35 Lunar New Year Recipes Sure To Bring You Good Fortune In The Year Of The Snake
Wednesday, January 29th, will kick off the start of the Year of the Snake with celebrations of fireworks, family, and feasts all across the world. This holiday season—known as Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, Tet, Seollel, and others—is celebrated under many different names, countries, and cultures, but the heart remains the same: wherever Lunar New Year is celebrated, the holiday focuses on opening the new year with hope for prosperity, happiness, and health. And what better way to celebrate health, happiness, and prosperity than to eat?! This list gathers together all of our favorite Lunar New Year appetizers, mains, and desserts to help you bring good fortune with the new year.
While each country does things differently, you’ll find rice cakes—like in South Korea’s tteokguk soup of rice cakes in clear broth—dumplings, fresh fruit, and vegetables—like in Singapore’s lou hei “tossing up good fortune” salad—shrimp and prawns, and whole fish and chicken as mainstays across the board.
During Chinese celebrations whole cooked fish are considered to be one of the most important foods due to the Chinese pronunciation of the word “fish” also meaning “being abundant”. For our renditions, look to our whole grilled red snapper and whole roasted trout.
In Vietnam, Lunar New Year celebrations often contain spring rolls, mooncakes, and banh chung/banh tet—sticky rice cakes filled with pork and mung beans, wrapped in banana leaves, and boiled. For a taste of Tet, try our Vietnamese braised pork belly, our Vietnamese-Cajun shrimp boil, or our sticky rice.
Don your red and gold, pass out your hongbao, and bring your appetite! However you celebrate Lunar New Year, these recipes can help you start the Year of the Snake with health, happiness, and a heaping of great food.
Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly
Thịt Kho Tàu is a salty-sweet dish of caramelized pork belly and marinated eggs. Hailing from South Vietnam, this flavorful dish is beloved amongst those both Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese alike.
Get the Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly recipe.
Grilled Red Snapper
While there are a lot of fish out there that our great for grilling, red snapper is probably our favorite to do whole for a couple of reasons. 1) it's pretty widely available 2) its gorgeous red color 3) its delicate, yummy flavor.
Get the Grilled Red Snapper recipe.
Smash Dumplings
Pleating dumplings is a full-on art, so if you’re all fingers and thumbs with a wrapper, smash dumplings are the way to go. Layered with an aromatic pork and cabbage filling, this effortless take on gyoza is simple enough to whip up any night of the week.
Get the Smash Dumplings recipe.
Soup Dumplings
I absolutely love dumplings in all their shapes, sizes, and forms. Xiaolongbao are a form of Chinese dumpling, or “buns,” filled typically with ground pork and a homemade pork broth. Often they’re steamed in a bamboo steamer, which is how I prepare them here.
Get the Soup Dumplings recipe.
Congee With Youtiao (Chinese Donuts)
If you know how to boil water, you know how to make congee. There is no real recipe beyond the two main ingredients, rice and water. Everything else is up to you: My childhood bowls were usually served with a donut called 油條 (youtiao).
Get the Congee With Youtiao (Chinese Donuts) recipe.
Summer Roll Bowls
Love a Vietnamese summer roll but don’t want to fuss with the wrapper? Meet your new favorite dinner. Rice noodles, shrimp, avocado, thinly sliced veggies, and a plethora of greens are tossed together in a tangy nước chấm dressing for a refreshing dinner twist.
Get the Summer Roll Bowls recipe.
Orange Chicken
Skip the drive-thru tonight—this homemade orange chicken is sweet, sour, and perfectly sticky enough to curb any takeout craving. Ready in under an hour with all of the same sweet and savory flavors you love, staying in for weeknight dinner has never been easier.
Get the Orange Chicken recipe.
Pot Stickers
Skip the freezer aisle—homemade pot stickers will be the most fun (and deliciously rewarding) activity you do all week. This ginger and pork filled recipe only requires a handful of ingredients to create that crisp exterior and flavorful filling we crave in a pot sticker.
Get the Pot Stickers recipe.
Chili Crisp Fried Tofu
Chili crisp is the MVP in the flavor bomb pantry, and it’s back to prove it again with this chili crisp fried tofu. Featuring a vibrant spicy-sweet sauce made with just four pantry ingredients, this crispy fried tofu is waiting to make your weeknight dinner a little more exciting.
