Celebrate Chinese New Year with Ling Ling and Sweet Sriracha Shrimp Potsticker Stir-Fry Recipe!

This post was sponsored by Ling Ling, all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Ling Ling

Chinese New Year is a BIG deal – preparations are started several days before the actual event, and there is excitement in the air! I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and I remember when I was a little girl, my parents took me to the city to see the Chinese New Year parade. I was fascinated as I heard the drum beats and saw the long, colorful dragon swaying back and fourth down the street. The parade was really something! Living in the Bay Area, I was also lucky to have some of the best Chinese food around. I was SO delighted to discover that there actually are some frozen Chinese foods that taste like the real thing, and for that I thank Ling Ling!

I went shopping to pick up the Ling Ling Potstickers (because they looked amazing!), and luckily my store had them. They also had other Ling Ling products, such as fried rice and noodles – these looked pretty amazing as well. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with too much goodness, so I decided to try the potstickers first. The Drunken Noodles look so good, and they are something I definitely have to try – they have a yummy sauce, proteins and tasty vegetables. Ling Ling also offers Yakisoba Noodles, which I adore!

Preparation couldn’t have been any easier – I simply microwaved the potstickers, following the instructions on the the bag and oh my…I didn’t know what I was in for! Why did I tell my family about these Ling Ling Potstickers? I probably could have polished off about half of the box by myself. The directions recommend pan frying, and normally I would, but since I would be stir-frying these I decided to microwave them.

These are honestly some of the best potstickers I have ever had (this even includes the ones I have had in restaurants!) – they were tender and FULL of flavor. Ling Ling Potstickers are available in two varieties: Chicken & Vegetable or Pork & Vegetables. We chose the pork & vegetable Potstickers for our stir-fry. They were very good on their own, but I decided to mix things up and make a tasty dish in honor of Chinese New Year. I made Sweet Sriracha Shrimp & Potsticker Stir-Fry, and oh my, was it good!

Stir-Fry ingredients (stir-fry):
1 box Ling Ling Potstickers
2 Zucchini (cut in cubes)
3/4 lb large shrimp
Green Onions
Sesame Seeds
Peanut Oil
Sugar to Taste

Sauce ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh or powdered ginger
1 1/2 tsp. garlic (crushed)
1 TBSP Sriracha

Directions for sauce:
Mix water, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, Sriracha and ketchup in a mixing bowl, and pour over stir-fry ingredients. Bring to a quick boil (medium/high heat), then reduce heat and simmer in saucepan for 5 minutes or so. Add cornstarch to the mixture (if needed) and blend.

Directions for Stir-Fry
Start by cleaning the shrimp (make sure you pat them dry) and add them in a wok with peanut oil. Cook until they are pink/orange, then add the zucchini and microwaved potstickers (cut in half). When the shrimp and zucchini are done, and the potstickers are a little bit crispy, pour the sauce over the mixture. Make sure all pieces are completely covered with sauce.

Oh my…it was delicious! My family and I settled down at the table, in honor of Chinese New Year, and thoroughly enjoyed our new favorite Chinese dish. Gung Hei Fat Choy!

Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds (if desired). Serve warm. Enjoy!

Here is a the stir-fry before the sauce was added – look how golden brown and crispy the potstickers are!

and here is the finished dish, after the yummy sauce has been added:

Chinese New Year traditions

I love learning about the cultures of other countries, so I thought I would share a few Chinese New Year traditions with you!

~ Houses are cleaned top to bottom, (VERY thoroughly) a couple of weeks before the Chinese New Year. This gets rid of the bad luck and allows for a fresh start. You can’t sweep though, for the first several days after the start, as doing so would be sweeping away good luck.

~There are plenty of other traditions, such as setting out Red and Gold decor. Red and Gold symbolize luck, hence while these colors are used so much in homes, restaurants and just as general decor.

~I thought this was really interesting: Food is cooked ahead of time, as knives aren’t to be used. The reason for this is that you’d be cutting off the good luck for the new year.

~Washing hair isn’t allowed, as you would be washing away good luck!

~Greeting friends with oranges or tangerines during the New Year to ensure that your friendships remain intact.

The above are just a small sampling of all Chinese New Year traditions. It is really fascinating to read about them!

I hope you get a chance to try the Sweet Sriracha Shrimp & Potsticker Stir-Fry that I created – I think you’ll like it!

You can purchase Ling Ling products at your local grocery store (you can use this handy store locator to find out what stores carry them in your area). I found mine at Safeway. In addition to the Potstickers, Ling Ling also has several types of Fried Rice. I cannot wait to try them all! The flavors for the Fried Rice include Yakitori Chicken, Yakiniku Beef, Chinese-Style Vegetable, Thai-Style Chicken and Bibimbap Beef. I think the Yakitori Chicken will most likely be my favorite.

Make sure you follow Ling Ling on their social channels to keep up to date with their latest product offerings, promotions and more!