Food plays a major role in any Chinese New Year celebration.
Some of the "symbolic and lucky" foods for Chinese New Year celebrations are already healthy - bean sprouts, oranges, tangerines, nuts and seeds if eaten in small quantities and if not covered with salt.
Some can be healthy - fish or chicken - but are often deep fried or covered in salt and sugar laden sauces.
I love egg rolls but there is no way to get around the fact that deep frying adds a ton of calories. One egg roll has 800 calories, 12 grams of fat (25% saturated fat) and 510 grams of sodium! *
There is a better way that's equally tasty and is really less work - lettuce wraps! They contain many of the lucky foods such as chicken, peanuts and bean sprouts with the lettuce greens symbolizing lucky money.
Use skinless chicken breasts, salt free soy and oyster sauce and you have already cut the calories by 2/3.
Plus, they are easy to fix and if you are like me and take the lazy way out, you can let your family and friends wrap their own while lamenting the 49's loss and who was ignored by the Oscar nominations. AND, since you did the cooking, they can do the dishes!
1 head iceberg lettuce or or any lettuce that you like - personally I like butter lettuce but have also experimented with grape leaves. They need a bit more preparation as the leaves should be washed to remove the salt and then, briefly blanched. I also like to add about 1/2 cup of white vinegar to my water because I like a bit more tangy taste.
Sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce (use salt reduced or even salt free)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (again, use the low salt ).
1 tablespoon dry sherry or dry white wine
1 teaspoon sugar (or Splenda)
Ingredients: (I always like to emphasize that these recipes are about personal taste, not any "Cooking school" laws. If you want more peppers, celery or any crispy vegetable, then go for it. What does Andrew Zimmer say on his TV show, "If it looks good, eat it?" These ingredients are a lot more traditional, but the principle remains the same.
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I use this because traditional sesame oil has a low boiling point. You don't want your pan to be engulfed in smoke.
Ginger, minced (to taste- if you like ginger, use more. It's all about what you like).
1 garlic clove, minced (or more if you like the garlic)
2 green onions, chopped
1- 2 lb chicken, skinned, boned and cubed into bite sized pieces
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
1 can water chestnuts, rinsed in warm running water and chopped
1 stalk celery, diced
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Sesame or chili oil to sprinkle on the mixture after cooking
Extra ingredients: bean sprouts, peanuts
Preparation:
Wash the lettuce, dry, and separate the leaves. Set aside.
Mix together the sauce ingredients. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan on high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and fry until the garlic and ginger are aromatic. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add the red pepper, water chestnuts, and celery to the frying pan. Add the sauce ingredients and cook at medium heat, Give the cornstarch/water mixture a quick restir and add to the sauce, stirring to thicken. Add the chicken back into the wok. Cook for 2 - 3 more minutes, stirring, to heat through and finish cooking the chicken.
At the end, I sprinkle the mixture with a few drops of sesame or hot chili oil for that "extra" taste.
The lettuce wraps are designed to be eaten "taco-style," with the lettuce/chicken mixture folded into a package. I put a plate of the lettuce, bowls of the mixture, bean sprouts and peanuts on the table so that people can add their own as they make their wraps.
Another healthy tip - skip the white rice. If you must, serve brown rice or wild rice. White rice, while delicious, is one of those "white" foods that the body converts to sugar ASAP and contains no vitamins, minerals or anything that we need.
* http://www.fitday.com/webfit/nutrition/All_Foods/Pasta_and_Cereal_Grains/Egg_roll_with_beef_and_or_pork.html
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