The temptation to jump on the Chinese New Year culinary bandwagon proved too great… And so my first foray in to Chinese cooking took place at the weekend; with a banquet of Crispy Duck (and accompanying sides); chicken and sweetcorn soup; sesame prawn toast; chicken satay; and prawn and pea gyoza. I appreciate not all of those items have Chinese origins, but it did make for a mighty fine supper!!

Once again, the pressure cooker came in to it’s own – producing perfectly shreddable duck, with a flavour far beyond it’s mere 15 minute cooking time.

The gyoza proved a learning curve, as my over-enthusiasm translated in to over-stuffed and impossible to seal parcels; take two was far more effective.

The over-arching success was the sesame prawn toast – crisp and prawn heavy, with the heady taste of sesame; a new favourite!

Chinese New Year