A festive Lunar New Year platter with shrimp, BBQ pork, potstickers, and fresh veggies shaped like a dragon.
# Components:
→ Proteins
01 - 16 cooked shrimp, peeled with tails on
02 - 7 oz sliced Chinese BBQ pork (char siu)
03 - 8 cooked chicken potstickers
→ Vegetables & Fruits
04 - 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
06 - 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
07 - 1 cup blanched sugar snap peas
08 - 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
09 - 1 medium carrot, thinly julienned
10 - 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
11 - 1 small bunch green onions, diagonally sliced
→ Rice & Noodles
12 - 1 cup cooked sushi rice, cooled
13 - 8 pieces seaweed-wrapped rice balls (onigiri or sushi-style)
→ Sauces & Dips
14 - 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
15 - 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
16 - 1/2 cup soy sauce
17 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
→ Garnishes
18 - 1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
19 - 1 small mandarin orange
20 - Black sesame seeds for decoration
# Method:
01 - Arrange all ingredients and tools at your workstation ensuring mise en place is complete.
02 - On a large serving board, create a winding dragon shape using thin cucumber slices laid end to end.
03 - Arrange shrimp, Chinese BBQ pork slices, potstickers, and rice balls alternately along the cucumber body mimicking dragon scales.
04 - Use bell pepper strips, blanched snap peas, purple cabbage, julienned carrot, and sliced green onions to sculpt fins, spines, and the tail.
05 - Position a rice ball at one end to form the head, decorating with black sesame seeds for eyes, red chili slices for whiskers or fire, and arrange cilantro to simulate a feathery mane.
06 - Place the mandarin orange near the mouth as the ‘dragon pearl’ and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the arrangement for texture.
07 - Present with bowls of sweet chili sauce, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce for dipping alongside additional cilantro and green onion garnishes. Serve immediately.
