With Christmas done and dusted for another year, Tilda is encouraging operators to make the most of other upcoming events that could prove profitable. A long-established favourite in the UK, Chinese frequently tops polls of the nation’s favourite foreign cuisine and with 16th February marking Chinese New Year 2018, there is a fantastic opportunity for operators to boost sales.
A simple addition of Chinese dishes onto the menu can prove its worth in more ways than one. Not only will it offer customers a taste of the Orient and a chance to celebrate an event they may have otherwise overlooked but it will also allow operators to gauge the popularity of Chinese dishes and whether they could potentially become permanent additions to the menu.
Craig Dillon, Head of Foodservice, Tilda, says: “Giving diners a chance to celebrate Chinese New Year with your food offering needn’t require a huge menu overhaul. By including one or two relevant dishes, there is huge potential for increased profit margins.
“Using speciality rice in Chinese dishes is a brilliant way of boosting incremental sales as its premium taste means you can demand a higher price. Tilda Fragrant Jasmine is the perfect sticky rice for Chinese cooking. It can be cooked and chilled to use for fried rice and because the lightly sticky grains separate when re-heated, operators are guaranteed to serve the best product with little to no waste.”
Tilda Foodservice has collaborated with Group Development Chef for Brend Hotels, Dez Turland, to help showcase the wonderful versatility of rice and inspire caterers. Here, he shares the recipe for Chinese Prawn Potsticker Dumplings, the perfect addition to any starter or bar snack menu to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Chinese Prawn Potsticker Dumplings
With Fragrant Jasmine rice, tiger prawns, spring onions, garlic, ginger & soy
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- 140g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 125ml boiling water
For the stuffing
- 110g tiger prawns, minced
- 110g Tilda Fragrant Jasmine Rice, pre-cooked as instructions on packet
- 75g Chinese leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- ½ tsp garlic purée
- ½ tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- ½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp spring onions, chopped
- 1 tsp coriander, chopped
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp palm sugar
For the dipping sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp white rice vinegar
- 2 tsp chilli oil
Method
- For the dough, place the flour into a large bowl and stir the hot water gradually into it, mixing all the time, until the water is incorporated.
- Tip the dough mixture onto a clean work surface and knead it with your hands, dusting the dough with a little flour if it’s sticky. Continue kneading until smooth – this should take about eight minutes, then allow to rest for 20 minutes.
- For the stuffing, while the dough is resting, combine the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl and mix them together thoroughly.
- Shape the dough into a roll about 20cm long and about 2.5cm in diameter, then with a sharp knife, slice the roll into 16 equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a small ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a small, round, flat ‘pancake’ – about 9cm in diameter.
- Place about two teaspoons of filling in the centre of each ‘pancake’ and moisten the edges with water. Fold the dough in half and pinch together with your fingers.
- Pleat around the edge, pinching with your fingers to seal well. The dumplings should look like a small Cornish pasty with a flat base and rounded top.
- To cook, steam in a basket for about 8 minutes. Alternatively, they can be fried.
- For the dipping sauce, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
Tilda will be helping operators gear up for Chinese New Year by having its Fragrant Jasmine rice on promotion throughout February in most wholesalers.
Caterers looking for great tasting recipes made using Tilda should visit www.tilda.com/professionals/ and follow @TildaChef on Twitter.
