Bao's in White Plains to Celebrate Chinese New Year Feb. 7-22, 2016

Eight recipes, centuries old, will be used at Bao in White Plains this year to celebrate the Year of the Monkey. “These dishes have special meaning to the Chinese as well as a long association with Chinese New Year,” owner May Tan said.

The holiday officially falls on Monday, Feb. 8 in 2016 but many Chinese will celebrate it for a longer period by eating food believed to bring good fortune. Anyone born in a Year of the Monkey is believed especially susceptible to misfortune.

Barbecue roast pig will be served at Bao on Chinese New Year’s Day only (Feb. 8), beginning at 3 p.m.

Bao’s holiday dishes will be offered from Feb. 7 through Feb. 22 (Feb. 22 marks the end of the 15-day Chinese Spring Lantern Festival). Most of the dishes will then retired for a while and possibly for the rest of the year. The restaurant’s regular menu will also be offered each day during the holiday celebration.

A special Malaysian New Year’s celebration salad will be offered on Feb. 7-8 as an appetizer; it can be shared by up to four people. “Traditionally its ingredients are topped with raw fish but cooked shrimp can be substituted on request,” Tan said. The salad includes mango, fish roe, jicama, carrots, lettuce, bean sprouts, blueberries and more.
The Year of the Monkey reoccurs every 12 years. Some Chinese consider the monkey as having a mischievous nature — hence the hope to ensure good times by eating food believed to bring good fortune.

“For individuals having financial worries and seeking a prosperous year, Fortune Fish is thought to be especially advantageous,” Tan advised. Fortune Fish is one of the eight authentic Chinese dishes.

Eight New Year’s dishes

1. Fortune Fish. Comes with fresh vegetables and seaweed ($22.95)
2. Spicy Fish Filet. A lightly breaded fried fish filet with a special spicy Szechuan sauce ($20.95)
3. Chinese New Year’s Delight. Shrimp and scallops with vegetables served with vegetables in a crispy editable noodle basket and topped with cashew nuts ($20.95)
4. Seafood Rice Cake. With salted egg yolk ($18.95)
5. Spicy Roast Duck with Cellophane Noodle Casserole. Includes vegetables ($24.95)
6. Lamb with Onions and Scallion. Believed to have a powerful influence on happiness ($24.95)
7. Tom Yum Spicy Seafood Casserole. Includes lobster meat, shrimp, scallops and vegetables ($22.95)
8. Mini Meatball, Shrimp, Cellophane Noodle and Vegetable Casserole. This is a preference for eating at family reunions ($20.95)
   

An ultra-potent Chinese rice wine called Er Guo Tau will be available for the hearty. “It will make your hair stand on end,” Tan warned and suggested customers consider drinking it by the shot rather than the glass.

Beverages available

• Tsing Tao (Chinese beer), Heineken, Coors Light, Sapporo and Amstel beer
  
• Chinese rice wine, sake
  
• Coconut mojito martini
  
• French martini made with vodka, Chambord liqueur, and pineapple juice ($10)
  
• Chocolate drink for children called Milo Dinosaur
  

Free strawberry-flavored, chocolate-coated hard candy will be available for taking home.

Tan is a White Plains resident. Before coming to America, she worked and resided in Kuala Lumpur, the capital and most populous city in Malaysia.

The word bao in Chinese stands for “precious.”

Bao is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday, and from noon to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Bao is located in the White Plains Mall at 200 Hamilton Avenue in White Plains, 914-682-8858, and can be entered from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The mall has a parking lot and Bao validates parking fees for dining bills of $35 or more.