4 simple recipes to cook for Chinese New Year

This speedy venison stir-fry can be thrown together in a pinch and makes a fantastic weeknight dinner as well as something special for Chinese New Year. The key is in the marinade – the richness of the venison marries with the punch of oyster sauce, light soy sauce and Shaoxing wine, infusing the entire dish with umami. Remember to always let your wok come to maximum temperature to achieve a proper sear on all your ingredients – if the heat is too low they will release their moisture and begin to boil instead.

The Hakka people live in the Hakka-speaking areas of China, chiefly around Guangdong and southeast China. They’re known for a particularly umami-rich and aromatic style of cooking and this recipe is typical of Hakka cuisine – cubes of pressed tofu are hollowed out and stuffed with minced pork and prawns. It's a little like a tofu-based wonton! Once you’ve prepped the stuffed tofu, it just needs ten minutes in the steamer and it’s ready to eat.

Braised pork belly is something we all gravitate towards when we’re eating Chinese – that rich, gelatinous sauce and the yielding wobble of slow-braised pork are irresistible. This is a remarkably simple recipe that just requires time and a steady temperature – Jeremy Pang uses fermented red tofu to form a robust base for the braising stock, before he sears off large cubes of pork belly, adds aromatics, then a flavourful braising stock. Let it tick over for two or three hours and then cook down the sauce for an extra intensity of flavour.