It's Chinese New Year on Sunday - the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays which runs this year from 8-24 February.
Like many festivals around the world, Chinese New Year is a time to celebrate with the family, give gifts and enjoy fireworks. The Chinese calendar follows a 12 year pattern with each year named after an animal. There are various explanations for this but the simplest one is that the Jade Emperor (Buddha) invited all the animals to join him for a New Year celebration but only 12 animals turned up! As a consequence, Buddha named a year after each of the animals in the order they arrived.
In Chinese astrology, the belief is that you take on the characteristics of the animal after whom the year is named. This year is the Year of the Snake with some of the characteristics said to include determination, wisdom, calm and elegance.
If you haven't previously cooked a Chinese meal, this weekend is a great weekend to try it. This recipe is easy and is one of many you can enjoy on Chinese New Year's Day on Sunday.
Serves 8
preparation time: 15-20 minutes
cooking time: 1 hour + marinating time
Ingredients
8 chicken thighs & 8 drumsticks with skin on
3 spring onions, shredded
For the marinade
4 tablespoons oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
finger-length piece of fresh ginger, grated
4 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
4 tablespoons of light soy sauce
4 tablespoons clear honey
4 teaspoons five spice powder
Method
Put the chicken in a dish.
Whisk together the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken, mixing to coat.
Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes - but up to a day if you have time.
Heat oven to 180*.
Lift the chicken out of the marinade and into an oven dish.
Roast for 40 minutes and then pour over the remaining marinade.
Cook for a further 30 minutes until golden and sticky.
Sprinkle with the spring onion, then serve.
Note: the honey will make the oven dish look worse than it actually is to clean!
__small.png)
