Dragons are independent, powerful, elegant, ambitious and magnificently strong.
According to Chinese tradition as the dragon enters its turn at being the force in the 12-year cycle of the zodiac, a person born in its year — 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988 or 2000 — may love you, but will insist on remaining independent.
Although "Chinese New Year" only appears once on conventional calendars, this year on Jan. 23, it really lasts for 15 days. Thus, it's not too late to initiate some of its traditions, like sweeping out the old to get rid of bad luck and starting over with a clean house. An easy way to brighten the house with the color red, a splash of cheerful warmth in the middle of our winter, is with a pillow or towels. Red pepper and dishes add it to the table. The longer the noodle, the longer the life expected. The Chinese often wear a new outfit colored red as a sign of prosperity and scare away bad fortune.
Hang lanterns of red and gold, another royal color at the beginning of the year. Golden citrus fruits are traditional gifts. Sunkist provides a recipe with seafood — a whole fish symbolizes prosperity while shrimp denotes joy, long noodles and pummelo. Peanuts foretell fertility. Serve with green vegetables for close family ties.
Pummelo, which grows as big or bigger than grapefruit, fulfills the desire for large fruit, but it has thick skin. According to Sunkist, the smooth skin is green (the color still denotes good fruit) to yellow, the flesh is firm and its shape should be generally round to pear.
Sharing good luck for Chinese new year with a friend or relative is easy. Pass along chocolate or money — or a non-traditional lottery ticket — in a red envelope.
Many public celebrations occurred this past week, but young children ages 2 to 5 still can celebrate the Year of the Dragon with a parent at the Missouri History Museum with stories about Chinese culture and dragons at 10:30 a.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday. The free event is designed with a hands-on craft.
Asian Noodle Salad with Pummelo, Peanuts and Shrimp
8 oz. uncooked fettuccine-style rice noodles
8 oz. pre-cooked shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), tails removed
1 pummelo, cut in segments
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
Vinaigrette
Prepare noodles according to package directions. Drain off cooking liquid, but do not rinse. In large bowl, toss warm noodles with vinaigrette, allowing noodles to absorb flavor. Let cool to room temperature.
Add shrimp, pummelo segments, onion, mint, cilantro and peanuts. Toss well.
Makes 4 servings; 518 calories, 22 g (2.5 g saturated) fat, 19 g protein, 62 g carbohydrate, 86 mg cholesterol, 509 mg sodium and 3.5 g dietary fiber each.
Vinaigrette: In small bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons canola oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 Teaspoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon grated ginger root and 2 cloves garlic, finely minced, until combined.
To cut pummelo: Using sharp knife, cut off top (stem side) and bottom. Set fruit on its bottom and use knife to cut away rest of peel, working from top to bottom and rotating fruit until all peel and all white pith is removed. Cut out segments, leaving behind separating membrane.
