Festive Lunar New Year platter with shrimp, BBQ pork, potstickers, veggies, and colorful sauces arranged as a dragon.
# What You'll Need:
→ Proteins
01 - 16 cooked shrimp, peeled with tails on
02 - 7 ounces sliced Chinese BBQ pork (char siu)
03 - 8 cooked chicken potstickers (store-bought or homemade)
→ Vegetables & Fruits
04 - 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
06 - 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
07 - 1 cup blanched sugar snap peas
08 - 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
09 - 1 medium carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
10 - 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
11 - 1 small bunch green onions, sliced diagonally
→ Rice & Noodles
12 - 1 cup cooked sushi rice, cooled
13 - 8 pieces seaweed-wrapped rice balls (onigiri or sushi-style)
→ Sauces & Dips
14 - 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
15 - 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
16 - 1/2 cup soy sauce
17 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
→ Garnishes
18 - 1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
19 - 1 small mandarin orange
20 - Black sesame seeds for eyes and details
# Directions:
01 - Arrange all ingredients mise en place before assembly.
02 - On a large serving board, lay out cucumber slices forming a winding dragon shape.
03 - Layer shrimp, BBQ pork slices, cooked potstickers, and rice balls along the cucumber to mimic dragon scales.
04 - Decorate the dragon body with bell pepper strips, snap peas, purple cabbage, carrot sticks, and green onions to create fins, spines, and tail.
05 - Place a rice ball at one end for the head; embellish with black sesame seeds for eyes, red chili strips for whiskers or fire, and arrange cilantro for a feathery mane.
06 - Set the mandarin orange near the dragon’s mouth representing the pearl.
07 - Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the entire arrangement for texture.
08 - Provide bowls of sweet chili sauce, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce for dipping alongside the platter.
09 - Add extra cilantro and green onions as desired before serving immediately.
