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"Who eats Chinese food for Christmas? Many Jews, of course, for whom it\u2019s not December 25 without, say, spring rolls and kung pao chicken. But there\u2019s no reason that jokey tradition can\u2019t be a seriously festive one for everyone, because Chinese cuisine\u2013with its communal focus\u2013is a natural for gathering together people of all backgrounds. Which is precisely what happens in the home of &lt;strong&gt;Danielle Chang&lt;/strong&gt;, founder of the &lt;a href=\"http://www.luckyrice.com/\" target=\"blank\"&gt;LUCKYRICE&lt;/a&gt; Asian food festival.\r\n\r\nChang, a former art-history professor and CEO of\u00A0&lt;a href=\"http://viviennetam.com/\" target=\"blank\"&gt;Vivienne Tam&lt;/a&gt;, has a nonstop work schedule and two young daughters to care for, but she unwinds each week by cooking Sunday dinner for her family and friends. After dim sum brunch at one of Chinatown\u2019s dumpling palaces, Chang hits the neighborhood\u2019s markets to see what\u2019s fresh.\u201DI love the luxury of spending an entire day thinking about the menu, shopping for ingredients, prepping, and cooking,\u201D she says.\r\n\r\n&lt;em&gt;BA&lt;/em&gt; followed Chang on one such excursion to sprawling New York Mart &lt;i&gt;(128 Mott Street; 212-680-0178)&lt;/i&gt;, then caught up with her in the evening for a Chinese hot-pot feast. Recipes included, of course.\r\n\r\nMerry\u2026whatever the occasion.&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;strong&gt;&lt;big&gt;THE RECIPES&lt;/big&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;\r\n\r\nEven though my family is from Shanghai, I was born and raised in Taipei, so I decided to do a Taiwanese-inflected Chinese meal. For this holiday gathering, I opted for a DIY hot pot as the central dish\u2026but served a couple of finger foods to complement the festive cocktails. We used to have a hot pot smorgasbord every Thanksgiving and Christmas\u2013along with Chinese American \u201Choliday\u201D classics like a dried turkey stuffed with \u201Cnuo mi fan\u201D (sticky rice stuffing, a variation of which I am now serving as an hors d\u2019oeuvres). The beauty of a hot pot is that each guest can basically customize their own dish\u2013more meat, no meat, more spice, no spice, etc.\u2013and eat as little or much as they want. In the winter, I probably make hot pot once a week. &lt;i&gt;\u2013Danielle Chang&lt;/i&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Sticky Rice Balls (Nuo Mi Fan)&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;Serves 8 as hors d\u2019oeuvres.&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\nI sculpted mini rice balls that guests can pick up and eat with their fingers. Growing up, we would often find sticky rice stuffed inside Thanksgiving turkeys or roasted ducks. It then gets softened by the bird\u2019s juices and tastes even better!&lt;i&gt;\r\n&lt;/i&gt;\r\n2 cups sticky (glutinous) rice\r\n6 large dried black mushrooms\r\n4 links Chinese (\u201Clap cheong\u201D) sausages\r\n2 tablespoons vegetable oil\r\n5 tablespoons fried shallots\r\n1 tablespoon rice wine\r\n4 tablespoons soy sauce\r\n1 teaspoon sugar\r\n2 tablespoons sesame oil\r\nCilantro to garnish\r\n\r\nRinse the rice and soak in cold water for at least 2 hours or overnight. Prepare the rice in a rice cooker with 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoon sesame oil. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened. Slice into thin strips. Slice sausage into a quarter-inch dice. Mince shallots. Heat a wok with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry up the shallots, mushrooms and sausages until fragrant (about 2 to 3 minutes).\r\n\r\nCombine last 4 ingredients in a bowl and add to the sausage/mushroom mixture. Once the rice is done, stir in the rice to coat. Let cool to room temperature.\r\n\r\nMold the mixture into one-inch balls. (This should be simple to do, but if the rice is still sticky, wet hands with cold water in between molding each rice ball.) Cover with saran wrap until ready to serve. If the rice becomes hard, microwave the rice balls for 30 seconds until softened.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Chinese-style Larb Salad Cups&lt;/big&gt;\r\n\r\nLarb is traditionally known as a Thai salad, but it is also a popular dish in southwestern parts of China. It always tastes even better the next day after the flavors have blended, so make more for leftovers!