The Chinese New Year festivities, which will begin on February 10 this year, are an opportunity to wish each other health, prosperity, wealth and harmony. In short, absolutely everything we need in 2024.
For two weeks, the houses are decorated, cleaned, the traditional red lai see envelopes are distributed, and above all we share a meal with the family. The Chinese New Year dinner is considered the most important meal of the year. Throughout the festivities, several dishes are eaten according to symbolism based on pronunciation or their appearance. We’ll explain it to you.
The 7 lucky foods for Chinese New Year
To attract prosperity to the plate
Fish
“Nián nián yǒu yú” is a Chinese wish for “prosperity” or “fish”, because the two words are homophones.
In Asia, we therefore like to eat steamed or boiled fish during the first day of the Chinese year in order to enrich our heritage. If you are really picky, you should choose catfish or crucian carp, the pronunciation of which is similar to the word “luck”. These varieties are, however, more difficult to find in our Western supermarkets than cod or whiting.
As for recipes, we advise you to try fish amok, a Cambodian dish, or tom yam-style cod, the famous Thai spicy soup.
The fruits
Fruits, and particularly citrus fruits, thanks to their round shape and warm colors evoke harmony, luck and prosperity. Tangerines and oranges, in particular, contribute to success, while eating grapefruit is said to bring lasting prosperity.
An additional reason to put citrus fruits more often on the menu, whether in Sautéed Beef Tab with Citrus and Spiced Rice or in a Citrus Salad with Orange Blossom.
To get rich, rich, rich
The jiaozis
These are Chinese dumplings usually filled with meat or vegetables. Their boat shape is the same as that of gold bars. In fact, the more jiaozi you eat during Chinese New Year, the more money you could earn. If you want to launch a competition for the most jiaozis swallowed in one minute (currently 10), now is the time. Who knows, maybe it will allow you to break a culinary record or win the Lotto.
Spring rolls
Be careful, in Asia, there are spring rolls and spring rolls. In Vietnam, these are rolls stuffed with meat and vegetables, surrounded by a raw rice paper, while in China, they are surrounded by an already cooked pancake, or a ravioli sheet, before to be fried. With their pretty golden color, these are undoubtedly reminiscent of gold bars.
To maintain strong health
Longevity noodles
These egg noodles are like the lines of the hand. The longer they are, the more it is a good sign. Like the thread of destiny, each noodle is in fact supposed to represent the life of a person. This is also the reason why, never, ever, we must cut them, including during their preparation. In reality, noodles are made from the same piece of dough stretched a thousand times (according to tradition), to form the pasta one by one. They are generally eaten fried or boiled.
To finally get the promotion you want
The nian gāo
Is your annual interview in a few days? Consider eating nian gao before going to negotiate a raise. These are sticky rice cakes, sometimes flavored with red beans or whole cane sugar. The character gāo, meaning both “cake” and “high”, we therefore consume these Chinese pastries with the aim of rising professionally “to go higher”. As Tina Arena sang.
For household peace
The tāngyuán
In China, these glutinous rice flour balls are eaten with the family on the last day of the Chinese New Year. Traditionally, they are served as a dessert, in a sugar water soup, but they can also be stuffed with meat and served with a salty broth. Their spherical shape symbolizes happiness and reunion. They have the art of encouraging reunions and easing tensions. We will think of them for our next family meal.
