If you are tired of keeping your fingers crossed for good luck, uncross them to grab a pair of chopsticks and dig into an elaborate Lunar New Year spread at the Buffet at Starlight Casino.
Every dish that's part of the new year's feast is believed to bring in good fortune, as per Danny Kwok, executive chef at the Buffet at Starlight Casino.
Turns out, items such as the deep-fried cod, beef sirloin and the sweet and savoury Kung Pao kitchen, besides offering an explosion of flavours in your mouth, help draw in the luck that you need to make what’s on your vision board a reality.
In Cantonese, these food items translate to words that are associated with good luck, said Kwok, who is originally from Hong Kong.
When you say “you eat fish,” it loosely translates to “you’ll always have savings no matter how much money you make,” explained Kwok. When you eat chicken on new year’s, it means "you’ll eat well with your family in the coming year," he added.
Which is why, traditionally, a Chinese new year meal includes chicken, fish, and a vegetarian item.
The fish, he stressed, has to be bought live. “When you take the live fish out of the tank, it dances around — and that denotes health, motivation and energy for the year ahead,” he said.
Kwok has designed a Lunar New Year buffet with 11 items (besides desserts) including fried rice with a mix of seafood, stir fried noodles with cabbage and bean sprouts, stir fried shrimp and zucchini with black bean sauce — all of which in Cantonese denote prosperity.
"This is part of our culture," he said.
“Because the Chinese like to start the new year with food that brings them luck and health.”
Head to The Buffet at Starlight Casino (350 Gifford Ave.) to taste a bevy of Lunar New Year specials that are believed to bring you a ton of luck. The buffet is being offered till Jan. 23. for $29 per person.
Or, put on your apron and whip up some luck yourself.
According to chef Kwok, one of the most common items that’s made on Chinese New Year day traditionally, is steamed fish with ginger, green onions and soy sauce.
For the "simple" dish that translates to “abundance year after year,” Kwok recommends buying live rock cod, tilapia or sole.
Recipe: Steamed fish with ginger and green onion soy sauce ('Abundance year-after-year' dish)
Live fishes such as rock cod, tilapia or sole are preferred.
After cleaning the fish, place it in the steamer.
Steaming time depends on the weight of the fish — seven minutes for every pound.
Prepare your soy sauce while steaming the fish.
Soy sauce ingredients:
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp of water
Mix all ingredients well.
Keep ready 20 grams of green onion (julienne cut) and 10 g of fresh ginger (julienne cut).
And heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil.
When the fish is steamed, put the onion and ginger on top of the fish.
Then put hot oil onto the fish, and finish by mixing in the soy sauce.
