bills, tangerines are given for friendship, and of course- tons of food, especially potstickers. Potstickers are eaten because their shape resembles gold ingots- a form of Chinese currency. It is believed that if you eat these, it will bring wealth and good fortune. Hey, you don’t need to tell me twice, I will eat more than enough potstickers for everyone. 😉
When we celebrate, we will be stocking up on Ling Ling’s Potstickers for the occasion. Ling Ling provides authentic Asian recipes bursting with flavor and they use high quality, clean ingredients like fresh sourced vegetables and savory proteins. Each package of Ling Ling Potstickers even comes with their own dipping sauce, and they are so easy to make!
While in Seattle, I learned how to make some delicious Asian dishes and learn some fun facts, superstitions, and traditions about Asian Culture and The New Year from Chef Katie Chen herself (Side note: she cooked for Obama!!!).
Look below for my favorite recipe we learned!
Chinese Long Beans With Cashews:
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound Chinese Long Beans
- 2 Tbs. Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Tbs. Hoisin Sauce
- 2 Tbs. Oyster Sauce
- 2 Ounces Roaster Cashews (I used about 1/3 cup)
Directions:
- Trim the Chinese Beans and cut into 2 inch pieces.
- Blanch the beans in boiling water for 2 minutes- until tender, but crisp. Immediately transfer into an ice bath until cool. Drain and set aside.
- Pour the oil into a wok or skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the beans and stir-fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and fry for an additional 3 seconds.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately, topped with cashews!
I recommend serving these with dozens, and dozens of hot potstickers!
Want to get your kids involved and to learn more about Chinese New Year? Check out these fun children’s books! They can make for a great gift the day of, or just flip through them as you prepare to celebrate.
Ruby’s Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year for Kids
Ringing in the New Year
Dancing Dragon: A Lift the Flap Book
My First Chinese New Year
Chinese Zodiac Animals
Happy Happy Chinese New Year
A New Year’s Reunion
Celebrating Chinese New Year
The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale
Lanterns and Firecrackers
Curious George’s Dragon Dance
Po Po’s Lucky New Year
Peppa’s Chinese New Year
Emma’s Chinese American New Year
Home for Chinese New Year
It’s Chinese New Year!