\r\n\r\nFor the cups:\r\n4 large cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1 inch slices\r\n\r\nHollow out the insides of the cucumber to make a \u201Ccup\u201D with a spoon or small melon scooper\r\n\r\nFor the larb:\r\n1 1/2 pounds of ground chicken (ground turkey will also work fine)\r\n1 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)\r\n1 cup chopped cilantro and other herbs (Thai basil, mint)\r\n6 shallots, chopped\r\n2 tablespoons vegetable oil\r\n2 small red peppers\r\n6 tablespoons chile paste\r\n1/2 cup lime juice\r\n1/4 cup fish sauce\r\n1 tablespoon sugar\r\n1/2 cup chopped lemongrass stalks\r\n1 cup chicken (or turkey) broth\r\n\r\nHeat oil in wok. Add shallots and lemongrass and cook until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add minced chicken until cooked through (about 5 minutes). Add broth and simmer until the mixture boils and reduces.\r\n\r\nMix the chili paste, lime juice and fish sauce in a small bowl. Pour into the meat mixture and simmer until reduced.\r\n\r\nAdd the remaining ingredients to the mixture and season to taste.\r\n\r\nLet the mixture cool and then spoon onto cucumber cups just before serving.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Hot Pot&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;Serves 10 to 12 family-style.&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\nThis is really a DIY dish that eaters can customize and make their own. There are tons of variations on this one-pot meal, and the beauty is that almost any combination of meats and vegetables (as well as sauces) work well. With this hot pot, I served a Taiwanese &lt;em&gt;shacha&lt;/em&gt;-based sauce made with a raw egg, but the hot pot will work well with different varieties of sauces, including a simple mixture of sesame oil and soy sauce or Japanese yuzu and soy. The same holds true with the broth. I primed my broth with blue crabs, ginger, and scallions, but chicken broth or a vegetarian miso and scallion version will work well, too.\r\n\r\nFor the table (arrange all of the below in bowls for sharing):\r\n3 pounds thinly sliced meat (available at most Asian markets)\r\n1 pound razor clams\r\n1 pound little neck clams\r\n1 pound fish cakes (I prefer white pollock balls)\r\n1 pound mixed mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, and beech mushrooms work well)\r\n1 pound mixed greens (I use whatever is seasonal, in this instance baby Shanghainese bok choy and amaranth greens)\r\n1 pound head-on shrimp\r\n1 package mung bean vermicelli noodles (soak in cold water for 30 minutes to soften, then drain before serving)\r\n\r\nFor the broth:\r\nSix blue crabs (optional)\r\n1 bunch scallions, rough-cut\r\n1 knob ginger, rough-cut\r\n3 quarts water, or enough to fill your pot to about 1 inch from the rim\r\n\r\nFor the sauces:\r\n1/2 cup Bulls Eye &lt;i&gt;shacha&lt;/i&gt;\u00A0sauce\r\n1 raw egg per person\r\n1/2 cup cilantro (minced)\r\n1/2 cup green scallions (minced)\r\n1/2 cup sesame oil\r\n1/2 Lee Kum Kee soy sauce\r\n1/2 cup chili paste (I used Lao Ganma brand)\r\n\r\nArrange all the ingredients in small bowls or platters. Have guests assemble their own sauces based on taste preferences, but a good rule of thumb with the above sauces is to add one tablespoon of each to a beaten raw egg in a rice bowl.\r\n\r\nHeat a pot of boiling water on a hot plate or tabletop gas burner. When the water boils, add the blue crabs, ginger, and scallion bunch to the water. When the water boils again, the hot pot is ready to go!\r\n\r\nDip each of the ingredients into the hot pot as you eat. Meat should be swirled in the hot water until it is just cooked, about 3 to 5 seconds. Dip each cooked item into the sauce before eating.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the meal, add the soaked vermicelli noodles into the broth until just cooked (about 5 minutes). Dish the vermicelli noodles and broth and season with leftover hot pot dipping sauce to taste.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Thai-Chinese Brussels Sprouts (Phat Khanaeng Farang)&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;by Andy Ricker&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n1 pint Brussels Sprouts, blanched, cold (do not blanch again)\r\n1 ounce garlic/shallot oil\r\n2 tablespoons garlic, chopped\r\n1 tablespoon chopped Thai chiles\r\n1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce (Tiparos or Squid brands are good and common)\r\n1 teaspoon soy sauce\r\n2 tablespoons oyster sauce\r\n1 teaspoon white sugar\r\n3 ounces pork stock\r\nPinch of white pepper, finely ground\r\n\r\nHeat oil in wok, turn off, and add garlic and fry briefly to brown. Turn heat back on, add sprouts and chilies, then fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and pepper, stir fry a minute, add pork stock, cook at high heat until liquid reduces slightly. Serve on medium oval dish. Sprouts should be tender; sauce should be flavorful and glossy.