Getting ready for the Lunar New Year? Here are a few activities and recipes for the whole family or with friends! These dishes are lucky to eat and simple to make during Lunar New Year celebrations!
What is a celebration without sweets and cakes?!
Chinese love sweets and Chinese New Year is filled with candies and sweets! The most popular sweet is “Nian Gao” or “New Year Cake”, which is a sticky gelatinous brown sugar cake. Another common cake among Cantonese people is “Water Chestnut Cake”. Prepare these cakes a few days before the New Year. You can refrigerate them and then pan fry them when you are ready to celebrate and eat! Below are recipes on how to make a couple of these cakes:
Glutinous Rice Cake (aka nian gao)
Cooks in 200 minutesDifficulty: EasyGlutinous rice cake (aka nian gao or neen go) is a common Chinese Lunar New Year dessert or snack.
Water Chestnut Cake (aka Ma Tai Gou)
Cooks in 60 minutesDifficulty: EasyWater chestnut cake is a gelatinous sweet and crunchy cake frequently made during Chinese New Year among Cantonese people.
Make Some Dumplings
Dumplings are a fun activity for any age! Just buy some store bought dumpling wrappers and make the dumpling filling! Once you’ve made the dumplings, you can boil them in water or panfry them. Check out one of my most popular posts below: “how to perfectly pan fry dumplings”. Dumplings look like old Chinese gold nuggets, so they are thought to be lucky. If you make them and serve them, you will be wishing wealth and prosperity for all!
Pork Filling for Homemade Dumplings
Difficulty: EasyThis pork and cabbage filling is great for dumplings and buns.
How to Perfectly Pan Fry Frozen Dumplings
Cooks in 70 minutesDifficulty: EasyPan frying frozen dumplings is easy and only requires a little oil and water with a non-stick pan and lid.
Make a Noodle Dish
Noodles are a great dish to include with your Lunar New Year dinner! Long noodles represent wishing a person to have a long life!
Pork Chow Mein
Cooks in 40 minutesDifficulty: EasyYou can substitute other types of noodles with this recipe, but I prefer the thin egg noodles because of how light and healthy it makes this dish.
Make a Fish Dish
Another lucky thing to eat during Chinese New Year is fish. Fish can be prepared in many different ways, but the most popular and simple way is to steam fish with soy sauce. Fish is pronounced “yu” and the same sound also means “surplus”. A popular wish Chinese people say to each other in the New Year is “Nian Nian You Yu” in Mandarin (or “Neen Neen Yao Yu” in Cantonese). This translates to “year year have surplus” or in other words, you are wishing someone that they always will have “extra” every year. When eating the fish, never flip a fish because this symbolizes the capsizing of a fishing boat! Some Chinese families will even choose to eat one side of the fish New Year’s Eve and then leave the other half for the next day so that it symbolizes that they will have fish or “surplus” every year. Below is a recipe on how to cook Chinese Steamed Fish.
Chinese Steamed Fish
Cooks in 25 minutesDifficulty: EasyGinger and scallion steamed fish fillets are a healthy, delicious Chinese way to cook fish.
