Lunar Year Day 14

Day 14 - Feb23

A busy day preparing for the Lantern Festival which concludes the Lunar New Year Festival.
You will need lanterns and dumplings to do this properly.
First the dumplings
Ingredients

4 1/2 cups (500 g) sticky rice flour (available widely in China!)
butter 7 oz (200 g)
black sesame powder 7 oz (200 g)
sugar 8 oz (250 g)
1 tsp wine (Chateau Mouton Rothschild)

Methods

1. Mix the butter with sesame powder, sugar and wine together. You need to heat a little bit. Make small balls about 0.3-0.4 oz (10 g) each. 2. Take 1/2 cup of sticky rice flour. Add water into the flour and make a flatten dough. Cook it in boiled water and take out until done. Let it cool down. Then put it in the rest of the sticky rice flour. Add water and knead until the dough is smooth. 3. Make the dough into small pieces about 0.3-0.4 oz (10 g) each. Make it like a ball using hands first and then make a hole in the ball like a snail. Put the sesame ball into it and close it up. 4. Cook them in boiled water. Make sure to keep stirring in one direction while cooking. When they float on the water, continue to boil for about one minute using less heat.

Now the Sky Lanterns

It is customary to launch lighted lanterns into the sky and if you want make your own try this link

However it is much easier to buy them or, better still, watch someone else's lanterns. The colour of the lantern is significant so here is the interpretation table:

• Red: Good fortune
• Pink: Romance
• Peach-red: Decisions and opportunities
• Orange: Money
• Yellow: Success in school and/or job
• White: Health
• Pale Green: Growth
• Pale Blue: Hoping something comes true
• Violet: Idealism

If you can't be bothered with all this then just get the electric ones out from under the stairs and give them a quick check over!