Celebrate in Chinese harmony: Welcome the Year of the Horse with a simple, family-style Cantonese meal - Friends for Dinner - Recipe

Sunset, Feb, 2002 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

Many philosophies strive for balance. Taoism seeks it through a harmonious interaction of opposites, based on the concepts of yin, the feminine, passive force in nature--cold, dark, and wet--and yang, the masculine principle, hot, light, and dry. When yin and yang are in perfect balance, in a meal as in other aspects of life, harmony prevails--to say nothing of good health and happiness.

Yin foods, such as lettuce, crab, cucumber, tofu, and bean sprouts, possess cooling and soothing power. Yang foods--chicken, lamb, chocolate, and butter, for instance--contain warmth and energy. Many foods, however, combine both principles. Furthermore, the nature of any food can be altered by the way it is cooked and seasoned: Steaming, poaching, and boiling are yin methods, while stir-frying, deep-frying, and roasting are yang techniques; ginger, garlic, and chili contribute hot, yang influences. The right combination of yin and yang is believed to restore natural balance to the body.

Chinese New Year, an optimal time to restore one's balance, begins on February 12. To celebrate the Year of the Horse, we offer a menu in which ingredients and cooking styles are balanced in yin-yang harmony The recipes are adapted from The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen: Classic Family Recipes for Celebration and Healing (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1999; $27.50; www.simonsays.com). Author Grace Young learned about the yin-yang principles of food as she was growing up in a traditional Chinese family in San Francisco. The dishes are straightforward home cooking from her family's own repertoire and are easy to integrate into your own celebration.

Hot-and-Sour Soup (Shoon Lat Tong)

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 50 minutes

NOTES: Young's parents make their own broth with chicken, water, and fresh ginger, but canned chicken broth simmered with fresh ginger works well too. If cloud ears and lily buds are unavailable, substitute 1 cup finely shredded cabbage and 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms and skip step 1; add cabbage and mushrooms to broth in step 4. You can prepare the soup through step 4 up to 1 day ahead; cool, cover, and chill. Reheat, covered, over high heat, then continue with step 5.

MAKES: 6 servings

[1/3] cup dried cloud ears ([1/2] oz.), optional (see notes)

[1/3] cup dried lily buds (3/4 oz.), optional (see notes)

8 ounces firm tofu

4 ounces boned pork butt or loin, fat trimmed

[1/2] cup canned sliced bamboo shoots

1[1/2] quarts fat-skimmed chicken broth (see notes)

6 slices ([1/4] in. thick) fresh ginger

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 large egg

[1/3] cup minced green onions (including green tops)

1[1/4] teaspoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon white pepper

1. Rinse cloud ears and lily buds under cool running water. Place in a small bowl, cover with cool water, and soak until soft, 15 to 20 minutes; drain. Pinch out and discard any hard spots from cloud ears, then rinse again; tear ears into [1/2]-inch pieces. Remove and discard hard ends from lily buds; tie a knot in the center of each bud.

2. While cloud ears and lily buds are soaking, rinse and drain tofu; cut into [1/2]-inch cubes. Rinse pork and pat dry; cut into [1/4]-inch-thick matchstick-size pieces about 2 inches long. Rinse and drain bamboo shoots; cut lengthwise into [1/4]-inch-wide strips.

3. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, bring broth and ginger to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer to blend flavors, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and discard ginger.

4. Stir in cloud ears, lily buds, tofu, pork, and bamboo shoots and bring to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and vinegar until smooth; stir into boiling broth mixture and continue stirring until it boils again, 1 to 2 minutes.

5. In a small bowl, beat egg with a fork to blend. Remove soup from heat; immediately stir in egg, green onions, sugar, and pepper. Pour into a large bowl.

Per serving: 157 cal., 32% (51 cal.) from fat; 19 g protein; 5.7 g fat (1.2 g sat.); 7.9 g carbo (0.5 g fiber); 106 mg sodium; 48 mg chol.

Rock Sugar Ginger Chicken (Bing Tong Gook Geung Gai)

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 45 minutes

NOTES: Traditionally, bone-in chicken pieces are chopped up for this dish. We use whole pieces so there will be fewer bone fragments. You can prepare the chicken (through step 2) up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Lift off and discard solidified fat, then reheat chicken, covered, over medium heat, and continue. Serve with steamed rice and Stirfried Garlic Lettuce.

MAKES: 6 servings

6 bone-in chicken thighs (2 lb. total)

1 tablespoon salad oil

6 ounces fresh ginger, scrubbed and thinly sliced

[1/2] cup fat-skimmed chicken broth

2 ounces rock sugar (about [1/3] cup) or [1/4] cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons black soy sauce or 2 tablespoons regular soy sauce plus [1/2] teaspoon molasses

[1/2] teaspoon salt

Thinly sliced green onions (optional)

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Set a 12-inch frying pan or a 5- to 6-quart pan over high heat. When hot, add oil and ginger; stir often until ginger is lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; push ginger to edges of pan and add chicken pieces, skin side down, in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 7 to 8 minutes total. Drain off and discard fat from pan.