Chinese New Year is a time for families to come together and enjoy plenty of festive feasts. Traditional dishes like dumplings, spring rolls, sticky rice cakes, and red-dyed food are part of the celebration. Here are some delicious recipes you can use to prepare a meal that’s perfect for the occasion.
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Chinese Dumplings:
Chinese dumplings are a popular dish during Chinese New Year. Boiled, steamed, or pan-fried, these little pockets of deliciousness make great celebratory food. Filled with pork, beef, or vegetables such as carrots and water chestnuts, the possibilities for filling are endless. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce for an added kick of flavor!
For Chinese New Year, many families like to add a unique decorating style to their dumplings. One popular way of decorating is with the Chinese character for “longevity”. This can be done by forming the dough into the letters and then filling it with your preferred filling before steaming or boiling. You can even give them fun shapes like hearts, stars, fish, or flowers for a festive touch. However you choose to decorate, Chinese dumplings are sure to add an extra bit of cheer to your New Year celebration!
Nian Gao:
Nian Gao, or Chinese New Year Cake, is a traditional Chinese New Year dessert. Made of glutinous rice flour and usually served sweetened with brown sugar, it has a lovely sticky texture that will charm even the harshest critics! Nian Gao can be served either hot or cold and is sometimes pan-fried for extra crunchiness. Enjoy it as a stand-alone dessert or with fruits such as oranges or honey dates for added sweetness.
Reinforcing the notion of good luck and prosperity, Nian Gao has an always-auspicious name as it sounds like a Chinese phrase that means “yearly height”. The sticky texture of this dessert also symbolizes being united together and sticking through tough times. It is believed that eating Nian Gao will bring luck, wealth, and happiness in the coming year. Try making this traditional Chinese New Year delicacy at home for your family and friends – it’s sure to bring more sweetness to their lives!
Fish Flavoured shredded pork:
Fish-flavored shredded pork is the perfect dish to serve up during Chinese New Year. This classic Cantonese recipe is known for its savory, slightly sweet, and tangy flavors, and is a must-have on the Chinese New Year menu. The pork is cooked with garlic, ginger, and other spices, then served with lettuce wraps for an added crunch. It’s absolutely delicious and sure to please all your friends and family!
The recipe calls for pork shoulder, but you can also use pork loin or tenderloin if you prefer. The key to the success of the dish is in marinating the pork beforehand — this ensures that it won’t dry out and keeps it juicy and flavorful. Once your pork has been thoroughly coated in spices and soy sauce, it’s time to heat up a wok (or a large skillet if you don’t have one) and start cooking. Be sure to stir-fry the pork until it starts to caramelize, then remove it from heat before serving vegetables for extra crunch and serve with lettuce wraps for a more filling meal. With just a few simple ingredients, this classic shrimp-flavored shredded pork is sure to please all at your Chinese New Year celebration!
Jiaozi:
Jiaozi (Chinese pot stickers) are another popular dish for celebrating Chinese New Year. These delicious dumplings are traditionally filled with pork, leek, and cabbage and served with a flavorful soy sauce dip. Not only do they look appealing, but their flavor is just as delightful! Plus, they’re a great way to get the whole family involved in this special festival, as they can all help to fold the dumpling wrappers into shape.
Preparing the jiaozi can be time-consuming and requires some skill, but once you get the hang of it they’re surprisingly easy to make. Start by prepping your ingredients: chop up the pork, leek, and cabbage (or whatever filling you’re using), then whisk together all the filling ingredients in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. To assemble the dumplings, place a spoonful of the filling in the center of a dumpling wrapper before folding it into shape. Finally, steam or fry the jiaozi until golden brown and serve alongside a deliciously fragrant soy sauce dip. Enjoy!
Buddha’s Delight:
A traditional Chinese New Year dish often referred to as ‘Buddha’s Delight’, this vegan stir-fry dish is sure to please vegans and non-vegans alike. It contains an array of tasty vegetables such as carrots, shiitake mushrooms, baby corn, and water chestnuts – all stir-fried with garlic, chili paste, and rice wine vinegar. This hearty dish can be served alongside some egg-fried rice or boiled noodles for a complete meal.
It’s easy to prepare and cook, so it’s a perfect dish for those with busy lifestyles or those wanting to have it on the table in no time. Chinese five-spice powder is also added to give it an umami flavor. The mix of vegetables can be changed to suit personal tastes – why not try adding some asparagus spears or broccoli florets – but make sure you fry them first before adding them in with the other vegetables. Serve this Buddha’s Delight hot or cold for an appetizing meal that looks as good as it tastes.
