Luck out with Ching-He Huang's colourful Chinese New Year celebration banquet

Reproduced from Feb 07 issue of Olive magazine, this month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now and save 40%.

Recipes: Ching-He Huang
Photographs: Myles New

You might recognise Ching-He Huang from her appearances on BBC One's Saturday Kitchen as well as in her own series, Ching's Kitchen, on UKTV Food. Her passion for creating simple but stylish Chinese food means celebrations are always a mix of traditional and modern. 'For Chinese New Year (18 February) I like to keep the philosophy and meanings behind traditional recipes but update them a little,' she says.

'During the festive season, food is served in large dishes all at once to allow everyone to share. Here the starters are shared but then there is an individual fish dish for everyone. All the dishes should be served on round plates to symbolise unity and completeness - perfect, like the sun or moon. You can make most of this menu in advance. Just fry the prawns and cook the fish at the last minute.'

Menu Lychee and mandarin mojito Prawns with chilli jam Peking duck pancakes Lamb and chilli bamboo shoots in little gem leaves Halibut with sesame soy sauce and buckwheat noodles Mango ice cream with raspberry coulis

Lychee and mandarin mojito

20 minutes
Easy

Mandarins or oranges are eaten at New Year as the colour symbolises gold and wealth. The raspberry adds redness - the luckiest colour according to the Chinese.

Mint leaves from a large bunch
Limes 2, cut into 8 wedges each
Frozen raspberries 125g, defrosted
Lychees 24, about 300g, fresh or tinned
Caster sugar 8 tbsp
Ice cubes 2 good handfuls
White rum 240ml
Soda water 1.5 litres
Mandarins 2, segmented

Chill 8 tall cocktail glasses in the fridge. Put most of the mint leaves, the lime wedges, raspberries and lychees in a large measuring jug, add the sugar and use a rolling pin to muddle (gently squash) the ingredients together. Add the ice cubes and pour the rum over. Slowly add the soda water and stir well. Divide the cocktail between the glasses, making sure that each glass has a couple of ice cubes and a lime wedge, and decorate with extra mint leaves and mandarin segments. Makes 8

Prawns with chilli jam

20 minutes
Easy

This gold and red dish keeps all the colours of the festivities. Make your own chilli jam or use shop-bought, if you prefer.The potato flour will make a crisper batter - look for it in health food or Asian shops.

Raw tiger prawns 24, peeled and cleaned, tails left on
Ground white pepper a pinch
Eggs 2, beaten
Potato flour or cornflour 100g
Groundnut oil for frying
Coriander leaves a handful to serve for the chilli jam
Granulated sugar 5 tbsp
Red chillies 2 medium, chopped

• To make the chilli jam, bring 100ml water to the boil, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Add the chillies and boil for 5 minutes, cool slightly then pour into a blender and blitz. Transfer to a dipping bowl and set aside. The sauce will thicken and become jammy once cooled.
• Season the prawns with salt and white pepper. Combine the egg and potato flour in a bowl to make a batter.
• Heat a wok or pan ¼ full with groundnut oil. Dip each prawn in the batter and fry a few at a time (don't crowd the pan) until the batter turns golden. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle over the coriander and serve with the chilli jam.

Peking duck pancakes

2 hours including 1½ hours in the oven + marinating time
EASY

Serve the duck with some warmed mango chutney for a fruity twist or, for a more traditional accompaniment, make the duck sauce. There is a type of duck called a Pekin that is bred to have less fat, making it perfect for this recipe as the skin crisps up more easily.

Duck 1 (look for Pekin free-range ducks in Waitrose)
Runny honey 5 tbsp
Dark soy sauce 2 tbsp
Chinese five-spice 4 tbsp
Soft brown sugar 2 tbsp
Peking duck pancakes 24 (buy fresh or frozen from Asian supermarkets)
Spring onions 6, sliced into long thin strips
Cucumber 1, seeds removed and sliced into long thin strips
Mango chutney optional, to serve

Peking duck sauce
Sesame oil 2 tbsp
Hoisin sauce 6 tbsp
Caster sugar 6 tbsp
Dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
Cornflour 1 tbsp blended with 1 tbsp cold water

• Put the duck on a rack over a roasting tin and pour over a kettle of boiling water. Discard the water and pat the duck dry with kitchen paper. Mix the honey, soy sauce, five-spice powder and brown sugar together and brush the mixture over the duck, inside and out. Let it dry and then brush again. Repeat, using most of the marinade but reserve 4-5 tbsp. Leave the duck uncovered in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours) to dry out.
• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the duck on a rack in a roasting tin. Cook for 45 minutes then turn over and brush with the reserved marinade. Check that the bird is not getting too dark (turn the oven down a notch if it is) then cook for a further 45 minutes or until the skin is crisp. Remove, cover and rest.
• To make the sauce, heat a pan with 6 tbsp water and add all the sauce ingredients except the blended cornflour. When the sauce starts to bubble slightly, add the cornflour and stir well. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Steam the pancakes for 2-3 minutes until soft or microwave briefly.
• Carve the duck and arrange on a warmed plate. Serve with the duck sauce or mango chutney, cucumber, spring onion and pancakes.
  Serves 8

Lamb and chilli bamboo shoots in little gem leaves

30 minutes
Easy

This is not a traditional starter but the mandarin segments resemble little golden nuggets, symbolising good fortune.

