"The Chinese New Year is to the Chinese what Diwali is to the Indians," says Chef Liang, of the ITC Grand Maratha’s Pan Asian Restaurant.

The chef from Beijing, who has made his home in India for the last five-and-a-half years, has worked in Australia, America, Thailand and Peru. He says India holds a special place in his heart: “I am impressed with the Indian culture and customs. The hospitality and warmth of the Indian people is unsurpassable, which is why I’ve chosen to work here for so long.”

This is what he says about his new year:

Celebrations began with festivities on New Year's Eve with people visiting the temple to pray for a prosperous year ahead.

In Mumbai, the Chinese people met at the Chinese Embassy, where we joined in a karaoke session and shared. who has made his home in India for the past five and a half years.

"This year, my family from China celebrated the New Year with me.

In China also, celebrations are very much a family affair; they prefer homemade food. The youngsters enjoy a drive away from the city to light fire-crackers. If the economy is doing well, some travel abroad or to holiday destinations within the country. And since television is very popular in China, some prefer to catch the celebrations on air as they now do in India, too.

We prepare a lot of traditional delicacies for the new year. A speciality is the Chinese dumpling, Jiaozi. This is filled with pork, prawn, chicken or a mixture of vegetable and eggs. These ear-shaped dumplings are then boiled. There are also deep-fried traditional snacks that go along with the festivities.

Chef Liang's Recipes

Stir fry pepper greens

~ Ingredients
200 gm pakchoi (bokchoy, or Chinese white cabbage)
5 gm Sichuan pepper
60 gm cornflour, diluted
5 gm salt
4 gm sugar
10 ml refined oil
20 gm babycorn, blanched and sliced
5 gm red chillies, dried
5 gm carrots, blanched and sliced
Water as required

~ Method
Blanch pakchoi and vegetables.

In a separate pan, saute dry red chillies and Sichuan pepper.

Add the pokchoi and vegetables into the pan and a bit of water.

Thicken with cornflour, and serve hot.

Kung Bao Vegetables

~ Ingedients
1 capsicum, diced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup babycorn, sliced
1 potato, diced
1/4 cup button mushroom quarters
1/4 cup broccoli
1 carrot, sliced
1/4 cup cashewnut, fried
1 tbsp ginger, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
5 red chillies, dried
1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp soy sauce
Salt to taste
Cornflour, to thicken
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp malt vinegar

~ Method
Blanch babycorn, mushroom, carrot and broccoli in a pan. Keep aside.

In a wok, fry potatoes. Keep fried potatoes aside in a bowl.

Heat a little oil and stir fry the ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, red chillies and chilly powder in the wok.

Add the blanched vegetables, and a bit of vegetable stock or water.

Add the potatoes and fried cashewnut (take care not to over-fry the cashewnuts).

Thicken with cornflour, and serve hot.

Text: Vishal D'Souza

Chef Liang Xiao Qing | Chef Chew Beng Huat | Chef Jerry Wong

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