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;THE COCKTAILS&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;by Andrew Mirabito&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Pomegranate Sapphire 75&lt;/big&gt;\r\n\r\n1 1/2 oz. Bombay Sapphire East\r\n1/2 oz. lemon juice\r\n1/4 oz. sugar syrup\r\nTop with Champagne\r\nSplash of pomegranate juice\r\nGarnish with pomegranate seeds\r\n\r\nServe in a champagne flute.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Spicy East Pear&lt;/big&gt;\r\n\r\n1 1/2 oz. Bombay Sapphire East\r\n1/2 oz. lemon juice\r\n1 oz. pear juice\r\n1/2 oz. Fall Spice syrup (made with ginger, cinnamon, Earl Grey tea, star anise)\r\nSplash of ginger beer\r\nGarnish with lemon peel soaked in smoky whiskey\r\n\r\nServe in a Collins or rocks glass.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;THE DESSERTS&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;by Pichet Ong. His desserts are available for purchase at &lt;a href=\"http://www.sugarandplumm.com/\" target=\"blank\"&gt;Sugar and Plumm&lt;/a&gt; in New York City.&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Snickerdoodles&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;Makes a baker\u2019s dozen&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n3/4 cup butter\r\n1/4 cup shortening\r\nZest of 1 lemon\r\n1 3/4 cups sugar\r\n1/2 teaspoon salt\r\n2 eggs\r\n2 teaspoon vanilla extract\r\n2 3/4 cups AP flour\r\n2 teaspoons cream of tartar\r\n1 teaspoon baking soda\r\n1/2 teaspoon baking powder\r\n1/4 teaspoon salt\r\n2 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon\r\n1 tablespoon Maldon salt\r\n\r\nIn a mixing bowl, put together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and salt. \u00A0Zest lemon directly on top, tapping the microplane so all the essentials oils get in the bowl. \u00A0Mix at medium speed for 4 minutes until incorporated.\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, put together vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, leaveners, and 2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.Wrap and refrigerate dough for about 2 hours to rest.\r\n\r\nPreheat oven to 380 degrees.Scoop dough into 2-inch balls, about 73 grams each, pressing down gently to shape.Sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon sugar and a pinch of Maldon salt on top.\r\n\r\nBake in oven for 10 minutes, until cookies puff up.Remove from oven, let cool completely before serving.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Stollens My Way&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;Makes about 2 dozen&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n2 cups walnut pieces, toasted\r\n1 cup butter, soft at room temperature\r\n1/2 teaspoon orange zest\r\n1/2 teaspoon lemon zest\r\n1/3 cup sugar\r\n1 teaspoon salt\r\n1 tablespoon vanilla extract\r\n2 tablespoons cream\r\n2 1/4 cups AP flour\r\n1/3 cup cherries, rough chopped\r\nConfectioner\u2019s sugar for rolling\r\n\r\nIn bowl of mixer, crush together walnuts so they are coarse.Remove bowl of mixer, add butter, zests, vanilla, cream, sugar, and salt.\r\n\r\nReturn to mixer and paddle for just about 3-4 minutes until incorporated.Add flour and paddle until no trace of flour is visible.Mix in cherries just until mixed\u2013do not overmix or the color will bleed.Wrap and refrigerate dough to rest for at least 4 hours.\r\n\r\nScoop dough out into individual pieces and clump with your hands like nugget shaped like a Jerusalem artichoke, about 2 tablespoons or 44 grams each.\r\n\r\nBake in preheated 325-degree oven until very lightly golden brown, about 9-11 minutes.\r\n\r\nRemove from oven and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.Roll cookies generously in confectioner\u2019s sugar until cookies are covered.\r\n\r\nLet cool completely and serve. Cookies may be kept covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.\r\n\r\n&lt;big&gt;Chocolate Mint Cookies&lt;/big&gt;\r\n&lt;em&gt;Makes about 3 dozen.&lt;/em&gt;\r\n\r\n1 1/3 cups oil\r\n1/2\u00A0teaspoon\u00A0orange zest\r\n7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted\r\n2 1/3 cups granulated sugar\r\n1 tablespoon vanilla extract\r\n1\u00A0tablespoon\u00A0mint extract\r\n6 eggs\r\n1\u00A0tablespoon\u00A0baking powder\r\n2 2/3 cups all purpose flour\r\n1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder\r\n1 1/2 teaspoons salt\r\n\r\nZest orange directly into mixing bowl.Add oil, chocolate, sugar, and salt, and whisk until fully incorporated.Add in eggs and extracts.Gradually add in dry, mix until just incorporated.