Amy Poon on the joy of Chinese New Year – and why nostalgia never tasted so good

When it comes to celebrating Chinese New Year, Amy Poon believes that food is not just at the heart of the festivities – it’s the thread that ties generations together. “Reunion dinner on CNY’s Eve is really the main event for us. Before we eat, we pay our respects to our ancestors with offerings of food, wine and lit joss sticks,” she explains. Ancestral worship, or showing respect for one’s parents and elders, is one of the most influential elements of Chinese culture. For Poon, Chinese New Year is a time for family, tradition and the delicious dishes that embody both.

Poon, who revived her family’s iconic culinary brand in 2018, is no stranger to weaving heritage and modernity. As the daughter of Bill and Cecilia Poon, founders of Poon’s of Covent Garden – the world’s first Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant – she grew up immersed in the rituals and recipes that define Chinese cuisine. Now at the helm of Poon’s London, she’s channelling that legacy into a thriving brand, offering everything from signature sauces to freshly made wontons at her new Spa Terminus location in Bermondsey. Yet, when it comes to Chinese New Year, Poon’s focus is firmly on celebrating the old traditions while finding ways to share them with new audiences.

“I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I very much have a soft spot for nian gao, Chinese New Year cake. This is a pudding made of glutinous rice flour, steamed, sliced and pan-fried with an egg wash,” says Poon. The significance of this dish lies in its name: nian gao is a homonym for “a higher year”, symbolising a wish for each year to be better than the last.

Another favourite is steamed fish, a dish steeped in meaning. “The Chinese word for fish, jyu, sounds like ‘surplus’, so a whole fish is always served at Chinese New Year dinners with the intention of wishing everyone more than they need, year on year.”

Perhaps the most intricate dish she highlights is “Eight Treasure Duck”, a family speciality prepared by her father. “If there were an endangered dishes list, this would be on it! ‘Eight Treasures’ is the giveaway; they aren’t limited to eight specific ingredients, and there are many ‘Eight Treasure’ dishes. For this, my father debones a duck, fries it, stuffs it with a mixture of glutinous rice, diced Chinese mushrooms, lotus seeds, Poon’s wind-dried sausage, chestnuts, dried shrimps, Jinhua ham and barley, then braises it gently till tender.” It’s a laborious process, but the result is a show-stopping centrepiece.

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For families celebrating Chinese New Year at home, Poon has plenty of suggestions to bring the festivities to life, even for those unfamiliar with the traditions. “Buy yourself an orange tree, or bamboo or pussy willow and tie red ribbon bows all over it. We have dishes of leafy clementines everywhere. My father is a talented calligrapher, so he writes CNY couplets for us on lengths of red paper to be put up either side of our front door. You can buy these in Chinatown.”

Another idea is to gather loved ones for a dumpling-making session. “Making dumplings is a fun way to celebrate. Take a leaf out of Crazy Rich Asians.” For something a little different, Poon suggests lo hei, also known as “Prosperity Toss”. It’s “a sort of salad of raw salmon, carrots, green and white radish, pomelo, peanuts, sesame seeds, deep-fried crackers and plum sauce. Each ingredient has a positive meaning – for example, raw fish symbolises abundance and prosperity. As you add each ingredient, you recite an auspicious phrase, then everyone stands and tosses the ingredients into the air with clean chopsticks to mix it up. The higher the toss, the more the fortune.”

And then there’s the tradition every child loves: lai see, or red envelopes filled with money. “As a kid, it’s really the best thing about being Chinese! It’s customary (read obligatory) to hand out little red envelopes of money to all children you encounter during the CNY period, which runs for two weeks. Coins and any amount with the number four are taboo, so you’re guaranteed a fiver at least. Senior family members often give more generously. I have a friend who flees HK during CNY, claiming a two-week holiday on safari is a cheaper option!”

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If you’re inspired to try your hand at Chinese New Year cooking, Poon recommends a few pantry essentials. “When I travel, I pack miniature bottles of soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, white pepper, sesame oil and potato starch. I can pretty much make anything with these. The next tier would include oyster sauce, chilli oil and Chinkiang vinegar. Other pantry staples include yellow bean paste, garlic, ginger and spring onions.” With these on hand, even novice cooks can whip up dishes that honour the occasion.

As someone who straddles Chinese and British identities, Poon is uniquely placed to share the depth and diversity of Chinese cuisine. “I’m careful about the term ‘educate.’ I don’t want to be preachy, and I don’t think I’m in a position to instruct. I think by just sharing what I know and love about Chinese food, people are quite receptive to discovering dishes beyond chicken and black bean sauce,” she says.

Her revival of Poon’s London has been deeply personal. “Everywhere I went, I met someone with a Poon’s story. I took this to be a sign. With all the food products we plan, I ask a simple question: ‘Would my parents eat this?’ The answer dictates whether we make it or not.”