Get the Chili Crisp Fried Tofu recipe.
Summer Rolls
If you’re looking for the perfect light appetizer, then turn to these homemade summer rolls. For my recipe, I rolled gently poached shrimp, springy rice noodles, crunchy vegetables, and fresh green herbs into al dente rice paper sheets. Paired with an easy peanut dipping sauce, these summer rolls are the refreshing dish I turn to again and again.
Get the Summer Rolls recipe.
Homemade Dumplings
The family that cooks together, stays together. Take your time and give this homemade dumpling process lots of love—餃子 (jiao zi) are often made in the company of loved ones around Chinese New Year to celebrate families gathering together.
Get the Homemade Dumplings recipe.
Crab Cake Egg Rolls
These two-bite beauties combine the decadence of a crab cake, and the crisp-chewy texture of an egg roll. Fresh jumbo lump crab gets tossed with scallions, panko, a little bit of mayo, and Old Bay seasoning, then snuggly wrapped in a wonton wrapper before taking a dunk in hot oil until golden brown.
Get the Crab Cake Egg Rolls recipe.
Scallion Pancake Quesadilla
Scallion pancakes are the flaky, crispy part of a good dim sum spread that can make you fall in love and lose track of time. But when you stuff those same pancakes with gooey cheese and savory sautéed mushrooms to make scallion pancake quesadillas? Be prepared for your newest obsession.
Get the Scallion Pancake Quesadilla recipe.
Cold Ginger Chicken
Originating as a Chinese dish, the contrast of the cold, tender poached chicken with the hot sticky rice and pungent ginger puree hits all the senses for a light yet powerfully flavorful dish.
Get the Cold Ginger Chicken recipe.
Fortune Cookies
The fortune cookie is complex, in both process and pedigree. A similar, predecessor cookie, if you will, was served at temples in ancient Japan before Japanese immigrants brought the modern version of the cookie to the U.S. in the 19th century. Soon after, Chinese American restauranteurs adopted the cookie, making it forever synonymous with Chinese American cuisine.
Get the Fortune Cookies recipe.
Braised Lemongrass-Chili Chicken
Gà Kho Xả Ởt, which translates to Braised Lemongrass-Chili Chicken, is a juicy chicken recipe that will instantly transport you to Vietnam through the smells and tastes of lemongrass, chilies, and garlic.
Get the Braised Lemongrass-Chili Chicken recipe.
Tteokbokki: Spicy Korean Rice Cakes
Pungent. Spicy. Savory. Sweet. Tteokbokki is saucy, delicious comfort food in a bowl. The tender chewiness of Korean rice cakes is enticingly satisfying, the chili’s heat is disorienting and addictive: you fall in love faster than your brain can process.
Get the Tteokbokki: Spicy Korean Rice Cakes recipe.
Bang Bang Shrimp
A go-to appetizer for many, bang bang shrimp is irresistibly delicious. The pairing of crunchy shrimp and the signature creamy, spicy-sweet sauce is a combo made in appetizer heaven.
Get the Bang Bang Shrimp recipe.
Whole Roasted Trout
Trout's delicate flavor is the perfect match for citrus and herbs, which is why we love to roast it whole, filling it with all our favorite aromatics. Encasing the fish in foil steams the fish, trapping in all that delicious, buttery jus.
Get the Whole Roasted Trout recipe.
Roast Chicken
The perfect roast chicken recipe doesn't require a lot of extra ingredients, just some kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. The steps to make this chicken are simple: You season the bird, then roast it at high heat until the skin is bronzed and crisp and the flesh juicy.
Get the Roast Chicken recipe.
Sweet & Sour Tofu
Sweet and sour sauce is a staple across Chinese-American restaurant menus—and for good reason. The combination of savory, tangy, and sweet flavors pairs well with virtually every protein. That’s especially true when it comes to tofu—because it’s mild in flavor, the sweet and sour sauce truly shines.
Get the Sweet & Sour Tofu recipe.
Baked Catfish
Skip the fish fry—make this baked catfish at home and skip the mess. While I love fried catfish, this baked recipe is quick, easy, and way less messy. I dredge the catfish in cornmeal and flavor it with plenty of Cajun seasoning, resulting in a crisp and extra-flavorful result.
