Five most popular New Year's Eve dishes in the BRICS countries

One of the most magical winter holidays is approaching and people all over the world are looking forward to it. Residents of the BRICS countries are no exception. In Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, a festive atmosphere prevails: people decorate their homes, set off fireworks and prepare the table in a special way. The traditional dishes of the people of the BRICS countries on the festive night are described in this story.

Pomegranate salad (Brazil)

The pomegranate is an indispensable part of the Brazilian New Year table, as the berry is believed to bring wealth.

At midnight, it is customary to chew seven pomegranate seeds without swallowing them. Brazilians are convinced that if you keep these grains in your wallet, good luck will stay with you throughout the year. Brazilians also traditionally make a pomegranate salad for New Year's Eve.

Step-by-step preparation of the pomegranate salad

Cut the pomegranate into two pieces. Break one into grains, squeeze the juice from the other and add the lemon juice and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, lettuce, onion and green onion. Put the croutons on top and sprinkle with chopped mint, parsley and pomegranate. Do not stir. Pour over the sauce.

Olivier (Russia)

Olivier salad was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, a chef of Belgian and French descent in Moscow.

Legend has it that one day when Olivier saw one of the customers mixing up all the parts of the dish, he became enraged. To express his outrage, the chef defiantly combined all the ingredients and generously poured them with mayonnaise. This is how the Olivier salad was born.

The salad is now an indispensable New Year's Eve staple in almost every family, but you don't have to make it the same way year after year. You can serve everyone's favourite salad by changing some of the ingredients. To 'freshen up' an Olivier, you'll need lightly salted salmon and red caviar.

What you will need to make salmon and red caviar olivier:

Cut the fish into small pieces and the potatoes, eggs and cucumbers (pickled and fresh) into small cubes. Finely chop the parsley and add the peas and salt and pepper to taste. Season with mayonnaise, drizzle with lemon juice and stir. Arrange the salad in the tartlets and garnish each with a teaspoonful of red caviar. The salad is ready!

Chingri Malai Curry (India)

This Bengali prawn curry in coconut milk hails from the state of West Bengal. Most people think it gets its name from the coconut milk in its base. However, there is a theory that Malaysia's culture influenced the dish's emergence.

So how do you cook it?

Buy the biggest prawns you can find and get ready to impress.

Dip the cooked 250-300 grams of prawns in half a teaspoon of turmeric and salt and leave in a bowl. Chop 1 onion into bite-sized pieces and grate it. Fry the prawns. Toss the bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and sugar in the golden oil and add the onions. Sauté the onion for 10 minutes, add the grated ginger and cook for another five minutes.

Then add the remaining turmeric and chilli powder and fry for another five minutes. Gradually add 300 ml of coconut milk, mixing well with the spices. Gently lower the prawns into the curry and cook for 4-5 minutes. Serve at once, along with hot steamed basmati rice flavoured with ghee.

Potjiekos (South Africa)

Potjiekos is a traditional South African stew-like dish that involves slowly cooking meat and vegetables in an iron pot over an open fire.

How do you make a tasty dish from simple ingredients?

Put the pan on the fire and heat the oil. Add 2 onions, 1 kg lamb on the bone, 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste, salt and black pepper and roast on all sides. When the meat is brown, add the diced tomatoes and bay leaves. Cover and stew for about 1 hour. Add the potatoes and carrots first and cook for about 30-40 minutes, then the courgettes and green beans. Cover and stew for another 20-30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and serve hot with the rice.

Chinese dumplings (China)

This dish symbolises farewell to the past year and wealth and happiness in the new year. Jiaozi dumplings or 饺子 (jiǎozi) are a traditional Chinese dish on the New Year table. It is particularly popular in the northern part of the country.

In Chinese, dumplings are consonant with the word jiāozǐ, which means a period of time one hour before midnight. Jiaozi symbolises the change from the old year to the new.

The dumplings are shaped like small ancient Chinese gold bars that were used as currency. The most popular fillings for the New Year are Chinese cabbage (a symbol of wealth) and green onions (a symbol of well-being).

Immerse yourself in Chinese culture from the comfort of your own home

Peel and slice the shallots. Add salt, pepper, ginger powder, oyster sauce and soya sauce to the minced meat and stir clockwise in one direction. Add the chopped onion and two tablespoons of vegetable oil. The minced meat is wrapped in the dumpling dough prepared in advance. Boil water in a saucepan, put the dumplings in when the water comes to the boil. When the dumplings float, they are ready to eat.

TV BRICS and China's main print media outlet, Renmin Jibao Online, have created the project "Russian Stars Cook Chinese Food". The aim of the project is to provide simple recipes for traditional Chinese dishes that any housewife can make from food bought from the nearest supermarket. The programme opens up to Russian viewers the world of authentic Chinese cuisine from different regions of the country.

There you will find even more unusual recipes using ordinary products.

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