The Chinese New Year dinner is surely the most important tradition on the Chinese New Year's Eve. In the biggest feast of the year, dishes like dumplings and fish are essential. Apart from this, some other dishes can bring good luck are also indispensable. Follow the menu and recipes of 10 Chinese New Year dishes, and then you can prepare a home-cooked family reunion feast by yourself.
1. Dumplings
Dumplings are the essential food in most Chinese people’s New Year dinner. “Jiaozi” is the Chinese name of dumplings with the meaning of year changing. Also, the shape of dumpling is like a silver ingot and it is said that eating dumplings can bring wealth and fortune.
Ingredients:
flour 400g,
pork 350g,
celery 300g
* The celery can also be changed to other vegetables you like, such as leek, lotus root or cabbage.
Seasonings:
green onion, ginger, salt, five spices powder, cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame oil
Method:
Step 1: Add water into the flour to make a dough. Knead the dough and then cover it for later use.
Step 2: Prepare the fillings by mixing the ground pork with chopped celery, ginger and green onion and add other seasonings.
Step 3: Cut the dough into small pieces and make each in roll flat to a round wrapper.
Step 4: Put the filling in the wrapper and seal the edges to wrap the dumpling.
Step 5: Cook them in boiling water for about 10 minutes.
Learn more about Chinese Dumplings
2. Steamed Perch
In Chinese, fish is called “Yu”, which has the similar pronunciation of “surplus”. So eating fish in Chinese New Year expresses a good wish of abundance and prosperity in the next year. Steamed Perch is one of the most popular Chinese New Year recipes of fish, with a good appearance of a whole fish, fresh taste, and easy cooking skills. Another recommended fish course is the Braised Carp with Soy Sauce.
Ingredients:
1 perch 500 - 600g
Seasonings:
ginger, green onion sections, soy sauce, cooking wine, fish gravy, salt, wet cornstarch
Method:
Step 1: Salt the prepared perch for 15 minutes with cooking wine, salt, ginger slices and green onion sections.
Step 2: Steam the perch in the steamer basket for 10 - 15 minutes.
Step 3: Stir-fry the fish juice with soy sauce, fish gravy, salt, and wet cornstarch for 20 seconds and pour it onto the perch.
Learn more about Steamed Perch
3. Braised Meat Balls in Gravy
The Braised Meat Balls in Gravy is also called lion’s head or four-joy meat balls. The four-joy means luck, wealth, longevity and happiness. For the good blessings, it has become one of the necessary Chinese New Year dishes.
Ingredients:
ground pork 500g,
1 egg
Seasonings:
cooking oil, green onion, ginger powder, cooking wine, soy sauce, starch, salt, sugar, sesame oil
Method:
Step 1: Add green onion, ginger powder, cooking wine, soy sauce, starch, salt and sugar to the ground pork.
Step 2: Mix them together with the egg and shape it into meat balls.
Step 3: Fry the meat balls in oil and then steam them for about 30 minutes.
Step 4: Add wet cornstarch into the steaming juice from the meat balls, pour the thickened mixture onto the meat balls. Add a little sesame oil.
4. Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs
The Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs is a very popular dish in Chinese New Year dinner. For its rich flavor, this is also one of the favorite dishes for children. If you are not interested in the sweet food, it can also be changed to barbecue pork ribs or braised pork ribs.
Ingredients:
spare ribs 600 - 800g,
1 egg
Seasonings:
cooking oil, green onion sections, cooking wine, soy sauce, salt, white vinegar, cornstarch, white sugar, wheat flour
Method:
Step 1: Boil the ribs with cooking wine for 20 - 30 minutes to 70% cooked.
Step 2: Place the ribs in a small basin, add the egg, salt, white vinegar, and wheat flour to marinate.
Step 3: Fry the ribs in cooking oil until they turn gold.
Step 4: Prepare the seasoning sauce with white sugar, white vinegar, cooking wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch.
Step 5: Leave some oil in the wok, add the green onions and the sauce to stir-fry for 20 seconds, and then put the fried spare ribs into it and stew for 2-3 minutes.
Learn more aboutSweet and Sour Spare Ribs
5. Braised Chicken
One of the essential dishes on Chinese New Year menu is chicken, as its Chinese name “Ji” has the similar pronunciation with auspiciousness. The Braised Chicken is the most common one. With chicken thigh cooked in bright color and salty flavor, it tastes smooth, tender and delicious. The Roast Chicken, Peppery Chicken and Cola Chicken Wings are also very popular chicken recipes.
