BRAINSTORM: Menu For My Next Chinese New Year Dinner Party

I’m hosting a dinner party in a few weeks and currently trying to decide what to serve. Based on how this event went three years ago, I will need copious amounts of food, most of which to be prepared ahead of time, and a main course that can assembled individually to taste.

I think I will start with dumplings and rolls and then lay out a spread based around noodles, so each person can assemble a bowl of noodles and sauce or make a bowl of noodle soup, pho-style, with a huge assortment of fixin's from which to choose. Dessert needs to be simple because I want to be completely out of the kitchen before the apps have been devoured.

Here are my thoughts for the menu so far. Any suggestions?

First Course: Dim Sum Starters
Shrimp and pork dumplings
Crab Mangoon
Veggie spring rolls
Vietnamese spring rolls
Steamed buns filled with something (BBQ duck maybe?)


Second Course: Noodle/Soup Bar
Noodles- glass noodles (mung or sweet potato), rice noodles, egg noodles
Broth- beef, chicken, fish, pork, veggie
Veggies- snap peas, cucumber, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, green beans,
Seasoning- Sriracha, soy, hoisin, chili paste, vinegar, mirin, sesame oil
Sauces- peanut sauce
Toppings- sesame seeds, scallion,
Meat- chicken, pork, beef, crab, fish shrimp, duck, tofu

Dessert
Oranges and pomegranates
Cannoli made with wontons filled with fruit, nuts, something creamy
Steamed buns filled with something (lotus nut paste maybe?)

Cocktails
I’ll be picking a few drink recipes to go with the menu, but like the “Flaming Mao” and “Cultural Rev-O- Licious” of ’05, I would like to throw together something unique and give it a fun, topical title.

I’ve been playing with recipes for the MAOjito, MAOgarita, CosMAOpolitan, TiananMINT [ ] Julep, Beijing (variation on the Manhattan) and the Acupuncture Needle. I'm thinking of dropping a shot of plum wine into a beer and calling it a Belgrade Embassy Bomb.