Here are 8 traditional dishes you can cook to celebrate Chinese New Year 2023, year of the rabbit!
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Dumplings (Jiaozi)
Dumplings symbolise wealth because their shape is like the ancient Chinese currency, the ingot. According to Chinese New Year custom, the more dumplings you eat during the celebrations, the more money you’ll make during the new year.
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Longevity Noodles (Yi mein)
Legend says the longer your noodle, the longer your life. Symbolising happiness and long life, these longevity noodles, known as Yi Mein noodles, can be up to two feet in length. They’re served during celebrations, including Chinese New Year.
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Whole Fish (Da Yu)
Symbolising family unity, prosperity and abundance, steamed whole fish is one of the most common dishes eaten during Chinese New Year.
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Spring rolls (Chun juan)
Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival, and chūn jǔan literally translates to spring and roll, representing the spring rolling in. Before we popularised spring rolls and their fillings, it was the custom to combine seasonal vegetables into the spring rolls as a way to welcome and celebrate spring. Spring rolls also resemble gold bars, and symbolise both wealth and prosperity in the year to come.
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Whole eggs
Symbolising family unity and prosperity, whole eggs can take many forms during celebration meals. Make soy sauce eggs, marbled tea eggs, or add boiled eggs to other dishes, such as soups or braised meat dishes.
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Vegetables (Tian yuan su xiao chao)
Just like spring rolls are the combination of all the new seasonal produce, ‘countryside vegetarian stir fry’ is a way to use up all the vegetables stored or preserved from the winter season. It’s typically made from a base of mushrooms (blessings and fortune), Chinese cabbage and Chinese red dates, and rounded out with other symbolic ingredients and greens.
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Glutinous rice cake (Nian gao) and sweet glutinous rice balls (Tang yuan)
Also known as New Year Cake, Nian Gao symbolises growth in all forms, from career to health to height. It can be sweet or savoury, depending on the region, and any version can be enjoyed during Chinese New Year.
And a dessert of chewy, sweet dumplings served with a warm ginger or Osmanthus flower syrup symbolise familial togetherness and unity. The glutinous rice balls can be stuffed with red bean paste black sesame.
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Good Fortune Fruit
Symbolising family unity, wealth, prosperity and happiness, citrus fruit like mandarins, cumquats, tangerines, oranges and pomelos are both gifted and eaten during Chinese New Year celebrations. Enjoy them fresh at the end of the festive meal.
So which one’s your favourite? Let me know in the comments below what you’ll be cooking for Chinese New Year. I’m defiantly making spring rolls this year!
