Our Favourite Chinese-Inspired Recipes To Make This Lunar New Year! (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular food for Chinese New Year? ›

Dumplings

These savory treats, which can be pan-fried or boiled, are a popular Lunar New year food representing financial fortune for the year ahead. Dumplings can be made to suit any taste and are often filled with pork, chicken, shrimp or vegetables. This classic lucky Chinese New Year food is a hit on any table.

Traditional Lunar New Year foods include longevity noodles, a whole steamed fish for abundance, sticky rice balls for togetherness, and more. Below you'll find some of those lucky foods, along with other traditional dishes like dumplings and rice cakes.

Ingredients like citrus, such as oranges (which symbolize good fortune), roasting whole chickens or fish (which symbolize wholeness and abundance), serving long noodles like Dan Dan noodles (which symbolize longevity), and spring rolls (which symbolize wealth) are all classic good luck foods to serve.

On the first day of the lunar year:

No washing clothes or hair or bathing. The first and second day of the lunar year is the birthday of the “Water God”, so you are not supposed to use water to show respect for the Water God. No sweeping the floor or taking out rubbish. If you do so, you are carrying your fortune out.

Many folks choose not to eat meat on New Year's Day as it is considered taboo to kill animals on the first day of the year. Congee should also be avoided as it was deemed as a common meal for those less fortunate in ancient times. Lastly, avoid taking any medicine on New Year's Day as it is also thought to be bad luck.

In Chinese tradition, white is an unlucky color because it symbolizes death, so all white foods are out for the celebration. Tofu, eggs, rice, cauliflower, white cheeses—say goodbye to them for the night. Instead, fill your New Year's table with other colorful foods.

A whole chicken

One of the most common offerings to grace the New Year table is a chicken—the Chinese word for chicken, ji, is a hom*onym for good luck. There is no one traditional way to prepare the Lunar New Year bird; it can be steamed, poached, braised, roasted, or smoked.

Tofu, eggs, some kinds of cheese, you name it. In many Chinese communities, white is often associated with mourning, the opposite of what we want for the start of the a new year. While red envelopes and decorations are all about good fortune and prosperity, eating white foods are seen as inviting death into the home.

What do you drink on Lunar New Year? ›

Families have their own unique alcoholic beverage that they drink every year during the festival. The most common alcohol is Chinese white wine, or baijiu. Although similar to other East Asian drinks, baijiu is much stronger and more similar to vodka and is drank using shot glasses.

Mandarin oranges have always been considered as a traditional symbol of good fortune. This is mainly because the word orange, when spoken in mandarin, sounds similar to the word “wealth”.

They bring gifts and food to prepare the dinner. One of the most common traditions is to eat a whole fish as part of the dinner. This is because the pronunciation of the Chinese word for fish also means 'being abundant', so it symbolises wellbeing and prosperity.

Tip: Always offer two mandarin oranges with both hands. This is the most basic form of respect in Chinese culture. Your recipient may politely refuse at first, but don't give up — keep trying and they'll eventually give in and exchange a pair with you!

The most important meal of the year in China is the Spring Festival Dinner, held on Lunar New Year's Eve, and dishes associated with good luck, such as dumplings, rice cakes, fish, dates, and Mandarin oranges, are served.

Foods like pork, greens, citrus and pomegranate are seasonal during the new year in the northern hemisphere, influencing the bounty of the holiday table. These traditional New Year's Eve and New Year's Day foods are believed to bring health, wealth and happiness in the coming year.

The tradition of having Chinese food for New Year's in America is believed to have originated in the early 20th century. The story goes that Jewish immigrants in New York City began the practice because Chinese restaurants were among the few establishments that remained open on Christmas and New Year's Day.