Chinese New Year, the year of the rabbit, kicks off next Thursday, and you can stock up on supplies for an oriental feast at Superquinn, where expanded ethnic food areas have been launched, with an emphasis on cooking from scratch rather than emptying jars.

There are 160 additional products in the new range, including specialist products from Thailand, India and Japan as well as China that look more like the ones you'd find in Asian supermarkets (label translations provided). Flavours of the World recipe cards can be picked up in participating branches and online at superquinn.ie. The Szechuan Kung Po chicken recipe is a winner. The list of ingredients isn't too long, and it can be thrown together in minutes, perfect for a midweek supper. (There is a half hour marinading step that can be curtailed if necessary.) Just one suggestion: a cup of hot stock added to the final dish and brought to an energetic simmer before serving made it a little more moist and reduced the chilli kick a bit. MARIE-CLAIRE DIGBY