If like us you had an amazing New Year then why not do it all again at Royal China and celebrate the year of the goat on the 19th February 2015?
Why do we like this date? Well if you’re single and do not expect any Valentines surprises, you can always tell your friends that you are skipping Valentines day this year and celebrating the Chinese New Year, it’s the perfect excuse to not feel so lonely on V-Day.
To celebrate the occasion, Royal China Restaurants across London will give each table a special red envelope, with one envelope within each restaurant revealing a special gift.
Each “lei see”, as they are pronounced in Cantonese, will offer a fortune message; while the lucky recipients will receive a voucher for a complimentary meal up to the value of £100.
Red envelopes are usually presented at social events such as weddings and the Lunar New Year. The red colour of the envelope symbolises good luck and is said to ward off evil spirits.
The Royal China Group consists of six of London’s most authentic and prestigious Chinese restaurants, including the luxurious and critically acclaimed Royal China Club. Based in prime areas of London, the restaurants are centrally located on Baker Street, as well as in Bayswater, Fulham, Harrow-on-the-Hill and Canary Wharf.
The group is renowned for its Dim Sum, which is served daily from Noon until 5pm and includes favourites such as Steamed Seafood Dumplings with Spicy Sauce; and Pan-fried Fillet of Duck Breast Rolls.
However If you are unable to make it to the restaurants to celebrate this year, Royal China Canary Wharf’s Dim Sum Head Chef Ka Fai Leong has provided a recipe and top tips for creating the delicious treats at home. What a lovely fellow eh?
Spicy Seafood Dumplings Recipe
Makes approx 18 dumplings
For The Dough
Ingredients
- 290g plain flour
- 175ml water
Method
Chinese dumpling wrappers are fairly easy to make at home, but for a shortcut you can buy them from Asian supermarkets. To make the dumpling dough from scratch, sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the water. Knead until the dough is firm but with some elasticity, and then cover with a towel for about 30 minutes. This makes the wrapper more durable, and also makes them taste better. In addition, the dough also gets slightly softer after standing, making it easier to stretch and handle.
On a floured surface, roll the dough into a sausage and slice it into 2cm pieces, rotating the dough between cuts to prevent it from going flat. Squash the chunky cylinders from the edges inwards using a small rolling pin to create the pastry disks.
Tips:
Homemade wrappers should be used soon after they are made as they will dry out and become brittle, so be careful not to let them stand too long after making the discs. The dough can also be quite sticky, so never stack them on top of each other, and give each dumpling space when steaming them so they don’t stick to each other.
Filling Ingredients
- 8 OZ/226g freshly Cooked Crabmeat
- 2oz/55g Fresh Tiger Prawn
- 1 Stick Celery, finely chopped
- 1 oz/28g Carrot, finely chopped/grated
- 1 oz/28g Fresh Coriander finely chopped
- 1 bottle Chinese XO Sauce (a spicy flavour-packed sauce made with dried shrimp, scallops and seasonings including chillie and garlic, available from Asian supermarkets).
Method
- To make the filling, mix together the crab, prawns, celery, carrot and fresh coriander in a bowl.
- Press your thumb and index finger together at the tips to make a circle. Take a pastry disk and gently place it over the circle of your fingers, just so the wrapper slightly overlaps your thumb and finger.
- Place a teaspoon of crab mixture in the centre of the wrapper and push the sides up and around the filling, so the top is still exposed (don’t enclose the dumpling completely).
- Take 1 teaspoon of Chinese XO sauce and place on top of Dumpling
- Place the dumplings into a bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water and cover. Steam for 5 minutes, or until the crab mixture is completely cooked through. Remove from the steamer and serve immediately.