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PROUDLY SPONSORED BY BITESIZE WORDS Martina Murra
y NEW YEAR, NEW READING LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES EAST BY KWANGHI Chef Kwanghi Chan has always been keen to forge his own culinary pathway, and now he’s inspiring home cooks throughout the city to do so too. His Irish-Chinese product range, East by Kwanghi, recently unveiled its re-branded Spice Bag Seasoning, along with a new Mala Black Garlic Peanut Rayu condiment. The latter is a rich and complex condiment that adds an instant kick and depth to any dish, perfect for enhancing noodles and rice bowls, while also serving as a delicious dip for dumplings. Meanwhile their signature Spice Bag Seasoning, available in both Original and new zesty Korean Spice, is ideal for enhancing the flavour of air-fried favourites like chips and chicken wings. It now comes with an easy-touse shaker tub, helping bring the crispy, salty, spicy flavours of the popular takeaway classic beloved by Dubs straight to the table. The innovative fusion of Asian and Irish flavours, high quality ingredients, and an absence of artificial additives makes both products the perfect pick for creating incredible dishes at home. You’ll find them on the shelves at Tesco. @eastbykwanghi As part of the much anticipated spring celebrations to mark the Lunar New Year, the owners of the city’s Asia Market have curated a series of special experiences which this year place Chinese customs, culture, and cuisine centre-stage. Speaking ahead of the 2025 festivities, Asia Market’s TV chef, and commercial director, Eva Pau says, “We are embracing the spirit of tradition, drawing inspiration from my family’s deep-rooted Chinese heritage. We believe that celebrating our cultural roots is not just about honouring our past, but also sharing the joy and excitement of these traditions with the wider community.” In keeping with that ambition, the last Saturday of January features a dynamic Dumpling Making Masterclass at Asia Market in Drury Street, co-hosted by Eva and the charismatic Dublin based Chinese chef Jianan Liu, of Janet’s at the weekly Eatyard street food market in Phibsboro. The interactive class features lots of tasting opportunities, while all the ingredients and equipment needed to make the dumplings will be provided, with vegan options also included. Other events to look forward to include a Chinese Whispers Afternoon Tea experience at Bewley’s on Grafton Street on the first two Sundays in February, and a lavish Lunar New Year Banquet featuring eleven dishes as part of a homestyle sharing feast at Good World Restaurant on Thursday February 6th. The Lunar New Year runs from January 29th to February 12th 2025. For details of these and other events see asiamarket.ie 2025 sees the arrival of four more little volumes with big voices from Blasta Books, with new titles - Larder, Tango, Jibrin and Messy - all in the mix for the year ahead. First off the presses is Larder, in which Orla McAndrews manages to pack in a hundred quick and easy recipes while helping you stock your pantry, fridge and freezer with the useful staples needed to make good food fast. April sees the launch of Tango, as Buenos Aires natives Facundo Rodulfo and Pam Neumann showcase a fusion of Argentine and Italian street food-style recipes, while late Summer sees the arrival of Jibrin, written by Izz and Eman Alkarajeh of Café Izz in Cork. Get set for a culinary journey through the couple’s Palestinian homeland, taking in tender roast chicken (musakhan), bite-size dumplings (shishbarak), and syrupy, cheesestuffed pastry cakes (nabulsi kunafa) along the way. Last but not least is a new book by Aoife McElwain, late of this parish, who claims to be a messy cook, but has successfully managed to progress from chaos to craic in the kitchen. The publishers tell us that Messy is a must-read for anyone whose inner critic follows them into the kitchen, so we’re looking forward to taking Aoife’s advice on board and banishing that particular demon. As an added bonus, pre-order the four-part 2025 series ahead of the launch of Larder at the end of the month, and get a tenner off. Be quick now! @blastabooks.com WE’RE LOVIN’ … Jarette – a slow cooked wonder of a midwinter dish made using osso bucco aka beef shin. We reckon that this tasty bowl of meaty flavour is just about perfect at this time of year. Dig in at La Gordita on Montague Street. @lagorditadublin 34