What dishes to treat the fastidious Dragon for the New Year, so that he became favorable and gave wealth Bashny.Net

What is the New Year? For most it is a bowl of Olivier, cold, "Herring under a fur coat" and candy for tea for dessert. My grandmother says it was and always will be, but I disagree. I understand that she grew up in difficult times, when for a stick of sausage to the festive table had to fight in lines. And yet I have the opportunity to turn the New Year's table into something really interesting. And here I am thinking about cooking for the New Year's table in 2024.



I hope I’m not the only one looking forward to 2024. I like to believe that he will be special because of his powerful patron, the Green Wooden Dragon. Astrologers promise those who appease him, not only great luck and longevity, but also wealth. After all, the symbol of the coming 2024 primarily symbolizes harmony and prosperity. Of all the animals in the Chinese calendar, the dragon is considered the most powerful.

What to cook for the New Year’s table in 2024 to appease the Dragon Before I did not pay much attention to such symbolism, but this year I wanted something like this. After watching several culinary forums, I realized that the festive table can become a real interactive. The Chinese, it turns out, just a lot of interesting traditions - and competitions do not need to invent! Here's what I'll be putting on my New Year's table to appease the Dragon.

Baked whole fish Dragon - a creature quite omnivorous and voracious. He likes meat, fish, and sweets (we’ll talk about desserts later). At first I thought about putting baked beef on the table, as I always do, but this time I will do differently and prefer fish. I’ll have to bake it with my head and tail. In the Far East, it is believed that the presence of a fish head and tail symbolizes a good start and end of the year.

It is also interesting that the fish should be placed with the head to the most noble or senior guests as a sign of respect. They are the first to try the fish. I decided it was best to bake fish whole in salt. I'll pick a carp or, if I find one, a large trout. Farm her vegetables marinated in lemon juice with spices - this will be a holiday!



It’s certainly not a duck, but I probably won’t have time or energy for a classic Peking duck by the end of the year. In the original recipe, you need to cook it for a few days! Of course, this is with marination and painstaking baking with caramelization. Instead, I'll take the best of the recipe -- marinade on orange juice with ginger and honey. Chicken with oranges will definitely make a splash among my family, who love sour and sweet combinations.

Did you know that citrus fruits are an integral part of the Chinese New Year? Mandarins and oranges are often served as desserts or as a gift for dear guests. In Chinese, even the very name “orange” and “mandarin” consonant with the words “luck” and “wealth”. In addition, the bright color of red gold fits perfectly into the favorite palette of the Dragon.



Funchosa with beef and vegetables Without meat dishes in the year of the Dragon can not do. A large lizard should be delighted with the variety, and he will definitely like the choice of this particular dish. On the New Year in China, there is a so-called longevity noodles. This is a regular wheat noodle, but very long. Sometimes it reaches a length of one and a half meters! And you can not cut it into pieces, you need to eat whole. It is believed that in this way you can prolong your life.

Finding longevity noodles in our latitudes is quite difficult, so I'll just make my favorite noodle dish, funchozu with meat and vegetables. Once upon a time, a good friend shared a recipe with me, and I improved it a little. I make noodles, then add a lot of sour-sweet sauce (soy sauce + orange juice + honey + tomato paste), roasted vegetables and pieces of meat.



It was helpful to know that all higher crayfish are considered lucky charms: shrimp, lobster, lobster and crabs. The Dragon of 2024 clearly has good taste, but I can hardly feed it with a full-fledged dish of shrimp. So I decided to make a compromise: I'll make a snack with a spicy buttered shrimp. I have not yet decided what it will be - brusketts with papiline sauce or still tartlets with guacamole.

And to get closer to the Chinese traditions, I use the famous Sichuan recipe for frying shrimp. Peeled shrimp are first marinated in soy sauce and then roasted in butter with chili peppers, ginger, green onions and cashew nuts.



Of course, these are not all dishes that will be on the New Year’s table, but these are the ones I would like to focus on. Appropriate as a supplement will be: fried tofu cheese, rice snacks, fried Chinese dumplings wonton (if any), salads from pickled vegetables.

Desserts for the New Year’s table 2024 I would never have thought that dragons fall for sweets. The Green Wooden Dragon of 2024 won't mind dessert at all. Just do not forget that it is necessary to serve freshly brewed green tea. A cup of green tea will bring the drinker good luck and prosperity next year.

I found information that the Chinese Dragon likes rice desserts like pudding. How lucky it is that every New Year I cook a sweet kutya with poppy and dried fruit! This time I will not deny myself the pleasure.



Also traditional for China are cakes with sweet bean paste, but it is not so easy to find it. Asians add it to cakes, cakes and even candy. I think I can replace this treat with mochi rice cakes.

I was also surprised that jelly on the festive table is also welcome, especially in green or red shades. The dragon likes everything brilliant and shimmering. So I'm thinking of making jelly and serving it in glasses. It will also be appropriate to add fresh fruits and berries.



What worries me most is not that some of the dishes will fail, but the heart of my conservative grandmother, who is invited to the New Year's table. She'll definitely bring vinaigrette or olive, I know for sure. Do you think she'll like my idea? I will slowly find the right recipes. If you have one or two in mind, I would be happy to share them in the comments.