\u00A0Refrigerate dough for 4 hours.\r\n\r\nPreheat oven to 350 degrees.Form dough into balls, about 42 grams each, or about 3 tablespoons, and roll them completely in confectioner\u2019s sugar.\r\n\r\nTransfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment with weight placed around all edges so cookies don\u2019t fly up when baking.Bake until surface cracks, edges crisp, but still slightly molten in the middle, about 10-12 minutes.\r\n\r\nLet cool completely on sheet pan before transferring them. Eat at room temperature. Do not refrigerate after baking. Keeps for a day.\r\n\r\n&lt;small&gt;Note: These recipes have not been tested by the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen.&lt;/small&gt; \u201CThis is definitely really fresh. You can see them moving,\u201D Chang says. For quick soups, Chang likes to keep razor clams on hand: \u201CThey can keep for a month in the freezer.\u201D \u201CYou never see this outside of Chinatown,\u201D remarks Chang, holding up a bag of mangosteen. \u201CIt\u2019s really traditional to have fruit at the end of the meal.\u201D And also for hostess gifts: \u201CFor the holidays, it\u2019s pretty normal to show up with a bunch of fruit.\u201D \u201CUsually, you would never buy scallions,\u201D says Chang, \u201Cbecause if you buy fish [at a fishmonger], you would ask for free scallions and ginger.\u201D \u201CI love shopping in Chinatown because you get so much more than broccoli,\u201D says Chang. \u201CThere\u2019s water spinach, which has hollow stems, so it really retains the sauce\u2013but you have to wash it really well.\u201D Also \u201Camaranth, which, when you cook it, gives off this beautiful red color.\u201D Chang likes to \u201Cjust see what\u2019s fresh. When I come to Chinatown, I never have a list.\u201D \u201CWe definitely need ginger. I\u2019m going to put huge knobs in the broth along with scallions, and then let the seafood and veggies do the rest.\u201D \u201CI\u2019m going to slice this and drop it into the hot pot,\u201D Chang says of this lotus root. \u201CPeople put it in soups; it\u2019s great in chicken broth. I\u2019m looking for a nicely shaped round one.\u201D \u201CThis is the sausage for the sticky rice,\u201D Chang says. \u201CIt\u2019s a lot more dried out than Italian sausages\u2013it\u2019s made of duck. It has a lot of flavor and tastes good steamed.\u201D For an easy side dish, Chang recommends cooking the sausage in the rice cooker, with rice. \u201CThen eat it with sesame oil and soy sauce.\u201D Fishballs are \u201Ca little bit of an ominous ingredient because you don\u2019t know where the fish is coming from. There\u2019s a lot of filler in here. But they add so much flavor to soups,\u201D Chang says. \u201CFor &lt;em&gt;shabu shabu&lt;/em&gt;, the meat needs to be paper thin. It\u2019s always sold frozen, because otherwise you can\u2019t get it as thinly sliced,\u201D explains Chang. \u201CYou look for meat that\u2019s kind of marbled; you want the fat, you want that mouthfeel.\u201D \u201CThey have an assortment of roasted meats,\u201D Chang says. \u201CCrispy duck, soy-sauce chicken, barbecued pork.\u201D She notes that it\u2019s typical to buy precooked meats and serve them as an appetizer. \u201CIf you can get a whole Peking duck for $17, why make your own?\u201D Chang holds up a package of &lt;em&gt;agar agar&lt;/em&gt;, a seaweed used as gelatin. \u201CYou have to boil it at least an hour,\u201D she explains. \u201CThe Chinese really like a gelatinous mouthfeel. Sometimes you\u2019re eating, and part of the flavor of the dish is its texture. Some of the most prized foods are loved for their texture: sea cucumber, shark fin, or jellyfish. We love crunchy, slimy foods.\u201D \u201CThis is a favorite brand from China. &lt;em&gt;Laoganma&lt;/em&gt;\u2013it means \u2018old godmother,\u2019 It\u2019s very popular in Sichuan. I like the spicy chile crisp. Instead of cooking with it, you can put a teaspoon on whatever rice or noodles you\u2019re having.\u201D \u201CI usually have light soy sauce and dark. Dark has a thicker consistency, so it really caramelizes. It\u2019s almost inky. If you\u2019re going to put soy sauce on fish, you wouldn\u2019t pour the dark\u2013it would ruin the look. You\u2019d want the light.\u201D \u201CFor the hot pot dipping sauce, there are lots of things you can use, but I\u2019m going to use this mysterious ingredient called \u2018barbecue sauce.