There are many traditions and superstitions surrounding the Chinese New Year, which Steamy Kitchen’s Jaden Hair outlined for us, but as we enter the year of the Dragon, we at Cooking Channel are most excited about the holiday’s fifteen days of feasting. (Naturally.) This year, the Chinese New Year falls on Monday, January 23.
Steering clear of squid (eating the tentacled creatures during the celebration symbolizes getting fired in the coming year), we’ve rounded up some of our best Chinese recipes for your at-home celebration:
Wok-Cooked Monkfish with Sesame Soy Sauce
Cooking a fish whole — including head and tail — symbolizes togetherness and unity. Enjoy this dish on New Year’s Eve and then partake in the leftovers the next day to gurantee having more than enough food in the coming year.
Zesty Chile Tiger Prawns
Forecast a year filled with happiness and laughter with this delicious garlic and chile-flavored shrimp dish.
Slurp long noodles for a long life — and a full belly.
Chicken Chow Mein
Ching’s Chicken Chow Mein is one of our most highly-rated recipes; one bite, and you’ll know why. Don’t cut the noodles, though — long noodles, though messy, represent a long life.
Dumplings and potstickers are very popular Chinese New Year foods, and auspicious when prepared together by the family. Some of our favorites:
Pork and Prawn Boiled Wontons
Steamed Pork and Mushroom Siu Mai Dumplings
Prawn and Water Chestnut Potstickers
Pork and Prawn Dumplings
Emeril’s Egg Rolls
Egg rolls symbolize prosperity since they bear resemblance to gold bars. Prefer to skip the fryer? Ching’s rice paper-wrapped Peking Duck Spring Rolls are served at intimate celebrations like engagement parties since they represent fidelity — a message that always should be communicated upon the New Year.
Fruit Salad with Star Anise Syrup
Tangerines, oranges and pomegranates symbolize wealth, good luck and fertility (respectively), so the fruits are often eaten and gifted in abundance during the New Year. Try Ching’s fruit salad for a taste of them all.
Still minding your resolutions? Chinese food is healthier when you cook it at home. Check out 15 healthy Asian recipes, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian and Thai fare.
Find even more of our Chinese recipes, a lesson on how to make dumplings and tips on using a wok in our Guide to Chinese Cooking.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Happy Chinese New Year! Chinese food cooked at home seems like a better route to go. it always tends to be a bit on the salty side at restaurants. Great post!
Check out the yummy soups I had over the weekend. http://becauseofmadalene.blogspot.com/
xo,
Christina
Nice one.
Thanks
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