CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE DOG 2018: EATING HEALTHILY IN CHINATOWN

A Classic dish in Chinese restaurants: Beef & Peppers with Black Bean Sauce 
For the adventurous consumer of Chinese Food (& you can make it yourself)

The Chinese Year of the Dog -- symbolising  luck, honesty, loyalty, integrity but sometimes stubbornness -- starts on 16 February.  Once again London's Chinatown will be a whirl of activity.

Formal celebrations are on Sunday the 18th and will be the biggest outside China.  There's plenty to see and apparently, plenty of space to see it in.    
The area around Chinatown will be split into zones offering lion and dragon's dances, martial arts and culture, a family zone and food.

Of course, food!  All over the festival site as well as in the usual restaurants.

Qing Gate

Events start at 10; arrive early - watered, fed and having visited the lavatory.  It might be an idea to stock up on bakery goods. Pork buns, curried beef pastries, custard tarts and pandan sponge cakes will come in handy when you can't move for crowds!  67's favourite bakeries are the Pick & Mix Chinatown Bakery on Newport Place - it's small but perfectly formed - and the more spacious Bake on Wardour Street, near the Qing Gate.

Most bakeries and supermarket prices are reasonably priced but before entering, check the clientele and widow menus.  Dim sum Chinese Lunch will be exceptionally popular; in some cases booking may be necessary.

Gerrard Street is the heart of London's Chinatown, choc-a-bloc with restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries as well as hairdressers, dentists and a bank.  

How to Stay Healthy Eating Chinese Food

Chinatowns provide excellent value when it comes to tasty meals but the menu can be a minefield for anyone on low-calorie, low-fat, low-salt diets. Modern 'fusion' cooking techniques are popular, though, and there's greater awareness of vegetarian and vegan needs

If you are not on one of your "indulgent" or "blow-out" days, stick to steamed rice or soup noodles, and courses with lean meat or fish.  Avoid anything with batter or a sweet sauce.  Try vegetarian dishes like Monks' Vegetables (a Buddhist dish with savoury tofu and crispy vegetables)  or Vegetarian Singapore Noodles, subtly spiced with curry and threaded with colourful veg and strands of egg.  Aubergine dishes were said to be much loved by a senior British aristocrat.  

And by the way, you don't have eat all the rice or noodles you're served!

DIM SUM

Dim Sum is a special lunch consisting of several tasty, pretty, mainly savoury Asian hors d'oeuvres. Each offering is usually consumed in one or two mouthfuls, allowing the diner to sample lots of delicious items without discomfort to the palate or the wallet.   

Dim Sum originated in Southern China where food is prepared and cooked simply.  There is little French-style coating or sauces.  

They're either steamed or deep-fried. 

Bamboo steaming trays 

Many of the steamed items are served in stacks of bamboo steamers. In Asia, trolley service is popular - flag down a waiter/ress and point to what you want.  The bill is calculated by the number of dishes on the table.  

Like most Chinese meals, dishes are shared.  The meal can be as healthy or unhealthy as you like but if there are concerns about fat and cholesterol, steamed items are best.  Thinly covered with pastry, they are juicy and flavourful with interesting - in a good way - fillings.   

 Jaotze Dumpings stuffed with meat, steamed then fried
(& you can make a lower-fat/salt version at home)

Ingredients

Rice flour pastry becomes translucent after steaming and very crisp and crunchy after deep-frying.  Stuffings often contain minced meat and/or fish, water chestnut, Shitake mushrooms, baby corn and bamboo shoots.  Golf-ball sized dumplings are not uncommon.  Flavourings include soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, five-spice powder and honey.

Pork often appears in Dim Sum; let the waiter know if that is a problem.  Generous plates of rice or noodles covered with sliced chicken, duck or fish and gravy are available on request.  

Vegetarians will find a few meat and fish-free pastries but should probably order a plate of rice or noodles with beautifully sauced veg and tofu.      

Sauces

Usually include:

1. Soy Sauce.  Asian etiquette suggests the sauce is poured into the ceramic Chinese spoon which is set on a side plate. Chopsticks are used to dip the food into the soy sauce but hands are acceptable, as is a fork.   
2. Chilli sauce.  It is said that when the Chinese engage in violence, they do so ruthlessly.  It is wise to bear this in mind when using Chilli Sauce
3. Minced fresh ginger, green onions & sesame oil.

Most menus usually have pictures of each Dim Sum.

A portion contains either two or three individual pieces and will cost around £3.  If any item worries by its taste or appearance, no one will be offended if it is not eaten.  Chicken feet are not recommended for westerners.

Ordering

The sky is the limit but for two people start with one large Dim Sum (e.g. sticky rice and meat in lotus leaves), about 4 smaller items (steamed and fried) and a dessert (egg tarts are out of this world!).  And that is generous!

If you want to sample lots of things, go in a crowd. The staff are great with westerners.  Talk to the manager ahead of time and and work out what you want and how much it's likely to cost. Doggie bags are not a problem.

Most Dim Sum establishments also serve alcohol. 

This information has been compiled by B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without written permission.  Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any action taken on the basis of the information provided