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    Home » Chinese New Year Food » Chinese New Year Recipes

    Chinese New Year Recipes

    Published: Jan 17, 2020 Modified: Jan 5, 2023 by Tracy O.This post may contain affiliate links

    Lunar New Year is a big celebration for Chinese people. Also, people get to gather to spend time with families and eat tasty foods. It is quite similar to Western Thanksgiving and Christmas. In this Chinese new year food recipes post, I share some Chinese Lunar New Year recipes and food ideas that my families often eat during spring festival celebration. Besides, this will be a great menu planning guide for your next Chinese New Year dinner or feast!

    red background Chinese new year recipes ideas

    What is Chinese New Year?

    Chinese New Year is also called Lunar New Year. Chinese around the world will celebrate this spring festival which is the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar.

    Also, it’s normally around late January to early-mid February. The date is different every year according to the regular calendar, but will be the same every lunar year. Besides, other Asia countries such as Japan and Korea also celebrate this Lunar New Year differently.

    Chinese red lanterns hang on trees

    What do people usually do during Chinese spring festival?

    Chinese spring festivals are like western Thanksgivings where families gather together for annual reunion dinners and yummy foods. Traditionally, three days before Lunar New Year (lunar calendar the 28th) people will deep clean their house. It is because they believe in cleaning and sweeping away bad fortunes to welcome good luck.

    In addition, people like to decorate their house with good fortune words, couplets and Chinese poetry on red papers around doors and windows. Also, people light firecrackers and fireworks. Some do lion dance around houses. Besides, married couples will give red pocket money to kids and unmarried members in the families or friends which is a symbol of good luck.

    mandarin oranges with red pockets

    What kind of foods will people eat during Lunar New Year?

    Different areas have different traditional Chinese New Year foods. Usually northern Chinese like to eat noodles, baozi and dumplings for spring festivals.

    However, southern Chinese like to eat chicken, seafood such as fish, crab, lobster, shrimp, duck, braised mushrooms, turnip cake, sweet glutinous rice cake, tang yuan, candies, mandarin oranges etc.

    Here are some Chinese Lunar New Year food recipes ideas:

    1. Dumplings: 

    My childhood memories that my mom made dumplings all from scratch especially during Chinese New Year.

    • Chinese Pan Fried Dumplings
    • Boiled Dumplings
    • Homemade Dumpling Wrappers

    2. Noodles:

    Traditionally, in Chinese culture yi mein is consumed on birthdays. Also, it is referred to as longevity noodles or sau mein. Besides, the Chinese character for "long" means "long life". 

    • Lobster Yee Mein
    • Chicken Yi Mein Noodles
    • Crispy pan fried noodles
    • Beef Chow Fun
    • Ma Yi Shang Shu
    • Wonton Noodle Soup
    • Soy Sauce Noodles

    3. Braised mushrooms

    It is a traditional Chinese cuisine, especially during Chinese New Year or special banquets like traditional weddings or other events. Or, authentic Chinese chicken mushroom and Americanized zucchini mushroom chicken.

    • Braised Chinese Mushrooms
    • Chinese steamed minced pork
    • Chinese Mushroom Chicken Recipe
    • Zucchini Mushroom Chicken 

    4. Chicken:

    Traditionally, Cantonese white cut chicken dishes serve during festival celebrations like Chinese New Year and other Chinese holidays.

    • White Cut Chicken
    • How to Bake a Whole Chicken
    • Soy Sauce Chicken Wings
    • Mouth Watering Chicken

    5. Seafood

    People from southern part of China love to cook seafood for Chinese New Year. Besides, Chinese and Asians like to cook fish as a whole. In Chinese culture, a whole fish with head and tail is a tradition and they believe in good luck. Also, boiled shrimp, ginger scallion crab, steamed shrimp with vermicelli and garlic chili shrimp are my family favorite shrimp dishes.

    • Steam Fish
    • Steam Shrimp with Garlic
    • Chili Garlic Shrimp
    • Ginger Scallion Crab

    6. Turnip cake

    White carrot cake is a traditional Chinese New Year food, especially in the southern part of China because the word radish in Chinese sounds like good fortune.

    • Chinese Turnip Cake

    7. Roast duck

    • Chinese Roast Duck

    8. Shrimp chips

    • Shrimp Chips

    9. Nian Gao

    • Chinese New Year Nian Gao

    10. Pork:

    • Char Siu Chinese BBQ Pork
    • Chinese Cured Pork Belly
    • Chinese Pork Jerky
    • Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce
    • Mapo Tofu Recipe
    • Chinese Eggplant and Pork

    11. Vegetables:

    • Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
    • Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry
    • Garlic Yu Choy Sum
    • Chinese Spinach Amaranth
    • Stir Fried Water Spinach
    • Chinese Cabbage Bacon Stir Fry

    12. Sweet and sour pork or American Chinese orange chicken 

    • Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork
    • Chinese Orange Chicken
    • Chinese Kung Pao Chicken

    13. Rice

    A plain jasmine rice, stir fried ham rice or sesame oil chicken rice.

    • Instant Pot Jasmine Rice Recipe
    • Ham Fried Rice
    • Sesame Oil Chicken Rice Recipe

    14. Soup

    • Lotus Root Pork Soup
    • Watercress Soup Chinese
    • Sweet Corn Carrot Pork Bone Soup
    • Tomato Potato Pork Bone Soup
    • Green Radish Carrot Pork Bone Soup
    • Dried Bok Choy Soup
    • Gobo Soup Recipe
    • Easy Hot and Sour Soup
    • Homemade Wonton Soup

    15. Dessert:

    • Tang Yuan
    • Sweet Red Bean Soup
    • Taro & Tapioca Pearl Dessert
    • Asian Shaved Ice
    • Sweet Mung Bean Soup
    • Tofu Pudding Dessert
    • Red Bean Paste Rice Cake
    • Almond Jello Recipe
    • Taro Ice Cream Recipe
    • Black Glutinous Rice Dessert

    Happy Chinese New Year! And, I hope these Chinese Lunar New Year food recipes ideas can help you plan for your next Lunar New Year feast!

    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE:

    • WONTON SOUP (雲吞湯)
    • HOMEMADE RICE NOODLES
    • BRAISED BEEF HO FUN NOODLE SOUP (牛腩河)
    • PHO VIETNAMESE NOODLE SOUP

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    Tracy O.
    About Me

    Welcome to Oh My Food Recipes, where you can find inspiration for meals or dinner ideas specialty Asian cuisines. Oh My Food Recipes is tried and tested recipes with step by step photo tutorials.... Read more!

    Seasonal

    • Chinese New Year Recipes
    • How to Make Chocolate Strawberries
    • Chinese New Year Nian Gao
    • Chinese Turnip Cake
    • Shrimp Chips
    • Chinese Pork Jerky
    • Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
    • Strawberry Pie Glaze with Jello

    MY FAVORITES

    • Pho Beef Noodle Soup
    • Black Sesame Soup
    • Korean Glass Noodles Japchae
    • Chinese Pineapple Bun
    • Japanese Tonkatsu
    • Asian Teriyaki Sauce
    • How to Make Vietnamese Spring Rolls
    • Tomato Egg Stir Fry

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