Get the Baked Catfish recipe.
Vietnamese-Cajun Shrimp Boil
Everyone around the Gulf Coast looks forward to the beginning of crawfish season and crawfish boils. In Houston—neighbor to New Orleans and home to one of the largest Vietnamese diasporas in the world—we’ve added a little flair to the traditional boil, birthing Vietnamese-Cajun cuisine.
Get the Vietnamese-Cajun Shrimp Boil recipe.
Copycat PF Chang’s Wonton Soup
This wonton soup is absolutely packed with flavor and ingredients from shrimp to mushrooms to water chestnuts. We use head- and shell-on shrimp to help add a bit of flavor and complexity to store-bought chicken broth.
Get the Copycat PF Chang’s Wonton Soup recipe.
Mango Sticky Rice
Mango sticky rice is a traditional Southeast Asian dessert, originating in countries like Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and now popular all over the world. It's simple in nature: lightly sweetened with a warm coconut sauce that gets poured all over the cooked rice.
Get the Mango Sticky Rice recipe.
Hot & Sour Soup
Hot and sour soup is an infinitely adaptable soup that you can customize to your liking. For this version, I am opting for medley of mushrooms, yuba, and bamboo shoots, but feel free to experiment!
Get the Hot & Sour Soup recipe.
Miso Butter Cod
This easy Miso Butter Cod is an easy and healthy dinner that's ready in just 40 minutes. The cod and bok choy roast together, keeping things simple. It's an umami rich meal that couldn't be easier.
Get the Miso Butter Cod recipe.
Air Fryer Orange Chicken
A take-out classic, orange chicken has been a staple weeknight dinner recreated by many ever since Chef Andy Kao invented the popular Chinese-American dish in 1987. Typically deep- or pan-fried, this air fryer version gives the same crispy result, but uses far less oil.
Get the Air Fryer Orange Chicken.
Steamed Buns
Known as 包子 (baozi) in Chinese, the steamed bun literally translates to "a little package"— at its core, it's a humble bread house that welcomes whatever your heart desires to stuff into it. The dough is soft but not too cakey, tender with a slight chew, with a barely sweetened taste that pairs well with, well, almost anything.
Get the Steamed Buns recipe.
Wonton Soup
This quick and easy wonton soup is a Lunar New Year classic with silky wontons and gingery pork. Not only does it come together in a flash, it's also super satisfying without weighing you down.
Get the Wonton Soup recipe.
Grilled Lobster Tail
These buttery grilled lobster tails are ready at home in just 30 minutes. This gorgeous, grilled classic—paired with an irresistible garlic herb butter—is guaranteed to bring happiness to all who eat them.
Get the Grilled Lobster Tail recipe.
Grilled Shrimp
This grilled shrimp recipe with a simple spicy marinade is the perfect way to take advantage of all that the grill has to offer. Our simple marinade includes lime juice, garlic, honey, soy sauce, and Sriracha for that kick of heat.
Get the Grilled Shrimp recipe.
Tang Yuan: Glutinous Rice Balls
Usually eaten on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, known as the Lantern Festival, tang yuan (湯圓) is a sweet glutinous rice ball treat that symbolizes familial unity and togetherness. My favorite fillings are sweet black sesame and ground peanuts, so I've included the option below to make either one.
Get the Tang Yuan: Glutinous Rice Balls recipe.
Mooncakes
Unlike homemade dumplings, which are often made in the company of family and friends for Lunar New Year, mooncakes are rarely homemade due to how labor- and time-intensive they are. If you do decide to make these at home, be ready to take on A Project, capital A, capital P.
Get the Mooncakes recipe.
Egg Drop Soup
I loved getting egg drop soup with our Chinese take-out as a kid, so I was so pleased when I discovered it's very easy to make at home. Using the ingredients you probably already have on hand, this recipe takes just 10 minutes.
Get the Egg Drop Soup recipe.
Peking Style Chicken
Peking duck is a classic of Beijing cuisine and has extra crispy and shiny skin and is usually served in very thin slices and wrapped in some form of crepe. Here were subbing in chicken coated in a sweet sauce that will produce that iconic shiny and crisp skin.
Get the Peking Style Chicken recipe.
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