Lunar New Year is a busy time for Leland Eating and Drinking House in Prospect Heights, with the restaurant handling about 1,500 covers a night. Chef and partner Delfin Jaranilla and head butcher Gary Little took a special look at this year’s holiday menu, including pork and shrimp shumai, char sui pork, and dan dan noodles, and showed how they strive to incorporate sustainable practices into these dishes.
Jaranilla and Little start by breaking down half a Tamworth pig. Each part is incorporated into different dishes and can even be turned into the stock for a Filipino soup eaten as a staff meal. Char Sui is a dish made by marinating pork shoulder with five spices, salt, and pepper, then marinating it in hoisin, garlic, and spices for a day. The next day, the shoulder is seared until the outside is charred and caramelized, then grilled and served with more sauce.
Since noodles are an important Lunar New Year menu item (and symbolize longevity), Dan Dan Noodles are made from scratch. The meat sauce is made from minced pork from the same Tamworth pig, cooked with Szechuan pepper, chili oil, tamari and cooking wine, before adding aromatics and tahini. Add fresh noodles to the sauce and top with poached eggs and pickled vegetables.
Lastly, shumai mixes seasoned pork and shrimp with a mushroom medley, and finally mixes tapioca starch to hold the filling together. The dumplings are shaped like a coin purse, symbolizing wealth and prosperity in the new year.
Jaranilla is proud of the produce and meats he sources from Leland, joking, “I can guarantee a happy pig tastes better.”
Watch the latest episodes expert Watch Jaranilla create thoughtful Lunar New Year dishes at Leland Eating and Drinking House.