Her new space at Spa Terminus is both a nod to her family’s legacy and a step into the future. “Finding a home in Spa Terminus, among some wonderful neighbours, is a significant milestone in the journey of Poon’s. Particularly with Monmouth Coffee and Neal’s Yard Dairy, who were in Covent Garden with Poon’s in the 1970s, it feels like completing the circle and coming home,” she says.

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For Poon, the journey of reviving her family’s brand has been about more than food. “I think Poon’s is made up of stories – mine, my parents’, my brother’s, the wider family’s, customers’,” she says. “I have a fond memory of being scooped up and carried to bed amid much laughter. Apparently, I had gone round polishing off discarded glasses after a party and had passed out drunk on the stairs that led from the restaurant to our flat above. I’ve stopped doing that now!”

As she continues to honour her family’s heritage while carving out her own path, Poon is proving that tradition can thrive in a modern world. And with her advice, anecdotes and recipes, she’s making it easier for everyone – Chinese or not – to join in the celebration of Chinese New Year. Whether you’re tossing a Prosperity Salad, frying up nian gao or simply tying red ribbons on an orange tree, Poon’s tips bring a touch of authenticity and joy to the festivities. After all, as she says, “Nothing tastes quite as good as nostalgia.”

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Ingredients:

For the topping:

120g diced Chinese mushrooms (rehydrated, washed, steamed then diced)

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine

2 tbsp neutral cooking oil

2 tbsp peanuts skinless, coarsely crushed

1 tsp ginger minced

1 tbsp minced Ya Cai or Zha Cai (available from Chinese supermarkets)

1 tsp chilli flakes or to taste

For the sauce:

1? tbsp Chinese sesame paste (not Tahini)

1? tbsp water

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp black rice vinegar

? tsp ground Sichuan pepper

2 tbsp Chinese chilli oil or to taste

1 pinch sugar

For the noodles:

2 portions noodles

1 handful leafy green vegetables, e.g. bok choy, choy sum, spinach, etc

For garnishing:

1 spring onion, finely chopped

Method:

Fry the toppings:

1. Pour oil into a cold wok. Add peanuts and fry over low heat until they turn golden brown. Transfer the peanuts to a bowl (leave the oil in the pan) and set aside.

2. In the remaining oil, add minced ginger, mushrooms, minced Ya Cai and chilli flakes. Stir fry until fragrant and the mushrooms are fully cooked. Set aside.

Mix the sauce:

3. In a bowl, mix sesame paste and water until smooth and runny.

4. Add garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, ground Sichuan pepper, chilli oil and sugar to the diluted sesame paste. Mix until well combined and set aside.

Cook the noodles:

5. Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Cook noodles according to packet instructions.

6. Add the vegetables at the very end of the process.

7. Once cooked, drain.

Assemble the dish:

8. Pour the sauce into two serving bowls. Add the noodles and the vegetables.

9. Top with cooked mushroom and peanuts. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve.

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Ingredients:

250g minced pork belly or pork mince with high fat content (min. 20% fat)

300g Chinese cabbage, (?nely shredded, salted, drained and squeezed dry)

25-30g Garlic chives or 2-3 spring onions (finely chopped)

2 tsp ?nely chopped or grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

? tsp sugar

? tsp white pepper

? tsp salt

1 tbs potato starch

1 tbs Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

2 tbs light soy sauce

2-3 tsp sesame oil

Shop-bought wrappers (round ones)

Method:

1. Combine all of the above apart from the wrappers in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment in the following order:

2. Mix well until the filling feels sticky and tacky.

3. Scoop a teaspoon’s worth of filling into the middle of the wrapper, wet the edges and press the edges closed. There are many ways to wrap a potsticker but this is the easiest and quickest.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a flat bottom shallow pan with a lid. Line your potstickers up in the pan and fry gently on a medium heat until they take a little colour. Turn the heat to high, add boiling water to the pan to the depth of approximately ? inch and cover immediately. The steam from the water will cook the fillings. Remove lid once all the water has been absorbed, reduce heat slightly and fry till all moisture has evaporated and the bottoms are golden and crispy.

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Ingredients:

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 medium-sized potatoes, approx 500g

60g wind-dried bacon, steamed and sliced into thin strips (available at Poon’s or Asian supermarkets)

4 dried chillies deseeded

? tsp Sichuan peppercorns

2 fresh chillies, deseeded and sliced into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tsp black rice vinegar

Salt to taste

? tbsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions:

1. Peel the potatos, cut into thin slices, lay flat and cut into thin strips. You can use a food processor or a julienne peeler to achieve similar results but do not use a grater – we’re not making r?sti!

2. Rinse the potato strips under running water to remove excess starch. Drain well.

3. Heat your wok over a high heat. Pour in the oil, then add dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Fry briefly till fragrant, taking care not to burn the spices.

4. Add fresh chilli, garlic, wind-dried bacon and potato strips into the wok. Stir fry, tossing constantly until the potato is cooked – approximately 5 mins. They should retain some crunch.

5. Add black rice vinegar and salt. Give everything a quick stir, finally add sesame oil then plate immediately.

Recipes by Amy Poon, founder of Poon’s London