Slurp up some good luck

Welcome the Year of the Dog with comfort foods that promise good fortune and warm beginnings

SUNDAY welcomes the Year of the Dog -- a year that promises to reflect the calming influences of man's best friend. But much needs to be done and consumed before that happens.

In countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, the days leading up to the new year will be both frenzied and serene.

Attempts will be made to clean, settle debts, take care of old business and, most importantly, shop for food. All the rituals that ensure safe passage into the months ruled by the canine.

At the same time, the holiday brings with it wishes for fortune, longevity, good health and, especially, good luck -- all closely tied to food rituals that dictate what dishes are a must. Consume these dishes and good luck is sure to follow.

Author Rosemary Gong sums it up in her book, "Good Luck Life" (HarperCollins, 2005): "It comes as no surprise that Chinese New Year is celebrated with many symbolic and fortuitous foods to invite a propitious new beginning."

She goes on to explain that the single most important family ritual is the New Year's Eve feast. "All are encouraged to feast, including the family's ancestral spirits, who are fed at the family altar. If a family doesn't share a New Year's Eve dinner, it's said the family's love will grow cold," Gong writes.

In China, the menu is long and varied. Significant dishes include soup such as bird's nest or shark's fin, jai (a vegetarian stew made up of ingredients that symbolize everything from luck to prosperity), whole poultry and fish for completeness and abundance, long, leafy greens (also served whole) and noodles for a long life.

OTHER Asian countries, such as Vietnam and Korea, mark the day with warm and soothing comfort foods.

On the first day of Tet in Vietnam, a hearty pork and egg stew (Thit Kho) is offered to the ancestors along with fresh fruits such as tangerines, which symbolize good luck.

Meat dishes are a luxury in Vietnam and thus are highlighted on special occasions. The eggs are cooked and served whole in much the same theory that fish and chicken are served whole in the Chinese household. A whole chicken is also a prized entrée on the Tet table.

A soothing rice cake soup (called Duk Guk or Deok Gook) made of beef stock is the Korean traditional dish for Sol-nal, the new year. It, too, is significant to the ancestral table, considered as an offering of appreciation.

The rice cake is cut into coins or medallion shapes to symbolize money and good fortune; the white color signifies purity. According to tradition, you may not live to see the next year if you don't consume duk guk. Boiled mandoo dumplings are also a popular addition.

Both Thit Kho and Duk Guk are generally made in large quantities for the holiday, enjoyed over a number of meals and offered to visiting guests and family members.

They are the ultimate in comfort foods and practical to prepare. Like many traditional dishes, recipes vary greatly, depending on personal tastes and the part of the country the family hails from.

These recipes were adapted for the home cook and by Xuan Chau, wife of Ba-Le President Thanh Lam, and Karen Matsuda of O-Bok Restaurant in Manoa Valley Shopping Center.

Try your hand at preparing them, but don't forget, your ancestors get first bite.

Korean Rice Cake Soup

1 pound Korean rice cake (sold in long, cylindrical strips)
1 to 2 pounds beef flank
1 pound kalbi bones, optional, but will add richer flavor
6 to 8 cups of water
2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped green onions, for garnish

Slice rice cake diagonally to make thin oval medallions. Soak in a bowl of water for an hour to soften.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add beef, bones and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer 1 to 2 hours. Remove flank and bones.

Season broth with salt. Add rice cake and cook tender. Broth should thicken. Drizzle in beaten egg and cook for a minute or so.

Cut beef into thin and place in each bowl serving bowl. Add soup and garnish with green onions. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (based on 1 pound beef and not including salt to taste): 500 calories, 15 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, 115 mg sodium, 60 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 28 g protein.

Vietnamese Pork and Egg Stew

3 cups coconut water (not milk)
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
4 pounds pork butt, cut in large cubes
8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Place coconut water, water, sugar and fish sauce in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add pork butt and simmer 1 hour.

Add eggs and simmer another hour, until pork is tender. Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 700 calories, 46 g total fat, 13 g saturated fat, 400 mg cholesterol, 1,000 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 15 g sugar, 47 g protein.



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