Ingredients:
bone-in chicken leg with thigh 400 - 500g,
dried shiitake mushrooms 35g,
2 green peppers
Seasonings:
cooking oil, cooking wine, ginger slices, soy sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper powder
Method:
Step 1: Cut the chicken into pieces. Rehydrate mushrooms and cut them into slices. Cut the green peppers into pieces.
Step 2: Add a spoon of sugar into heated oil, stir-fry to brown color, and then add the chicken to stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add cooking wine, ginger slices, soy sauce and mix them well.
Step 3: Add water, salt, and white pepper powder to braise the chicken with mushrooms for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Turn down the heat to braise for another 15 minutes and then add the green pepper. 2 minutes later, turn off the fire.
6. Spiced Beef
The Spiced Beef is a traditional cold dish in China. The deliciously tender and fragrant with chewy stripes of the beef makes it one of the necessary Chinese New Year dishes. Sometimes, people love to cook Beef Stew with Potato. The Fried Beef with Tomato Sauce is also a tasty dish.
Ingredients:
beef shank 1,000g, in two pieces
Seasonings:
salt, sugar, cooking wine, soy sauce, green onion, ginger, pepper, special Chinese seasoning materials like star anises, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, and dried tangerine peel.
Method:
Step 1: Put the beef shank into cold water, heat for 15 minutes to remove the blood and scum, and then drain it.
Step 2: Put the beef into hot water and add all the above seasonings.
Step 3: Cover the pot, boil the beef half an hour over high heat, 2 hours over low heat, and then lift up the cover and turn up the heat for another 15 minutes.
Step 4: Drain and cool the beef, and slice it and dish up.
7. Braised Prawns
As a necessary dish on Chinese New Year reunion dinner, the Braised Prawns are pretty popular among children because of its good flavor. Usually served in a round plate presentation, the golden prawns look bright and delightful, greatly in accordance with the festive atmosphere.
Ingredients:
prawns 400 - 500g
Seasonings:
cooking oil, cooking wine, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, ginger, green onion, garlic
Method:
Step 1: Wash the prawns, cut the beards and remove the shrimp lines.
Step 2: Add cooking oil in wok, and put the ginger slices, green onion sections, garlic slices to stir-fry over soft heat for 5 seconds. Then add the prawns and stir-fry them until becoming red.
Step 3: Add the seasoning sauce with salt, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce and some water to braise for 5 minutes.
8. Green Vegetable with Mushroom
This is a classic home cooked dish and one of the must Chinese New Year food recipes. After eating a lot of meat food, the green vegetable can make you feel refreshing.
Ingredients:
green vegetables 250g,
fresh mushroom 200g
Seasonings:
oil, garlic slices, salt, soy sauce, wet cornstarch
Method:
Step 1: Add some oil and stir-fry the green vegetables with garlic slices for 30 seconds. Add some salt and move the vegetables to a plate.
Step 2: Stir-fry the mushroom for 1 minute, add some water and braise for 5 minutes. Then add salt, soy sauce, wet cornstarch, and stir-fry for 20 seconds.
Step 3: Pour the mushroom with juice on the green vegetables.
Learn more aboutGreen Vegetable with Mushroom
9. Century Egg Salad
Century egg is a long favorite Chinese New Year dish, but it is a controversial food among foreigners – some accept its chewy and mellow taste while some refuse its dark appearance and think its special flavor is strange. Nevertheless, nothing stops Chinese people’s passion for this food.
Ingredients:
3 or 4 century eggs,
1 red pepper
Seasonings:
oil, garlic, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil
Method:
Step 1: Remove the shell of the century eggs. Cut each egg into four parts and put them onto a plate.
Step 2: Stir fry the chopped garlic and shredded pepper with a little oil, and then add salt and mix well.
Step 3: Pour the mixture onto the egg. Add some soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.
10.Fried Hairtail
It is a commonly seen Chinese New Year dish with delicious and crispy flavor.
Ingredients:
hairtail 500g
Seasonings:
oil, ginger, green onion, cooking wine, soy sauce, salt, cornstarch
Method:
Step 1: Clean the fish and cut into several pieces of 5 to 8 cm.
Step 2: Marinate the fish for 20 to 30 minutes with ginger and green onion slices, cooking wine, soy sauce, and salt.
Step 3: Remove the seasonings and coat the hairtail sections with cornstarch.
Step 4: Fry them to gold over high heat.
You May Like
7 Chinese New Year Foods that will Bring You Good Luck
Chinese Food Cooking Class
Traditional Chinese New Year Food
Chinese New Year Gala
- Last updated on Nov. 18, 2022 by Catherine He -