Groundnut oil
Garlic 4 cloves, crushed and finely chopped
Root ginger grated to make 2 tbsp
Red chillies 2 medium, seeded and finely chopped
Lamb mince 400g, sprinkled with a pinch of cornflour, salt and ground white pepper
Tinned bamboo shoots 150g, drained and finely diced
Shiitake mushrooms 12, finely diced
Shallots 2 small, finely chopped
Light soy sauce 8 tbsp
toasted sesame oil 4 tbsp
spring onion 2 large, finely chopped
coriander 1 handful, chopped
little gem lettuces 4, leaves separated
roasted peanuts 100g, finely chopped or ground
mandarins 5-6 peeled, segmented and white membrane removed, if you like, about 24 segments in total

• Heat a wok over a high heat, add 2 tbsp oil and stir-fry the garlic, ginger and chilli for 30 seconds. Add the lamb and stirfry until it starts to turn brown. Throw in the bamboo shoots, mushrooms and shallots and stir-fry for less than 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and stir well. Cook on a high heat until any excess liquid has reduced. Throw in the spring onion and coriander and stir.
• Arrange the little gem leaves on a plate and spoon some lamb into each leaf. Sprinkle with toasted peanuts and add a small mandarin segment to each. To eat, fold the leaf around the filling like a little parcel.
  Serves 8

Halibut with sesame soy sauce and buckwheat noodles

1 hour
Easy

The Mandarin word for fish is 'yu' and during the New Year celebrations people wish each other 'Nian nian you yu', which translates as 'Have abundance every year'. Serving the fish whole symbolises unity and completeness. Make up for the 'incompleteness' of using fillets by serving this dish with whole steamed small pak choy and uncut buckwheat noodles (uncut noodles symbolise longevity).

buckwheat (soba) noodles 600g
groundnut oil
halibut fillets 8, skin on, seasoned with salt and pepper
small pak (bok) choy 400g, steamed to serve
sesame seeds to decorate

Sesame soy sauce
groundnut oil 4 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves, crushed
root ginger grated to make 1 tbsp
light soy sauce 6 tbsp
toasted sesame oil 2 tbsp
spring onions 2, sliced lengthways
red chilli 1 medium, seeded and finely chopped
coriander a small bunch, roughly chopped

Dressing for noodles
toasted sesame oil 8 tbsp
mirin 3 tbsp
light soy sauce 5 tbsp
spring onions 4, sliced into long strips
coriander a small handful, roughly chopped

• Cook the noodles in boiling water following the packet instructions. Cool under cold running water and drain.
• To make the dressing for the noodles, whisk together the sesame oil, mirin and soy sauce. Add the spring onions and coriander and mix well. Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss.
• To make the sesame soy sauce, heat the groundnut oil in a large wok. Add the garlic and ginger and stir well for a few seconds. Add the soy and sesame oil to the pan and stir well. Bring to a bubble, then add the spring onions, chilli and coriander and mix. Keep warm.
• Heat a little groundnut oil in two large frying pans. Add 4 halibut fillets to each pan, skin-side down, pressing lightly on each as it cooks. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on high heat until the skin is crisp and golden brown, then turn over and cook for 2-3 minutes until the flesh has turned opaque.
• Serve the dressed noodles with some steamed pak choy and a halibut fillet, drizzle over some of the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 8

Mango ice cream with raspberry coulis

15 minutes + freezing
Easy

This recipe continues the colour theme - yellow for fortune and red for luck.

double cream 852ml (1 x 568ml carton and 1 x 284ml carton)
golden caster sugar 150g
mangoes 4 large, about 1kg, peeled, stoned and puréed in a blender (keep some slices for decoration)

RASPBERR Y COULI S
frozen raspberries 400g, defrosted
limes 3, juiced
icing sugar 6 tbsp

• Put the double cream in a pan with the caster sugar and heat gently until dissolved. Take off the heat, add the mango purée and give it a good stir. Leave to cool.
• Churn in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer's instructions. Alternatively, put in a plastic container, freeze for 2-3 hours then, using a fork or whisk, break up any ice crystals. Return to the freezer for a further 2 hours, break up the ice again, then refreeze until solid. Just before serving transfer to the fridge to soften a little.
• To make the raspberry coulis, put the raspberries (keep a few back for decoration), lime juice and the icing sugar in a pan over a low heat. Using the back of the fork, press the raspberries to break them down. Once the raspberries are broken down, stir well and make sure the sugar has dissolved. Either sieve to get a smooth sauce or leave the pips in. Chill until needed.
• Serve the ice cream in tall martini glasses, top with mango slices and raspberries and trickle the raspberry coulis generously all over. Serves 8

Brilliant wine matches
Celebrations mean bubbles and the vivid flavours of the menu demand the richness of a sparkling rosé. Red is an auspicious colour in China, so deeply coloured rosés make a great choice. The bright acidity of sparkling wine balances the underlying sweetness of the food.

For Champagne, pick Taittinger's Brut Prestige Rosé NV (Majestic, Oddbins, Tesco, Threshers from £32.99), which has just the ripe cherry fruit for the chilli and soy. Top of the New World sparkling wines are the Aussie Jacob's Creek Sparkling Rosé NV (widely available from £7.99) and Lindauer Rosé NV from NZ (widely available from £7.49). With the ice cream try Pink!, a fun new berry-ish Aussie fizz with an edge of sweetness (Asda, £6.98).