From cabbage to green beer, it's customary to serve green foods on St. Patrick's Day. You don't need to forego Chinese food in order to celebrate this Irish holiday honoring Ireland's most famous Saint. Here are my favorite green Chinese foods to celebrate St.Patrick's Day.
1. Green Fortune Cookies
Rhonda Parkinson
Dying fortune cookies green a festive green is a fun way to celebrate for St. Patrick's Day. To make green fortune cookies, simply follow my basic fortune cookie recipe (see link below) through step 4. Then stir in green food dye - I used 1/2 teaspoon. Stir the dye in thoroughly and then follow the remainder of the recipe. It's easy!
2. Cold Asparagus Salad
Rhonda Parkinson
Asparagus often starts making an appearance in supermarkets in early March, just in time for St. Patrick's Day. This simple side dish takes minutes to make and is a great way to bring out asparagus' distinct flavor.
3. Green Dumplings
These healthy vegetarian dumplings are made with bok choy, tofu and Chinese seasonings.4. Sweet and Sour Cabbage
Rhonda Parkinson
Put a different spin on cabbage with this recipe that pairs nutritious Napa cabbage with a tangy sweet and sour sauce.
5. Broccoli Chicken
Rhonda Parkinson
Chicken breasts are velveted and then combined with broccoli in an oyster-flavored sauce.
6. Chinese "Seaweed" Appetizer
This different appetizer consists of bok choy that has been quickly deep-fried, giving it a crisp texture. For a final touch, top the bok choy with almonds or sugar.7. Stir-fried Lettuce
The Chinese generally don't eat vegetables raw, including lettuce. Besides St. Patrick's Day, this is a great side dish for Chinese New Year, as lettuce is considered to be a "lucky" food. The recipe calls for iceberg lettuce, but feel free to use Romaine lettuce if desired.8. Stir-fry Broccoli Hong Kong Style
Sauteed broccoli is coated with oyster sauce.9. Chinese Broccoli With Oyster Sauce
Rhonda Parkinson
If you live near an Asian market try Chinese broccoli (gai lan). Blanching turns the broccoli a beautiful jade green, and oyster sauce nicely complements its slightly bittersweet taste. If you like, you can stir-fry the broccoli instead.
10. Szechuan Green Bean Recipe
Rhonda Parkinson
This is the classic Chinese restaurant dish in which green beans are fried for several minutes until they are tender, then finished with a spicy sauce. This Szechuan cooking technique is called "dry-frying" and it used in a number of dishes - dry-fried beef is another Szechuan specialty.
