Executive chef Rajesh Dubey with some of the Chinese New Year specialities from Mainland China Picture by Sangita Ghosh

Noisy crackers, dancing dragons, red packets stuffed with money and greetings of Gong Xi Fa Cai — Chinese New Year is a time to put away your troubles and count your blessings. It’s also a time when kitchens in Chinese homes go into overdrive preparing an endless number of traditional delicacies and treats to mark the arrival of a whole new year.

For those of us lamenting the lack of a Chinese friend who would have otherwise invited us for a go at the goodies, worry not. For Mainland China (ph no: 2287 2006/7/8) is also celebrating the year of the monkey with a no-holds-barred feast that shouldn’t be missed. Especially for the occasion, executive chef Rajesh Dubey, fresh from a trip to China, has culled a brand new menu featuring never-before-had delicacies that are a step away from the usual. There’s everything from Spiced Lamb with Chillies and Green Peppers, Braised Whole Bekti and Steamed Crab Claws in Exotic Wine Sauce to Sizzling Duck in Spicy Chilli Sauce, Buddhist Vegetables in a Clay Poy and loads more.

What’s more, every guest dining here can try their luck at the Gala Fortune Pot — washing machines, television sets, microwave ovens, dinner sets and watches are just some of the gifts on offer. Just in case you can’t make it, why not try and whip up some of these at home? Chef Dubey is letting you in on some of his secrets, so go ahead, make the most of it!

lIngredients:

Regular prawns — 50 gms, sliced cucumber, peeled and seeded — 50 gms, chopped fresh chillies — 5 gms, cleaned and chopped ginger — 5 gms, cleaned and chopped garlic — 5 gms, salt — 2gms, sugar — 2 gms, malt vinegar — 5 ml, oil to fry — 50 ml, cornflour — 20 gms, white of one egg, the green part of spring onion, chopped 1 inch long — 10 gms, the white part of spring onion, chopped 1 inch long — 10 gms, chicken stock — 50 ml, sesame oil — 5 ml, Chinese cooking wine — 2 -3 ml

lMethod:

Clean and de-vein prawns. Marinate prawns in salt, cornflour and a little oil. Keep aside for 30-50 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Fry the prawns in it till cooked. Remove and drain the oil.

Re-heat wok, add 10 ml of oil, sauté ginger and garlic, add the white part of spring onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add sliced cucumber, prawns, seasoning and stock, bring it all to boil. Thicken with diluted cornflour. Add malt vinegar and round off with sesame oil and Chinese cooking wine. Add the green part of spring onion and remove from heat. Serve hot with steamed rice.

lIngredients:

Pancakes — 8, groundnut oil — to fry, egg — 1

For the filling:

Groundnut oil — 30 ml, cabbage, shredded — 250 gms, carrots, shredded — 60 gms, onion halved — 50 gms, capsicum, shredded — 60 gms, beansprouts — 60 gms, ginger, chopped — 20 gms, soya sauce — 20 ml, sugar — 10 gms, salt — to taste, cornflour — 10 gms (dissolved in 30 ml water)

lMethod:

Heat oil, add vegetables and stir over high flame for 30 seconds. Add soya sauce, sugar and simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning. Then add the cornflour mixture and stir. Remove, cool and divide into 8 portions.

Place a portion of the filling spread evenly in a straight line towards one side of the pancake, leaving 3/4 th of an inch uncovered on either side of the filling. Fold in the uncovered pancake, make a roll and seal with the beaten egg.

Heat oil and deep-fry the pancakes until golden-brown. Cut each into four pieces at a slant and serve with garlic or chilli sauce.

Note: To prepare chicken spring rolls, use 200 gms of shredded chicken in addition to the vegetables.

lIngredients:

Chicken — 1 whole

For the sauce:

Peanut butter — 1 tbsp, sugar — 2 tbsp, sesame oil — 5 tbsp, cooking oil — 6 tbsp, light soya sauce — 3 tbsp, chilli sauce — 1 tbsp, chopped ginger — 1 tsp, chopped celery — 1 bunch, vinegar — 1 tbsp

For the garnish:

Toasted sesame seed — 1 tsp, cucumber — 1

lMethod:

Steam or boil the whole chicken for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and dip into a bowl of ice water for 5-10 minutes until it is cold. Remove the bones and shred the meat into matchstick size.

Cut the cucumber into 50 cm length pieces and place them in the centre of a plate. Then lay the shredded chicken on top of the cucumber. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.

Before serving, pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle sesame seeds and garnish with coriander leaves.

lIngredients:

Crab (cleaned and cut into pieces) — 1 kg, shredded red chilli — 2, spring onion

For the sauce:

Chopped ginger — 1 tsp, chopped garlic — 1 tsp, chilli sauce — 2 tbsp, oyster sauce — as required, tomato sauce — 2 tbsp, sugar — 1 tsp, cooking wine — 1 tbsp, chicken stock/water — 1 rice bowl, egg white — 1, sesame oil — 1 tbsp, chilli oil — 2 tbsp, starch and water —1 tbsp, salt — 1 pinch

lMethod:

Sprinkle starch over the crabs, heat the yolk, fry until golden-brown and remove.

Re-heat the wok, fry ginger and garlic for a while. Add chilli sauce, oyster sauce, tomato sauce, sugar, cooking wine and chicken stock/water. Put the crabs in the wok, close the lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Pour starch and water in. Add egg white.

Finally, add sesame oil and chilli oil. Serve hot on a plate, garnished with spring onions.