\u2019 It has fermented fish in it. Then I add soy sauce and raw eggs.\u201D \u201CI definitely get excited in a Chinese grocery,\u201D says Chang. \u201CIt\u2019s the hardest thing not to overbuy and get more than you can carry.\u201D Before dinner, guests mill around in the kitchen of Chang\u2019s Nolita apartment. From left:\u00A0&lt;a href=\"http://pokpokny.com/\" target=\"blank\"&gt;Pok Pok&lt;/a&gt; chef-owner &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=\"http://www.bonappetit.com/search?s=+magazine+thai+cuisine+primer\" target=\"blank\"&gt;Andy Ricker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;, Chang, Bombay Sapphire brand ambassador\r\nAndrew Mirabito, and publicist &lt;strong&gt;Ross Matsubara&lt;/strong&gt;. For an aperitif,\u00A0Mirabito offers this festive Asian spin on the classic French 75 (recipe below). With the help of her sister Madeline, an interior designer, Chang created festive vignettes using fresh fruit. Here: persimmons gathered in Chinatown add a pop of color. Candleholders from &lt;a href=\"http://www.cb2.com/candleholders-candles/accessories/1\" target=\"blank\"&gt;CB2&lt;/a&gt;. Ingredients at the ready. Clockwise from top left: cucumber cups for Chang\u2019s Yunnan-inspired larb; thinly sliced beef; razor clams; assorted fish balls. When they\u2019re in season, Chang likes to add blue crabs to a hot pot because \u201Cthey make the broth so flavorful,\u201D she says. It\u2019s important to \u201Cget them home right away and put them in your sink. You have to prepare everything within a couple of hours.\u201D For a festive touch, Chang and her sister Madeline filled a vase with candy-cane-striped amaryllis purchased at a local flower shop. \u201COranges are a must for a Chinese holiday,\u201D says Chang. \u201CThe word in Chinese is a homophone for prosperity and good luck.\u201D As an appetizer, Chang passed around a platter of sticky rice balls rolled with Chinese sausage and black mushrooms (recipe below). When she was growing up, Chang says, her family would eat a similar mixture as a stuffing for Peking duck. Chang tells us she\u2019s been experimenting with the Thai chopped-meat salad known as &lt;em&gt;larb&lt;/em&gt; lately. \u201CThere is no definitive recipe\u2013I customize it with whatever herbs and spices I have on hand,\u201D she says. Though the dish is more common in Thailand, it\u2019s also found in southwest China\u2019s Yunnan province. Presented here in cucumber cups, it makes an easy appetizer (recipe below). Chang\u2019s Christmas tree is decorated with paper animals (from &lt;a href=\"http://www.katespaperie.com/\" target=\"blank\"&gt;Kate\u2019s Paperie&lt;/a&gt;) representing family members\u2019 Chinese zodiac signs: pigs for Chang and roosters for her daughter Clarissa, 7. Others birds and pine cones also make an appearance \u201Cbecause they\u2019re cute.\u201D In the midst of the hot pot feast, Chang\u2019s daughter Clarissa carried out a platter of chopped roasted duck from New York Mart, garnished with cilantro. Chang encouraged guests to dip the chunks of meat into the broth until the fat melted. Pok Pok chef-owner Andy Ricker prepared a Brussels sprouts dish he calls &lt;em&gt;phat khanaeng farang&lt;/em&gt; (recipe below), which roughly translates to \u201CWestern-style stir-fried Brussels sprouts.\u201D He explains that the dish is Chinese in origin, but \u201Cdone from a Thai cook\u2019s perspective. The presence of fish sauce and chiles is very Thai; the cooking method, oyster sauce, and soy sauce with garlic very Chinese.\u201D Guests were invited to customize their own bowls of dipping sauce from ingredients that included sesame oil, chile, soy and fish sauces, cilantro, scallions, and raw egg. Finally it was time to sit down and dig in. Guests from left: pastry chef Jen Yee, Ricker,\r\nMadeline Chang, pastry chef Pichet Ong, Chang, interior designer Noa Santos. Ong and Yee brought dessert, of course. From top center: cookie platter (chocolate mint, walnut-and-apricot rugelach, spiced gingerbread men, ginger molasses); red and green chocolate candy balls; green apple and pumpkin macaron; double chocolate chunk cookies more macarons; rainbow cookies; snickerdoodles; stollens; \u201CChinese-inspired\u201D chestnut and cranberry-jam buche de Noel with green tea buttercream (recipes below). To pair with the meal itself, Mirabito created the Spicy East Pear, laced with pear and lemon juices, gin, and ginger beer (recipe below)."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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