Evening star., 1955-02-08
LunternFestivo|Ends Chinese New Year
By Violet FouIkner

Year was given at the William
d. Lees Lantern Festival din
ner at the Cathay on Sunday.
The Lantern Festival, which
dates back over two thousand
years to the Han Dynasty, cele-
brates the return of light,
spring and the lengthening Of
day. 1t also marks the official
closing of all the Chinese New
Year festivities.
''On this day it's a Chinese
custom to hold a feast and in
vite your friends to join in the
celebration" explained Ellen
Lee. I'VE have certain foods
that are symbolic. For in
stance. we always serve fish.
Fish In Chinese means more.
I have FISH, means I have
plenty" she continued.
Dinner on Sunday started
with birds nest soup. Then
followed two appetizers, barbe-
cued spareribs and egg roll
with Chinese wine. Winter
chicken and sausage, fried
squab, diced lobster and but
terfly shrimp were listed on
the red han6-printeG menus
as entrees. imperial dishes
were stuffed boned chicken,
West Lake duck, 10 han jai,
and 1--WE willow fish. Dessert
was almond tea.
Birds Nest Soup
F. T. Cheng. former Ambas-
sador to the Court Of st.
James's, in his book Musings
Of a Chinese Gourmet" gives a
good description on birds nest
soup. The word NEST" he
feels, is a bit misleading.
"Some people," he says,
may imagine that birds nest
soup is soup made simply from
a birds nest pulled down from
a tree grown in ones own gar
den, boiled in water with or
without the bird, and then
served with pepper and salt!"
Such, he assures his readers,
is not the case. The so-called
birds nest, he goes on to ex-
plain, is no more than pre-
digested protein from some
kind of seaweed gathered from
the sea by a particular specie
of swallow living along the
cliffs Of the Pacific islands.
The soup, when skillfully
prepared as it was on Sunday.
is truly delicious. The flavor.
enhanced with tasty bouil-
lion, is delicate and elusive.
Troditionol Delicocies
Just as it is traditional for
the Southerner to serve black
eyed peas on New Years Day
for good luck. the counterpart
in the Chinese cuisine is 10
han jai. Translated, it means
Buddhists food which is meat
less. It contains at least 10 diff
ferent ingredients among them
hair-like seaweed, white Chi
nese nuts, pea pods, bean curd.
dried tiger lilies, bamboo
shoots, cloud mushrooms and
vermicelli. The ingredients are
prepared separately. then COM
bined and the whole simmered
gently for 20 minutes or so.
Time and patience are two Of
the requisites needed to make
this speciality. Lo han jai is
supposed to bring prosperity ,
in the coming year.
West Lake duck is another
very special dish. West Lake
is a famous summer resort in
the province of Hangchow.
Tourists from all parts OF
China visit the lake and sur
rounding mountains in the
late spring. Temples and pa
godas dot the mountain slopes
and lake shore and it is here
the Buddhists make their pill
grimage each year. It's from
the lake the ducks take their
name.
To prepare this dish. the
ducks are first simmered In
water until tender, then fried
in deep fat until the skin is
brown and crisp. After this
the duck is boned. filled with
cooked mushrooms, bamboo
shoots, water chestnuts. and
pork seasoned with star anise.
and then returned to the oven
to heat thoroughly. The stock
from the duck is thickened
with cornstarch and used as
gravy. Parsley is a must as a
garniture and each serving
must have a generous portion
of the green.
Almond tea is not what you
expect it might be at all. In
character, it resembles a
rather thin blanc mango. The
"tea" is made with crushed
almonds and served in cups as
dessert.
In the event some ambitious
soul would like to attempt 10
han jai, here is the recipe and
directions.
LO HAN JAI.
y cup peanut oil.
2 tablespoons salt.
5 cloves garlic, crushed.
"a pound rice noodles (ver-
micelli soaked in water Is
minutes, cut in 6 inch long
pieces.
| cup dried tiger lilies.
soaked in water 80 minutes;
cut off hard ends.
5 cakes bean curd.
"a pound bean stick.
/ cup hair seaweed.
2 tablespoons dried cloud