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Rooster YearsChinese Calendar
Spring Volume: 2017 Issue: 24(1) pages: 33 to 34
This year honors a common household bird, the
rooster. It was known and respected by royals
from Pre-Qin times to today. In those ancient
times, matchmakers studied the first eight characters of
a man and of a woman’s birth year, their month, day,
and hour if they wanted to marry. These determined
if their marriage had potential. If their dates did not
align, parents would discourage or not allow the couple
to wed. Such was the role and reason they had consulted a
matchmaker before any
decisions were made and
a wedding date set. The
twelve animal signs of the
Chinese zodiac have lucky
and unlucky matches,
lucky and unlucky colors,
lucky and unlucky
numbers etc. selected from
those animals who went
the king first. The rat did
arrive first, and so it began
the circle of the order they
got there.
This Year of the Rooster
begins January 28, 2017 and
ends February 15 in 2018. Because roosters weep at the
sign of the dog, matchmakers know these two animals
do not pair well and those with their signs should not
marry. Most elder Chinese believe this without a doubt,
more younger folk are veering away from these beliefs.
Other animals making poor pairings include those born
in Rooster years mating with those born in rat, rabbit,
and mouse years. The rooster is the only bird in the Chinese zodiac. What
is positive about those born in its years is that they are
said to be punctual, express fidelity, and able to get rid
of the evil spirits of others. Their lucky numbers are
five, seven, and eight, their unlucky ones are one, three,
and nine. Rooster folk are honest, bright, talkative,
capable, ambitious, and independent. The rooster, known to some as a cock, includes other
personality traits such as not needing to fight, are brave,
modest, reticent, and that they like wooden statues.
Roosters do not crow for lack of reasons in heaven and
earth as to why they remain silent. And as do flowers,
they do not ever lose their beauty. It is said that the words of the fortunate are few, the
words of the anxious many, so learning from the
rooster, they know that too much talk leads to loss, and
silence except when absolutely necessary can approach
benevolence. Therefore, roosters do not verbally bully
for fun; they only do so if needed even though they are
dictators of the barnyard. This animal appears after the
monkey and before the dog, and it is best for them when
they keep away from both
of them. Knowing your animal year
and your neighboring
animals, the Chinese
believe are important.
Roosters should not pick
fights in rooster years.
This year is a fire-rooster year
so it is even more
important not to do ignite
a quarrel If you were
born in a rooster year, do
consult a Chinese zodiac
expert to learn that you
and the rooster are steady
of purpose, virtuous, true to your principles, and that
you should waste no time. The rooster only crows if not
confused. Being of clear head is his constant desire, not
being confused is his life-long need, so be sure to do both. Roosters are unyielding to the chaos around them
and they are steady-eddies who only proceed with
good information; be sure to get that before making
any decisions. Roosters make good relationships with
those born in dragon, ox, and pig years. Their positive
colors are black, yellow and brown, so wear them often.
Roosters are high achievers, and they do best when
they trust themselves. If you are a rooster, you are
a thoughtful partner, a brave one, honest, and with a
good business head; use these traits to your advantage. On your birthday, roast a cock with its head on. They
stuff it with citrus, baste it with sugar or maltose, and
share it with best friends. There is no better way to
spend that day every rooster year. Ginseng Rooster |
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Ingredients:
1 four-inch piece dried ginseng, soaked overnight or longer in one cup boiling water
5 dried black mushrooms, soaked an hour in tepid water, stems discarded, each cut in half
1 rooster, innards removed, rinsed and dried with paper towels
1 teaspoon coarse salt
3 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine
3 scallions, each tied in a knot
3 slices fresh ginger, smashed
1 inch minced Chinese ham, minced
Preparation:
1. Put ginseng and its water in a pan and steam for half
an hour.
2. Put half the mushrooms and their water, and half the
salt, wine, one scallion, knot, one slice of the ginger, and
half the hm in the rooster, and the rest of the ingredients
in a heat-proof bowl and steam for one hour.
3. Remove rooster, cut it into eight to ten pieces, put it in
a clean bowl, discard the scallions, and serve.
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Poached Rooster |
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Ingredients:
10 rooster thighs, skinned, boned, and diced in one-inch pieces
½ teaspoon toasted Sichuan peppercorns, smashed and knotted in cheese cloth
3 Tablespoons each, Chinese rice wine, thin soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, and granulated sugar
3 garlic cloves. Peeled and smashed
1 Tablespoon toasted cashew nuts, crushed
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, crushed
Preparation:
1. Bring ten cups water to the boil, add the chicken thigh
meat and simmer for twenty-five minutes.
2. Then add the Sichuan peppercorn packet, rice wine,
soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and the smashed garlic cloves
and simmer twenty minutes longer and then remove
and discard the peppercorn packet.
3. Next, add nuts and seeds and simmer for five more
minutes. Then put this into a pre-heated soup tureen,
and serve.
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Roast Rooster |
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Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, head left on, wing tips and innards removed, head covered for foil for half of the cooking time, breast bone removed and diacarded, rooster flattened and set in a smoker or on a roasting pan rack.
2 whole oranges, quartered
1 whole tangerine, skin removed, innards separated and pierced
1 Tablespoon toasted ground Sichuan peppercorns
½ teaspoon pink or coarse salt
3 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine
3 scallions, each one knotted
8 slices fresh ginger
½ cup tea leaves
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup wheat bean paste
Preparation:
1. Stuff chicken with orange and tangerine pieces and
with two skewers, use one to close the cavity at the
neck, the other between its legs.
2. Mix crushed Sichuan peppercorns and the salt and
rub the skin with this mixture, then pour the rice wine
over this bird.
3. Prepare a smoker or a deep roasting pan with the
scallion knots, ginger, tea leaves, brown sugar, and the
bean paste. If using a smoker, put this mixture where it
will ignite and burn; if cooking in an over, turn oven to
500 degrees F and put just the pan in the oven for half
an hour, then put chicken on a rack above the pan for
half an hour, then turn it over breast up for another half
hour, then remove from the oven and allow to cool for
twenty minutes, then cut the bird into pieces and serve.
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Rooster in Soup |
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Ingredients:
1 rooster, cut in ten pieces
3 scallions, minced
3 slices fresh ginger, each one smashed
1 cup Chinese rice wine
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
½ cup thin soy sauce
3 Tablespoons chicken fat
Preparation:
1. Put all ingredients in a four quart stock pot, and bring
to the boil, and just before it does boil, reduce the heat
to a simmer, cover the pot, and keep simmering for one
hour, then cool in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Discard the skin, bones, and solidified fat. The next
day, cut the chicken into one-inch pieces.
3. Bring the liquid back to a simmer, add the chicken
pieces, and when they are hot, serve the soup and
chicken in a pre-heated soup tureen.
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