Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, is a time of celebrating fresh starts and hoping for luck and happiness in the coming year. Fireworks and firecrackers are used to scare away evil spirits. The Dragon and lion dances are also performed, where a team of dancers in one big bright dragon or lion costume dance to drums and clanging cymbals. Symbolic foods, such as long noodles for a long life and desserts that represent luck, are common during this time.
Try these recipes to celebrate the Lunar New Year!
Spring Rolls
This classic starter has a ton a variations, but it’s always a celebration of flavor, texture and color.
Shrimp Lettuce Wraps and Spring Rolls
These refreshing wraps make a great snack or appetizer. For a vegetarian version, wrap thinly sliced fried or baked tofu inside the rolls instead of shrimp.
Lobster Winter Rolls with Orange Dipping Sauce
These delicious appetizer or lunch rolls feature sweet and tender steamed lobster meat tucked inside brown rice spring roll wrappers.
Get the recipe: Lobster Winter Rolls with Orange Dipping Sauce
Try this recipe for Vietnamese Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce. Mint and cilantro make this one light and herby.
Hot Pot
As social as it is traditional, hot pot is piping hot broth (usually kept hot over a camp stove at the table) that thinly sliced raw meats and vegetables are dipped in to cook — think fondue-style. Common meats used include ribeye, pork belly and seafood, and common hot pot vegetables include bok choy, daikon radish, mushrooms and bamboo shoots. It’s a fun and delicious communal activity that results in a soup that constantly changes flavor as the night goes on. If you’re going to have a hot pot at your table this year, make it extra special with homemade broth.
Homemade Vegetable Broth
Easy to make with vegetables you already have on hand, this flavorful broth will enhance your favorite vegetarian soups and stews. Try using it instead of water for rice or quinoa too.
Golden Chicken Broth
Save the bones from two rotisserie or home-roasted chickens, toss in a few aromatics and you’re about an hour away from two quarts of rich homemade broth.
Vegetable and Tofu Hot Pot
Put together a beautiful platter of mushrooms, tofu and vegetables, gather around the pot, and everyone can have fun cooking their own tasty morsels in aromatic broth. Chopsticks are classic for lowering in the bits of food, but you can use fondue forks instead.
Dumplings
Preparing dumplings is more fun (and less work) when the whole family gets involved. Start by preparing the dumpling filling. Then place the pork, scallion, ginger and mushroom mixture into the dumpling wrappers and seal with the help of a little water. Dumplings are like little treasure chests of flavor that are said to bring prosperity into the new year.
Pork Dumplings with Dipping Sauce
Ground pork with aromatic ginger, garlic, cilantro and green onion fill these satisfying dumplings, served at Chinese New Year celebrations to bring good fortune and wealth for the coming year. To make dumpling soup, simply cook the dumplings in chicken or vegetable stock.
Sesame Orange Greens with Potstickers
Pan-fried potstickers from the freezer are the shortcut to a super tasty celebration. Try serving over dark, leafy greens seasoned with sesame oil, oranges and tamari.
Try this recipe for Spicy Asian Dumpling Soup opens in a new tab. Ginger, garlic and sliced hot peppers bring heat and flavor to this easy soup.
Noodles
Noodles represent longevity and are usually served alongside the hot pot.
Chinese-Style Longevity Noodles
These noodles are traditionally served at Chinese New Year feasts. An ancient Chinese belief holds that long noodles are the key to a long life, so don’t cut the noodles as you eat them.
Chinese-Style Chicken Noodle Soup
This gluten-free noodle soup can be assembled easily, provided you have a few Asian staples in your pantry. Serve with a tangy seaweed salad or marinated cucumber salad.
Sesame-Peanut Noodles
Simple, fresh and comes together in no time. Serve this colorful noodle dish at room temperature or chilled with lots of green onion.
Celebratory Mains
These celebration-worthy mains will light up any table. Don’t worry, preparing whole fish and Cornish hens is way easier than you think.
Chinese-Style Whole Fish
There’s no need to fear cooking a whole fish! This easy preparation combines fragrant scallions, cilantro and ginger with a salty-sweet glaze. Ask your fishmonger for fish recommendations if red snapper isn’t available.
Szechuan-Style Cornish Hens
This superb recipe for Cornish hens calls for mildly spicy, aromatic Szechuan pepper, sometimes known as Chinese pepper. If you can’t find it, you can substitute ground pink peppercorns and a pinch of allspice.
Citrus
It’s customary for guests to bring citrus fruits, such as mandarins, for their host or hostess. They’re a sweet symbol of good fortune and are eaten as dessert at the end of the celebratory meal. Here’s some citrusy recipe inspiration to bring a touch of sweetness to your next Lunar New Year.
Mandarin Cake
Freshly grated zest and thin mandarin slices do double duty as edible decoration for this irresistibly versatile cake. Blanching the citrus slices removes their inherent bitterness and makes them tender.
Gluten-Free Orange and Currant Sweet Rolls
Using our gluten-free dinner rolls as a dynamite shortcut, these sweet buns are stuffed with dried currants and drizzled with fresh orange glaze.
